Frank;
1)Bear with me, I did that engine swap 20 + years ago. I vaguely
remember the bell-housings WOULD interchange but flywheel-to-starter
distances or # of teeth or something else negated both
forwards-and-backwards compatibility.
2)Changing from the 240-six to the 289 with C-4 was easy, I just got
the bellhousing to fit my 5-bolt block. The starter p/n itself stayed
the same, I used the 240 starter on the V-8. The only mod.required
was that the 289 overall length was about 2-3" shorter than the 240.
The tranny-mount on the C-4 equipped Econolines was welded to the
underside of the body pan.This mount had "extra" holes drilled fore
and aft of the stock C-4 location. The C-4 case for these was special,
their mount was integrally cast on the top of the tranny case, not on
the underside. Along with the drop-in of the engine with Mustang motor
mounts, one wonders why Ford never offered a V-8 option in those early
year Econolines('63-66).Some even came with column-mounted 4-speeds.
3)My top-loader, when I added it, came from a 390 Torino or Cyclone
GT. It had a "dual-pattern" tranny-to-bellhousing mounting set-up and
had 8 bolt-holes; 1 set for the big-blocks, one for small. I got a
5-bolt junkyard, cast-iron bellhousing, and all the clutch parts from
Ford.
The input shaft housing diameter where it mounts on the tranny is a
larger diam. for the 390 than for the 289. I turned it in a lathe to
fit the 289 bellhousing; there was still enough metal left to seal
around the bolt holes. I put in a new ring gear, magnafluxed and
surfaced the flywheel and was ready to go.
4)Since I couldn't come up with a stock column-mounted 4-speed
shifter, I took the Cyclone 4-speed shifter and mounted it IN FRONT OF
the engine box, which is between the front seats. My linkage was about
6-7 feet long, so I welded up some bushing retainers on various parts
of the frame, etc. and put in DELRIN bushings to reduce friction.My
shifts were O.K., but never of the "speed-shift" variety.
5) The last obstacle to clear was that reverse on the particular
toploader I had was "over-and-down", which put it way underneath the
driver's seat. Hmmmmm. I hadn't yet removed my stock shifter from the
steering column for the C-4 (park-to-low). Crawling underneath, I
measured the throw I needed for reverse on the 4-speed, and then
measured the existing throw for the old shifter. They matched exactly,
I only needed to weld on an extension and I had the ultimate
reverse-lockout and anti-theft device.
6) I used the floor-shifter for 1st-4th; and depressed the clutch, put the
4-speed shifter in the neutral gate, and then used my stock auto. linkage for
reverse. This always "blew-minds" the first time anyone rode in the car.
Parallel parking was a bear, and since my particular model Econoline had the
extended body in the rear, I didn't attempt it much.
7)My 289 was overbored by .060", I used 11-1 Speed-Pro pistons, a high-vol. oil
pump.a "3/4" cam, Torker intake, and Holley 600-double pumper. I did all the
machine-work on the engine myself, except grinding the crank. I worked for an
engine-rebuilder in Palo Alto, and did all the machine work after hours for zero
$$. Since we were a major jobber, my parts cost me 10% over cost, including what
I bought from Ford dealers. I think I built the whole engine for $450.00.
Phil "Cutting Torch" LeBrun
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Bell Housing
Author: Frank Marrone <marrone@wco.com> at ~INTERNET
Date: 7/28/97 11:32 AM
I did some checking and apparently the 240/300-6 bell housing will fit the
6-bolt 289/302 with the following caveats:
1. 6-bolt 240/300 Uses only 164 tooth flywheel (no starter available for
157 tooth in that 6-bolt housing).
2. Depending on the application the large round hole where the transmission
bearing retainer fits in the housing may or may not be right. There are
at least two sizes possibly differentiated by big truck/passenger car
light truck applications.
3. Need to match with appropriate gear box mounting flange pattern.
I'm not sure what Phils problem was, maybe #2? Maybe something else? Phil,
didn't the bell housing patterns match? I wonder if there is some
difference between automatic and manual interchange?
Frank Marrone MK I Tiger B9471116
marrone@wco.com 1966 LTD
'79 Spitfire
Yamaha Seca 900 (aka XJ900RK)
|