Reply to "Ford Big Block Engine Swap"

I am on the road! The car sounds fantastic. Everything seems to work well together. The electric water pump works well so far, although it gets up to temperature very quickly, and the pump turns on like a light switch. It is probably a good idea to let it idle a while in the driveway after starting cold to avoid localized boiling before the pump cycles. Water temperatures are very consistant with the assistance of Mariah fans and a Hall Phoenix radiator.

The Big Throat mufflers from PIM do a great job of creating fantastic sound.

I spaced out the firewall cover approximately 1/4", with some judicious pounding added. Everything fits, including the AC. I can put the driver seat all the way back, but the passenger seat appears to have lost some rearward adjustment. A small concession to keeping the transaxle in the "stock" location. I did cheat a little and bent the rear trans mount ears into an "S" shape, giving me an extra 1/2" or so.

I installed a removeable crossmember, which is probably recommended anyway. I also removed the hand brake linkage. I plan to install a hydraulic conversion or modify the old brack to work in the near future.

A teething problem: Every tenth time a start the car the starter pinion grinds. It appears that the pinion is butting against the flywheel and not extending into the flywheel teeth on these occasions. I am using a PowerMaster starter with a QwickTime bellhousing and Ford Racing Flywheel. Its is all aftermarket parts but I don't see any areas for adjustment. I will need to investigate further.

Overall I am very happy with the swap and would recommend it to anyone with enough patience and dedication. A welder helps, too. If I can figure out how to post a video, I will do so.