I curious to know If I have to Do shock tower mods or any other to get the 351c to slide down in my maverick. and what motor mounts do I need I'm going to get the motor on sunday and take it to the shop for them to get started while I find the rest of my parts. Everything is done on my car but the motor swap and I 'm tired of playing with the 6 cyl.Just want to make sure that I have everything I need when it's time to put it in. would post a picture but the comp. tells me the file is to big.
If you do a search on this site you will find this topic covered a multitude of times. To my knowledge there are only a couple people experienced on this site for the swap you are wanting to do. I do know it involves major work, or even removal of the shock towers. Good Luck Dan
You will have to cut the shock towers and weld in flat metal plates. then you can use Headers from Tubular automotive . They have two part numbers... one has larger tubes to work with the 4 bl. head,and one smaller for the 2 bl. versions. you would use the stock 302 Maverick engine mounts. and the v-8 Mav trans mount (I`d use a C-4). Next you will need a 45 degree adaptor for the oil filter that will move ittowards the front of the engine bay . Here is a Cleveland in a Maverick:
after the shock tower mods were you able to use stock manifolds and where did you find the 45 degree adapter for the oil filter . I got a chance to buy a 351 with a fmx trans for $400.00 and in you opinion should I just wait till I can find a 302. I've got the money to do this right I just want to spend my money wisely.My son is 15 and some day this will be his car.
I got the adapter off a early model Ford van with a 460. Can position it anywhere you want, get the piece that it mounts to on the block too. INMO, to save a lot of work and time, I would go with a 302. Almost a bolt in deal and with some add on's and cam of high lift and short duration, team that with a 3000 stall converter and 3:55 or deeper gear in the rear, it will kick A** on the street or strip. Cubic inch is great but those pesky shock towers and other little gremlins, may turn a fun project into a nightmare. Cleveland aftermarket parts are a bit scarce and mucho dinero out of the pocket. 351 Windsor is my choice, even if it still is a little tough to install. Late 5.0 roller motors are another option to consider. Bottom line is it's yours and you do it the way you want. Good luck and keep us posted.
Old guy is right. The reason I know so much about putting a cleveland in a Mav is because I was preparing and gathering parts and info to do it .... Then I decided to go with a 393 windsor stroker instead. See I`m a glutton for punishment and will STILL have to cut the towers and then MAKE my 6208 Hooker headers fit...it will be a lot of work. If you want to keep it simple ,stick with a 302 type engine You can make it a 331or 347 stroker if you want to,and it will go as fast as you could ever want...with stock shock towers,and Bolt on headers .
if I went with the 302 what year of motor will I need . I 'm looking on ebay and there are several varities of 302's out there
Tony, go to a salvage yard near your. It will cost huge trucking fees to get an engine sent to you. Unless you really want to buy off ebay. Personally, I would stick with a 302 from the late 60's thru the mid to late 70's. Reason is because that is when our cars were built and it is just easier. Later model 302's like in the 5.0 stangs will work , just a little more to do workwise. Dan
Any year 302 will work ,but the 1986 and up hydrolic roller cam blocks are what I`d want to use. The early blocks (1968-1974 )have a little more strength (metal thickness)cast into their blocks...So some people who want to build a really high output engine especially when useing nitrous or forced induction prefer them.
This is actually my sons car he's turning 16 and I wat to put somehting in with a mild cam and give him alittle horse power right no it has the inline six and has virtually no horse power. My concern is finding all the parts I need to do the swap. Anothe question is what will I have to do with the tranny other then a new cross member?
With the correct V-8 cross member a c-4 will bolt right in. DO a search and you will get all the answers you need to do the V-8 swap . For a 16 year old .I`d just do a basic rebuild with a small aftermarket cam (like and Edelbrock performer) and a matching aluminum intake(performer again) with a 600 holley , Headers,dual exhaust,and convert to a breakerless ignition system such as a Duraspark or you can convert your stock 302 distributor with a Pertronics ignitor.
^^^ I'll second that I know when i was 16 i would have wrapped much more than that around a tree. It'll be a great starting point, and when he's ready, he can decide what performance level he wants to take it to. If you do go with the cleveland, i would forget about using the FMX. It's not a bad transmission--but it is heavy, bulky (might require trans tunnel mods), and i don't know of any aftermarket performance pieces available for it.
thanks guys, it looks like the 302 is it .Now I just have to find one. I live in northern Virginia if any one out there has one for sale I will consider buying it.
