Dennis Harrelson
Member
yeah, c'est la vie, eh? we all wish we'd kept something or other."tarafied1" said:
-
Hello there guest and Welcome to The #1 Classic Mustang forum!
To gain full access you must Register. Registration is free and it takes only a few moments to complete.
Already a member? Login here then!
Engine/body: Crossing Brands...Speak up!
- Thread starter AtlantaSteve
- Start date
tarafied1
Well-Known Member
yep"Dennis Harrelson" said:
Lethal, I read the threads on that, it is a neat build up. I didn't mind seeing the Chevy in that car. What bothers me is the countless kit cars and plastic street rods with a SBC. Sticking an LS motor in anything is more of a challenge than the classic SBC. As I recall he struggled with the engine desicion in the begining, I think cheap HP is cool, that's why I have a mild BBF.
SELLERSRODSHOP
Well-Known Member
alot of the reasoning in the crossbreeding in streetrods & gravitation to the SBC is the fact that GM didn't change much over the years. seems like ford tweaked things every few years & the vendors would go nuts trying to keep things in stock for all the various changes. another reason is the SBC is shorter than the ford when all the accessories are bolted on. that makes for alot less headaches when trying to squeeze everything into a limited area. there is probably three times the area in the engine compartment on a mustang vs. a pre 48. my 40 coupe had a SBC in it & after adding a new radiator, i had to remove the manual fan & add a pusher electric fan in front of the rad because there wasn't enough room for even an electric fan between the water pump pulley & rad. i'm putting a 2004 4.6 SOHC in my 36 pickup & have had numerous bumps in the road trying to fit everything into the space available, but it's worth it because i tend to move away from the mainstream & like to have something different. one example is steering linkage. it took two hours to fab up everything from the column to the rack on the 37 delivery with a SBC, but it took almost 2 days to get everything correct in the 36.
with the hood closed, nobody knew it was a SBC!!
the 4.6 in the p/u.
with the hood closed, nobody knew it was a SBC!!
the 4.6 in the p/u.
Sluggo
Active Member
Replacing an Oldsmobuick 455 with a LS series is forgivable and very practical.
If you like to wind 'er up nice and tight, you prolly don't need to be havin' a 455 olds or Pontiac under the hood.
They are both great engines but unless they a built nine ways from Sunday, they don't like revving high.
If you like to wind 'er up nice and tight, you prolly don't need to be havin' a 455 olds or Pontiac under the hood.
They are both great engines but unless they a built nine ways from Sunday, they don't like revving high.
AtlantaSteve
Active Member
"Sluggo" said:
You can say that again. The big thing he learned was that the 455 LOVES to breathe. Anything he did that increased CFM flow through the engine...bigger exhaust, headers, bigger carb, more open intake, headwork, etc all paid HUGE dividends in 1/4 mile times.
The problem was he'd have it built to increase the compression, got a nasty lumpy cam, and then get everything breathing so good that the engine could turn 6500 RPM....
Except that his engine couldn't handle 6500 RPM.
Blew out several main bearings and and turned a couple of rod bearings. He finally learned. The 455 in there now is very mild, with a 650 CFM carb, and he's considering taking it back to Exhaust Manifolds. Now he just wants it to be a beautiful weekender.
And it sure is pretty:
The color gets no justice unless it's in the sunlight...then, POW!
monkeystash
Active Member
Very pretty, love those A-bodies!
sigtauenus
Active Member
I think it depends on what you are doing.
I love my 78 F-150, and it runs great right now, but if the engine was shot and I had access to a cheap or free 350, I'd consider it. Heck, its a truck.
If I saw a Mustang that was tastefully done with exotic custom fab work, I'd be ok with it. If it was a Mustang and they couldn't figure out how to bolt it in and welded plate stock to the motor mounts or otherwise just slammed it in with no creativity or no other apparent reason behind it, I'd probably vomit.
Also, is the conversation across the board, because a cheap or easy cross brand to facilitate daily transportation to and from work is a lot different than popping the hood at a car show.
For me though, there is so much custom work involved, that I don't understand how it would be cheaper to build a SBC in the long run unless you literally have one sitting in the corner doing nothing. Machine work is machine work, and a cam or intake may be slightly cheaper, but I'm not sure I could nickel dime something to that extent to justify doing it.
I love my 78 F-150, and it runs great right now, but if the engine was shot and I had access to a cheap or free 350, I'd consider it. Heck, its a truck.
If I saw a Mustang that was tastefully done with exotic custom fab work, I'd be ok with it. If it was a Mustang and they couldn't figure out how to bolt it in and welded plate stock to the motor mounts or otherwise just slammed it in with no creativity or no other apparent reason behind it, I'd probably vomit.
Also, is the conversation across the board, because a cheap or easy cross brand to facilitate daily transportation to and from work is a lot different than popping the hood at a car show.
For me though, there is so much custom work involved, that I don't understand how it would be cheaper to build a SBC in the long run unless you literally have one sitting in the corner doing nothing. Machine work is machine work, and a cam or intake may be slightly cheaper, but I'm not sure I could nickel dime something to that extent to justify doing it.
Fast68back
Guest
I agree with you guys, all of you..... :weas