ENGINE ADAPTION?

Marlin, I cant speak to the other swaps, but the 351w windsor swap in the Pantera is relatively straight forward. The bell housing pattern and all ZF interface is the same as a Cleveland. The motor mount locations are also identical. If you use an ordinary 9.5" deck unit, it'll take some mods to tour headers and exhaust. the only other mods to address accomodating the thermostat location and alternator and A/C brackets. If you milled the deck to 9.2" and used Cleveland heads you'd only have alt and A/C bracket differences.

Why? IMHO, the Windsor block is a better block. It has thicker cylinder walls, heavier webbing everywhere you want it, and big main caps. Even though they are only two bolts (unless your talking SVO blocks), they are very stout. Frankly, 4-bolt cleveland mains aren't much compared to other typical 4-bolt main caps. Windsors also have wider pan rails. My stroker is 4.100" and I didn't have to touch the block for rod clearance. The Windsor mian journal diameter is larger than the Clevelands and some say this can create high speed lube problems. It does however make a 400 crank drop in with only snout mods.

Most engine swaps need fabricated motor mounts, possibly new transaxle mounts, new headers, rerout the gearshift, fab a bellhousing adapter plate (for most), and hook up the cooling. 350 and 454 Chevys use a custom-built bellhousing once available from kit-car builders. The Mercedes V-8/Pantera built in Germany by a now-deceased POCA member used an adapter plate, I believe. FYI, all small & midsized Ford blocks use the exact same bolt circle and pattern. Only the big blocks are different (as well as being 4" longer). Getting an odd engine bolted to a ZF is fairly easy; it's all the rest of the details that'll kill you.

SO THAT IS WHY THE WINSOR BLOCK IS SO DESIRABLE! AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT ALL FORD MID-SIZED BLOCKS HAD THE SAME BELLHOUSING BOLT PATTERN! WELL YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY! I THANK YOU GENTLEMEN VERY MUCH, I THINK YOU ANSWERED ALL OF MY QUESTIONS. THAT'S WHY YOUR THE BEST!! SINCERELY, MARLIN.

Isn't there also a BMW V8 that deTomaso used in later model Panteras? Is that an easy conversion? Or would that be too expensive to consider?

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Originally posted by Jim:
Isn't there also a BMW V8 that deTomaso used in later model Panteras? Is that an easy conversion? Or would that be too expensive to consider?

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A BMW V8 in a Pantera would definately be worth the price of admission!

I think you are thinking of the Guara not the Pantera. BMW

I remember reading about some engine other than the 302 used in cars built between 1990 and 1996. Anyone know what the engine options were?

History lesson: '71-76 Panteras used 351-Cs until Ford dropped the motor, then the factory began using Aussie 351-Cs. Those dried up around 1982 or so, when they substituted 351-W engines. The last few Pantera 200s came with fuel-injected, catalyst-carrying 302s. All bolted up with no mods. FYI, Ford flywheels & clutches also interchange from the 289s to the 460s, as long as the balence factor is identical.
The Euro-Guaras used SOHC BMW V-8s while the rest came with DOHC Ford Mustang engines. The BMW cars had a pair of straight-cut transfer gears between the crank & clutch-input shaft to adjust the driveline height. These cars have a distinctive gear-whine under power, and are torque-limited. The Ford cannot be swapped into the BMW powered cars or you risk blowing the transfer gearcase apart.