4.6 in a round body....

[61ranch]

I am getting ready to transplant a motor in my 61 wagon, it currently has a 260 that the previous owner put in that needs rebuilding and I have no idea about the trans. I put a 302-C4 in my 61 Ranchero without too much hassle but I want to get some more mileage and reliability (plus do something different I hope) and am thinking about finding a 4.6 4R100 and putting it in the wagon. Has anyone seen this, heard of this or anything? I think it would be a neat swap and since those motor trans combo's are everywhere (like the old 5.0 AOD) it should be pretty easy to get the components. Any thoughts?

[pbrown]

Here is a link you may be interested in:

http://www.rrs-online.com/quadcamkit.php

The 4.6 mod motors are quite a bit wider than the good old SB Fords. This is just one method of making room.

You might also look into Mustang II front suspension kits. You need to get the shock towers gone or seriously modded to get the 4.6 in there.

[61ranch]

Thank you. I appreciate the input. I dont know if it will be feasible but it sounds like a good idea (but dont they all?)...

[61ranch]

OK, so I started working on the wagon and I am currently trying to resurrect the 260 that is in it (blew a head gasket about 12 years ago and drained and parked right after it happened). Miraculously I hooked up a battery to it before I tore it down and it turned over like a champ (surprising all the electical worked) and found the dead hole like the guy said. That being said, if going through the top end works, I will run the 260, if not, call me crazy, but I had originally thought of a 2.3 turbo but now thought about a Mazda rotary and a 5 spd. As you can tell, I like doing things that are different... Any words???

[pbrown]

A 2.3L turbo with a 5 speed would be a lot of fun.

It sounds like to can get the 260 going for not a lot of money and work. Maybe just do that and enjoy the car for a while.

[MacDee]

Just a little story about a blown head gasket....

Many years ago I owned a '65 Dart with the "Power Pack" 273 V8 in it (4-bbl and high compression). One day I filled it up with the usual premium, but apparently the tanker truck had put the wrong gas in the station tank, because within a mile my engine started pinging like all crazy! I nursed it home, but not before blowing a head gasket. (The complaints to the gas station and Shell is a whole 'nother story!)

After I got 'er home, I checked the compression and found only one cylinder gone. I pulled the push rods out of that cylinder, disconnected the spark plug, and drove it another two years... as a V7!

[61ranch]

The goal is to get the 260 back together by the end of the week and try it out, see if it will run (wish me luck). I figure, $30 worth of gaskets and a few hours worth of work is worth the gamble. My first experience with a blown head gasket was when I bought my Ranchero when I was 12, it came with the 170 motor disassembled in the bed, my dad and I put it together and actually got it to run for a while. Then on a run to the parts store (dad driving of course) we blew the motor the rest of the way.

I like the idea of going with something different if I cant make what I have work or find a suitable replacement V8 somewhere. The 2.3 turbo is my first choice but can get spendy, the rotary is just something I started thinking about since a buddy of mine is putting one in a Ghia...

[Luva65wagon]

After I got 'er home, I checked the compression and found only one cylinder gone. I pulled the push rods out of that cylinder, disconnected the spark plug, and drove it another two years... as a V7!

I don't know why, but somehow I can see you doing this Gary. :D

As for the 260 or what-not, I've always thought about just grabbing a Ranger pickup cheap, with a 2.9 V6 and a 5-speed and dropping one of those in. My dad had one of these in an '86 Ranger and it ran very well and was very peppy. You'd have to get one from an old guy that didn't beat it to death, but that was my idea. The 260, if it's already in there, sounds like a plan. A little Ranchero with any V8 is fun by anyone's standards.

[61ranch]

I can one up you on the pull a plug and have a v7 trick, in high school, my buddy had an AMC Hornet with the 6 cyl in it, threw a rod and sent a chunk out of the block. In auto shop, we dropped the pan, disconnected the rod and shoved the piston all the way to the top of the cylinder just short of the valves and jb welded the chunk back in the hole in the block. He drove it for the last two months of school that way as an inline 5.
As for my Ranchero, I finally upgraded to a 302 when I was a senior in high school and built the 302 mildly over stock, thats when I started going through rear ends.:3g: As for my wagon that I am building right now, I want this thing to be reliable enough for me to drive daily and on long trips but short term, I will see what happens with the 260. Funny you mention the 2.9 Ranger idea, I just had a friend of mine tell me to do the same thing..

[Luva65wagon]

I agree - that tops the V7... Gotta love JB Weld. :p

If you were to get a 2.9 while they were still carbureted, it would be a pretty simple swap, me thinks. A lot smaller than a SB V8. They actually very much remind me of a Windsor motor.

I'm not a huge fan of the 2.8, 3.0, or 4.0's of that era. And I don't think the 3.8 ever went to a rear-wheel drive car/truck. Sadly, the most common failure of the 80's/90's Ford motors was blowing head gaskets. Seems most you find on Craigslist say, "Needs head gasket replaced" - like it was as simple as that.

I say fix the 260, drive it until is blows up - then swap in a 302 and keep on going.

[61ranch]

Made progress tonight. Got the heads back on but figured I should get in before it got too late. One step closer.