Different engine into a 1960-63 Falcon

[Desert_Runner]

Question:

Has anybody swapped in, say a 2.3L Pinto/Ranger 4 banger into an early Falcon?

I know the Argentine cars used it.

Or would I be better off staying with a 200 Six and calling it good?

I want a bit more power but prefer to avoid swapping in a 302 V8.

[robb007]

My roommate masterminded putting a nice rebuilt 260 V8 into a 62 no problem for the most part. The only thing we had to do was beat back the firewall a little bit. Not anything like the mods you need to put the ole' 351 in em'. A 200 six is a strong engine, the transmission choice is important too. (260 has a standard 3 speed in her) the 67 truck has the always fun 3 speed on the column the mechanic could not figure out how to drive it when it got inspected but thats another story.

my 2 cents

Robb in VA

[Desert_Runner]

I am leaning towards either the 200 Six or the 302 V8 then.

The 260 Eight is the same dimensions as the 289/302.

[robb007]

yeah could not remember the v8 assoc. in my head but i was thinkin 260=302 size wise get the mounts for the engine out of a 63 sprint fits like a glove. literally

robb in va

[falcon fanatic]

I've seen a 2.3L turbo in a roundbody before, but can't remember where. check out classicinlines.com for hop up parts for a 200. You can get pretty good power out of that 200, especially if you use the aluminum head they've got. Otherwise, go to fordsix.com for other performance ideas. Also, you can buy the ford falcon handbook on Amazon for a wealth of ideas.

[yank with ute]

Read this topic some months ago and it took some time to come up with the following:

Early Falcons came with Windsor V-8 and Falcon inline 6

Mustang II's came with Windsor V-8 and Lima 4 (the engine used in the South American Falcon)

Fairmonts sold in North America came with Windsor V-8, Falcon 6, and Lima 4.

However, the Fairmont 6 had a different crossmember running under the engine (because of the oil pan shape) then the Fairmont V-8 and Lima 4's. You could directly replace the V-8 with a Lima 4, Lima 4 with a Windsor but neither engine would fit a Fairmont 6 chassis because of the crossmember.

The Falcon DOES NOT HAVE that crossmember AND the Windsor V-8 bolts into the early Falcon using the same holes in the chassis as the Falcon 6. Get my drift?

Furthermore, the early Mustang V-8 also had the Falcon 6 and Windsor V-8 and the motor mount assemblies were identical except for the V-8 mounts used on the 66 Mustang. That year FoMoCo swithced the rubber instulator on the Mustang V-8 to the design used on all Ford products with Windsor V-8's. The frame mount that went with this change is a dirrect bolt in to the early Falcon chassis.

That gives you a starting point when comparing the difference in, let's say, how the Fairmont 6 mounts differed from the Falcon 6. And, how does the Fairmont 6 mounts differ from the Fairmont with the Lima 4.

The thought process:

I'm NOT telling anyone to do this but if you worked in engineering you would make scale drawings indicating the position of the crank center of the Falcon 6 (in early Falcon) and locating holes in the sides of the block to which the motor mounts attached. All Falcon 6 engines had the holes in the same place no matter what body the engine was in.From there you wopuld determine where the bottom of the engine mounts were located (the surface that touches the frame mounts) and locating holes in the early Falcon frame.

That drawing would be overlaid with a drawing of the Fairmont 6 to tell you what was different in the mounts used on the older Falcon and the Fairmont. You would center the center of the crank and bolt holes on the block sides so that the Fairmont engine would sit in the same location as the Falcon 6 in the early Falcon. The ends of the fairmont mounts would stick out further then the Falcons, that would be the material you would eliminate.

Then you would overlay a drawing of the Fairmont 4 on the Fairmont 6 drawing to determine if you could modify the factory built mounts to fit the 4 into the early Falcon.

If not you would at least have a drawing from which you could fabricate new parts that attached to the early falcon at one end, the Lima 4 engine mounts at the other.

Not that hard when you look at the project in this manner but takes time to make the measurements and drawings.

Or you could simply look at the difference between Fairmont 6 and Fairmont 4 applications and "eyeball it" to fit the Falcon.

Piece of cake...LOL!