223 to a 250 Swap

[Anonymous]

I found a steal of a deal on a 250 with a C4 behind it. How would this little puppy do in a '57 Custom (Fairlane).

I can't imagine it would be any slower than the 223/Fordomatic combo!

I know there are limitations because the 250 does not have a removable intake manifold, but they seem like a nice little engine and the swap should be fairly straigntforward.

My Fordomatic needs a rebuild and I can get this 250 for a lot less than rebuilding the Fordo.

 

[CoupeBoy]

Sounds interesting. Dad's got a '57 4dr Fairlane 223/fordo. With similar displacement, I'd venture to guess that it would perform fine. Once you got everything hooked up fuel, ignition, charging system, throttle linkage, and exhaust. I honestly dont know what side the carb, exhaust, or distributor is on a 223 just haven't looked at it that long, or side by side.


I'll see if I can find hp/tq ratings tonight. What year is the 250?

-ron

 

[Anonymous]

The seller ended up canceling the deal. Bummer. It looked like a GREAT setup.

I (gasp) am selling the 223 and dropping in a HO 302 with an AOD in this car.

 

[CoupeBoy]

There is a special place in hades..

Seriously though, that should make the car more drivable with overdrive and more readily availble parts (stock and performance). Even though this is a fordsix forum we still like pictures.

You ever heard of using late 70's Ford T-bird spindles in the front to gain disc brakes? A while back I saw a '57 ford in a magazine and their spec sheet said they used '79 t-bird spindles up front. I am going to have to check out the swappability when I scrap my '79t-bird later this summer.

-ron

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I feel a little guilty about pulling the 6, but I drive this car all the time. There are some GREAT Ford 6's out there, but the 223 isn't one of them for highway driving. They're bulletproof for trucks and even tractors that don't run at 70+ on the highway all the time like I do. I know there are people who will chime in and say they do and that's great. I actually spec'd out doing all the performance upgrades that were available for the 223, but between that and the Fordomatic needing a rebuild, it just wasn't in the budget.

I may even keep the 223 and look for a 50's Ford truck to drop it in as an in-town driver and parts hauler.