unlikely engine/transmission swaps

[John Reddie]

Probably one of the more different swaps I can recall was done by the night village foot patrolman in my town back in the early '60's. He ha a faded gray '57 Mercury convertible that he used each evening when he was on duty. One evening he started the car and as he drove away, I noted that whatever engine he was running, it was not the original Mercury eight cylinder that was in the car when new.

I asked him about this and he raised the hood and revealed a flathead Dodge engine that was removed from a pickup truck that he had a while before. The floor shift standard transmission in the car was from the truck as well. I asked him why he had performed this out of the ordinary exchange and apparently the Mercury engine got cracked and ruined. "I used the Dodge engine because I had it in the yard" he said. He did a nice job of changing it over and there was a generous amount of space now in the engine bay?. Anyone here have any similar uncommon swaps from the past?

John R

[55 Fargo]

Here new 1968 Camaro with Ford Flathead  V8.

[Old CWO]

Had a Chevy truck once that previous owner installed an Olds 403.  Torquey engine but didn't like to rev; spun mine a little too hard and the bottom half let loose.

Years ago I met a guy who dumped an Olds Toronado 455 with transaxle in the back of a Datsun truck.  He had no joke a full bucket of rusty nails and random hardware bolted to the front crossmember where the four banger used to live.  He claimed it needed the weight up front for steering.  It had a tonneau cover hiding the engine and was apparently quite the street sleeper.

 

How about an early Bronco with EFI 4.9L straight six?  It looked like the guy notched the firewall darn near a foot to fit that monster in there.  Was sort of cool in a dare to be different kind of way.

[greg g]

Slant six in a 54 Ford pickup. A turbo 4cyl Volvo in a 60 Rambler American, flathead v8 in a ford 9n tractor. A Buick straight 8 in a doodle bug from cut down Ford one ton truck. And our town road and highway Dept put Ford industrial 427 engines in three or four Walter Snow fighter plow trucks. Capri v6 in a SAAB 96 and a Buick v6 in another, and a busch series Buick v6 in a mg midget.

Edited February 9, 2020 by greg g

[John Reddie]

Wow, some really interesting swaps here. I guess about anything can be done if one puts their mind to it.

John R

['41 Fat Bottom Girl]

Richmond, California in 1971. Street races on Parr Blvd. (before the cops would show up). A fella was running a punched Chevy 283 in a VW bug. Engine was mounted in the front, taking up the front seat area- no firewall, but a scatter- shield over a T-10 tranny. Wide rear tires and home-made modified frame and suspension. He sat in the back seat to steer and one Saturday night I saw him blow off my friend Jimmy Gray's new 440 6 pack 'Cuda twice on a 1/4 mile run before we heard sirens and everybody had to split. One of the craziest home-builts I ever saw outside of the dragstrip. Don't know if he ever took it down to Fremont to run it.

[55 Fargo]

I started this then changed my mind. I then pulled engine trans out and sold body.

[Loren]

How about a Model A Ford engine in a pinto?

[55 Fargo]

34 minutes ago, Loren said:

How about a Model A Ford engine in a pinto?

Banger in a Blow Up Pinto.

Why not.

[Andydodge]

Helped a mate install a 289 Ford V8 in the front of a VW beetle, used an Austin A40 chassis as it had the same wheelbase as the late 50's oval window VW.....I welded up the chassis & installed an Oz Holden front suspension with the 289....it got registered(licenced) as a modified Austin A40...this was in the early 1980's and its still going strong now with over 200,000 miles on it......andyd   

[Old CWO]

2 hours ago, 55 Fargo said:

I started this then changed my mind. I then pulled engine trans out and sold body.

 

Slant Six in Datsun Z car?  Well played sir.

[Andydodge]

The blue version pic was taken soon after it was built, the engine pic was taken at the same time......a few years later Pete chopped the top & had it repainted...hood was a modified Peugeot 203, grille from a 38 Ford........chassis Austin A40, Holden Torana front suspension, Holden diff...........andyd 

[RNR1957NYer]

Flathead Ford in a Pinto wagon

[kencombs]

Not as odd as some of these, but back in the mid 90s, I replace the 4cyl/5 spd Mitsubishi in my D50 with a Mustang and C4.  What is a little unusual is that it was not a v8, but a v6.  The 2.8 German sourced version.  Made a really nice little truck.  The only difficult part was the LH exhaust manifold as the outlet pointed directly at the top of the steering gear.  A piece of 2" OD steel gas pipe and a few sticks of nickle 99 fixed that.

[Andydodge]

The Z car and Pinto would be worth a 2nd or 3rd look.....lol..............andyd

[DJ194950]

A friend (he was 70+ years old)  back in early 70's took a late 60's Morris Minor 2 dr. body and added 2x4" frame studs off the front, added a flat 8 Packard motor with 3sp. floor shift. No hood, big Packard like radiator out front, Giant egg shaped headlights from some antique firetruck he found?

Forgot a about the VW front suspension and steering.

Real fancy interior- thick shag carpet everywhere.

Strange,  but did not look too bad. Took off from dead stops easily in 3rd. gear.

 

DJ

Edited February 10, 2020 by DJ194950
add info

[55 Fargo]

8 hours ago, Old CWO said:

 

Slant Six in Datsun Z car?  Well played sir.

Not quite 79 RX7

[55 Fargo]

8 hours ago, RNR1957NYer said:

Flathead Ford in a Pinto wagon

Least he kept it Furd on Furd or is that terd...lol

Edited February 10, 2020 by 55 Fargo

[Sniper]

Helped a buddy put a 327/PG in a Chevy Luv, it was originally 4wd.  When we were done it was still 4wd, but none of the Luv running gear was used.  That thing would smoke the 35's all day long.  We use a divorced transfer case and Scout axles.

[RNR1957NYer]

2 hours ago, 55 Fargo said:

Not quite 79 RX7

Went from a rotary to a leaner?

[kencombs]

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

Helped a buddy put a 327/PG in a Chevy Luv, it was originally 4wd.  When we were done it was still 4wd, but none of the Luv running gear was used.  That thing would smoke the 35's all day long.  We use a divorced transfer case and Scout axles.

SBC into Luvs was fairly common at one time.  Not 4WD though, that really complicates things.  Had a Luv back in the 70s.  Luv'ed it until the engine went, considered a v8 swap, but did a much better thing:  Traded it for  a full sized Dodge V8/Torqueflite !

[Old CWO]

3 hours ago, 55 Fargo said:

Not quite 79 RX7

Oh, my mistake.  Looked like a 280Z from the angle in the photo.

 

Either way, interesting mashup.

[55 Fargo]

1 hour ago, RNR1957NYer said:

Went from a rotary to a leaner?

Yes it was a radical idea, that I did not have tyme for, and my son didnt want it either.

It was compete with aluminum bell and A833 trans, driveshaft was not made yet, nor was some type of throwout mechanism and that would have been the toughest part of this swap. 

Getting engine mounted and trans crossmember was not overly difficult

[Dan Hiebert]

My first foray into old cars/trucks; a 1955 Ford F-100 with an Olds 455 Rocket engine and turbo 350 tranny.  Fun to drive and I learned a good deal making it drivable.  Got offered more money than it was worth one day, so on to other things.  When I worked in Ft. Hancock, TX, the owner of the only auto shop in town took the diesel engine and drivetrain out of a Ford F-350 and put it in a 1980's full size Bronco, the thing was a torque beast.  

 

[greg g]

Had a friend put an rx4 rotary into a GLC, anyone remember those?