Convert 260/3spd to 390/c6????

Well the tranny in my '63 started acting up and I have to either fix it or swap it out. I have a 390/C6 out of a '74 F100 2wd pickup and was wondering if I could put it in my car. Its a 1963 Galaxie with a 260 V8/3-spd with overdrive. Am I crazy? I don't know if a pickup tranny is any different from a car tranny or not. I know that a c6 wasnt available in '63 but I could do a little fabricating if neccesary.

Thanks,
Jared

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Stroked on 5/18/04 1:00pm ]</font>

Thats not crazy at all...that won't be too hard a swap..63 Galaxies came with 390's..as far as the C6 you might need to modify your drive shaft and make a crossmember for the tranny mount.,,Hey If I can stick a 1953 Cadillac and a 41 La Salle tranny in a 1960 GMC..You can certainly do this ..[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_tup.gif[/img]

Thanks for the reply! I figured it wasn't too crazy. I'll have to go out and do a little measuring to see how it compares.

Jared

Hmmm....I guess I would have to get a front sump oil pan, which wouldn't be too big of a problem.

Jared

Cool....Its amazing that Ford used a little engine like that in those big cars...A 6 banger is even worse!!!

Jared,

You'll need a front sump pan, frame-to-engine brackets from a 352 or 390 car, engine mounts, modified/fabbed trans crossmember, ex manifolds/headers for the car, new exhaust, big block radiator, heavier front springs and various linkage plumbing parts, etc. I think the rear end in small block cars was not a 9", but if you're not racing it you may be OK. You'll have to have a drive shaft fabbed/modified.

All of the stuff accept the C6 mount should be off the shelf or junkyard/ebay.

jake

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jakengle on 5/19/04 8:38pm ]</font>

Thanks for that rundown of parts that I'll need! Thats pretty much what I had figured I would need. I'm almost positive my car has a 9 inch rearend.

But, I have no earthly idea where I'm going to get a driveshaft built/modified at. I live in the middle of nowhere with no custom shops even remotely close. Unless the machine shop could do it, but thats not likely.

Jared

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On 2004-05-19 13:54, Stroked wrote:
Thanks for that rundown of parts that I'll need! Thats pretty much what I had figured I would need. I'm almost positive my car has a 9 inch rearend.

But, I have no earthly idea where I'm going to get a driveshaft built/modified at. I live in the middle of nowhere with no custom shops even remotely close. Unless the machine shop could do it, but thats not likely.

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Yep, you have a 9" small bearing rear end. Since your '63 had a small block, your ring gear, depending on ratio might be an 8 3/4". But any 9" center sections will fit the housing if you decide to change rear gears.

As to shortening a driveshaft, if your local machine shop has a welder, they can do it for you. You can even do it yourself if you or a friend can weld. Here's a link explaining how:

http://www.galaxieclub.com/tech.html

Jan