Poll: Would you ever swap a ford engine into a chevy?

[68scott385]

I tend to be more pure in the engine/body mating but ANYTHING is game in a street rod.
SBC in a street rod is SOOOOO overdone that it makes a Chevy guy sick.

[Monk]

I've seen some cool street rod set ups.......Chevy's with Ford mills and they looked cool.....and were done right.

I tend to lean towards engines staying with their pedigrees in later models.

[bulletproof]

dont they make a kit to put a sbf in a fiero?

[Dan Barlow]

It's not that I don't think ford makes a good engine, I just don't want one . They made and make plenty of perfectly good bodys that even a chevy nut would put a chevy motor in . Me being one of them. Right now I have a buddy with a clean Fairmount Futura that I have been tempted to buy for $500. If I just didn't have such a hankering to do my forth V8 S10.

[Deaf Bob]

Before I figured out I could make the SBC sing relatively easily, I measured SBF for swapping into LUV's and Datsuns, they measure out better.. But all the parts for ANYTHING swapped into.. The winner is the SBC... Can get front sump SBC's.. Fords can be converted if needed.. But not quite so easily..

We run SBC's in our derby cars because we have a stockpile of parts that grew rather fast... Fords just did not accumulate and do not seem to take the heat..
I have heard of 292's and FE Fords glowing red and refusing to shut off, dieseling away untill they cooled down.. I think that is a myth..
Got a 390 with a cam, alum. After market intake and adjustable rockers in a 51 IH.. Smoke fest right there..
But my heart is with the HEARTBEAT... 6 of 10 running cars/trucks powered by SBC, one by BBC, BBB, one V-6 chevy and one V-6 Buick.. Oh yeah. Shhh one V-6 tojo..

If I had a good ford that would fit easily, like into. a Fiero.. Sure...if the chevy won't fit..

[Lon_H]

I'm guilty. I put a Chevy in a 53 Ford truck. But it also had a Dodge front suspension.

Why a SBC? It was what I had. I bought the motor before I bought the truck. If I could do it again I'd use a 302 with a top loader 4 speed.

During mock up, as I was pulling the motor out, the chain broke, dropping the back of the motor. The tail shaft of my trans hit the floor and broke the trans at the bell housing. I think Henry Ford's spirit was with me that night and paid me back for putting a Chevy motor in his truck.

[Barry Donovan]

Probably still too soon criticize Ol' Shel. But he did miss a big one when he didn't figure out that kit car Cobras were a great way to beat USDOT and the EPA.


Those things used to be the stuff of Joel Rosen's Motion and Don Hardy. Whatever happened?

My guess is about 550 to 600 h.p. is when you'll want to rely upon more than a 36-year-old unibody and step it up to Da Grump's "ship-in-a-bottle" tube-style chassis. But then Cars Illustrated ran a story back when on a Motion-Built tunnel rammed BBC Vega that used little more than a six-point cage and a set of motor mounts! So maybe the limit is higher than most speculate. Of course those pesky SFI safety rules and lack of traction will put a stop to the stock-unibody fun quicker than structural failure.

A hot Clevor in an old RWD Sunbird would really drive some folks around the bend.

Not sure of your age, but you do have some opinons.

the sunbird came with a 305 chevy as an option. the 4 speed tranny is the same one screaming to each and every slam popping wheelie in chevelles.

growing up with reality..the stories are sad for the die hard fans.

after a 302 (chevy) breaks a camaro, it was snug as a bug in an an unmolested vega.

I could tell you about an 87 subaru chassis being stronger and lighter than both the vega and sunbird..why bother. (I would put a ford in that too, whatever a good deal is)


I do not believe in superleggera, (but ended up with one with welding chores of necessity)...and neither does the vega or sunbird for that matter. they are real enough to take cast heavy v8s of its generations. if they came v6? no mods at all needed. swap some mounts.

[Deaf Bob]

Not sure of your age, but you do have some opinons.

the sunbird came with a 305 chevy as an option. the 4 speed tranny is the same one screaming to each and every slam popping wheelie in chevelles.

growing up with reality..the stories are sad for the die hard fans.

after a 302 (chevy) breaks a camaro, it was snug as a bug in an an unmolested vega.

I could tell you about an 87 subaru chassis being stronger and lighter than both the vega and sunbird..why bother. (I would put a ford in that too, whatever a good deal is)


I do not believe in superleggera, (but ended up with one with welding chores of necessity)...and neither does the vega or sunbird for that matter. they are real enough to take cast heavy v8s of its generations. if they came v6? no mods at all needed. swap some mounts.

Just think... 355 or 406 SBC with aluminum heads and intake, go as far as adding aluminum water pump.. Think how awesome they would be without the weight up front!
Had a Monza 4 speed 4 banger "Iron Duke" .. That car was fun/fastish.. Had better suspension too.. Same 4 speed that is put in full sized cars Good cars. Just under powered by smog laws of the time... Remove that stuff, gain some noticeable power..

[Bob Holmes]

Actually I was thinking the other direction. I always thought my old wagon would be badass with old hemi in it! I will say though, no SBC has any business in t-bucket or Model A.

I like you, I like you a lot. LOL

[Huskinhano]

If it's a worthwhile swap not just for the sake of doing it. I've seen a 289 in a 67 Camaro running 13's. Apparently the 5.0 is a great swap into a S10 http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f10/mu...-a-s10-410159/

[Turbo Regal]

With time being so valuable, why would you want to spend it figuring out how to Ford into a GM chassis or vice versa when it won't make you go any faster?

[Gary 351C]

I don't like bastards. The only exceptions are oddball cars like Willy's or Henry J's that never had a decent engine to begin with. 60 years ago there weren't alot of options to get to the next stoplight before the other guy so you had to find the best engine you could regardless of make. Now there are no excuses since there are so many aftermarket parts available for any V8.

[catchmeblue70]

NEVER! I'd put a SBC in my Mustang, but a day will not come when Ford goes into any Chevy I own. Now, a Cummins...yes...

[38P]

NEVER! I'd put a SBC in my Mustang, but a day will not come when Ford goes into any Chevy I own. Now, a Cummins...yes...

Why the inconsistency?

Hypothetical: Let's say that you win in a contest a state-of-the-art Jon Kaase-built, CHI-head "Clevor" Ford with all the good stuff -- a bulletproof, high-powered street/strip engine. And you have an old Chevy with a worn-out, smoking 267-cube smogger SBC (Yes, Virginia, there's something even worse than a 305). You still wouldn't be tempted to swap the Ford engine into the Chevy?

[ratty]

i'm not militantly brand loyal... i thought that was always pretty ridiculous and childish when people hate on another brand for no other reason than it's 'the other brand'... if you're a real gearhead, you'll love any good piece of machinery, any good engine, any car if you like its looks... i'd love to get my hands on a Ford 427 SOHC and put it in my 66 Biscayne, that would be worth it just to see the look on people's faces when i pop the hood... and that is one sweet engine... always thought about putting a Gen II 426 Hemi in it too, but a 427 SOHC would be a lot more original, though i would suspect finding one would be a bitch,,, or how 'bout an Olds 4-valve W-43? ok now i'm going off into fantasy land... hah