Will a 250 fit into fox body?

[Anonymous]

My neighbor has a 1976 VERY rusty Granada with a good running 250. The car has to go, but I can have the engine. Before I go to the trouble of removing it, I have to know...

Will it fit in my '82 Mustang?

I know it's taller, longer and wider than the 200, but if it will fit, what mounts do I use? Will the hood close? If not, how about with a hood scoop? I know I need a custom oil pan, do I also need custom headers?

I had plans to build a hot 200, but if the 250 will fit, then that is what I'll send to the machine shop. Besides, this sounds like just the thing I need to keep my 'stang from getting run over by Hondas everytime I go out cruising.

Also, just how high can you comfortably rev a 250?

 

[Anlushac11]

8)

Yes it will fit. But you will have to fabricate a rear sump oilpan and pickup.

You will have to check hood clearance with the taller motor. I dont think there will be a problem but I ahvent done the swap so I cant say with 100% certainty.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy '82inline:

Merry Christmas. I'm in the same boat as AnlushacII. While I haven't done this swap, I did put a warmed up 250 into my '65 Ranchero. So, while I haven't done the late model swap, I do have some experience with the 250.

Mine is setup with a modified head to accept an Autolite 1.08 two barrel carb, single outlet headers, a severely decked block, Comp 260H cam and balanced. It revs easily to 5,000 rpms, and beyond, but I prefer to not push past 5Gs. I'm running an SROD 4spd OD and 3.5:1 rear gear.

As compared to a 200, the extra 50 ci is a God send. No substitute for displacement! But, the extra umph comes entirely through increase stroke. 3.126" on the 200, to 3.91" on the 250. The extra stroke and bulk mean more rotating and reciprocating mass, which means, theoritically, it won't be able to rev as quickly. I say theoritically, because, set up right, with lightening, balancing and selection and/or modification of components, these engines are capable of being quite quick.

The down side is that the front of the car will weigh more. A 250 is likely a good 50 lbs heavier than a 200. Your tranny option will be wide open as the250 uses the sam ball pattern as the V8s.

If you proceed with this swap, please post your progress.

Adios, David

 

[Anlushac11]

8)

The only reason I havent considered the swap is the cost and difficulty fabriating a oilpan and pickup. The last thing I fabricated wa a dystpan is shop class in High School but then I had a room full of equipment and metal brakes and spot welders.

 

[63comet]

Why can't you use the oil pan off the older 144's, 170's ? When I installed my bb200 in my 63 comet, it had a front sump oil pan and I simply used the oil pan off the old 170 along with the oil pickup off old pump.Works fine.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy All:

Good thought 63 Comet, but the 250 block is wider at the pan rails and are not interchangeable on account of it.

I'd look closely at the pan in your Fox and compare it to the 250 pan. Then plan my fabrications from there.

Some one must have done this already. Anyone?

Adios, David

 

[Anonymous]

Merry Christmas everyone.

5000 rpm isn't bad. With a typical performance rebuild (2bbl Holley, headers, 260 cam), how much HP and torque can you get?

As for the 144-170 oil pan, how about splitting one in half and welding a 1 inch strip down the middle to make up for the difference in width?

 

[MustangSix]

I forget who did this, but it was done for a 250 Fox body swap using the 200 pan and pickup grafted to the 250.

 

[Anonymous]

That looks like the bottom of a 5.0L Mustang oil pan.

 

[addo]

Sure that's not a 300? Twin exhausts...

 

[MustangSix]

No it's a 250. The exhaust has an extra outlet grafted to it.

 

[Anonymous]

I like that exhaust manifold!

How exactly would you graft that in? Might be something to look at for my 200...

 

[StrangeRanger]

That looks like the bottom of a 5.0L Mustang oil pan.

Which means it should fit the same chassis. If you're going to fab up a pan, might as well get very trick. Beg borrow or steal a Canton road race pan for a 5.0 FoxStang and check out the kickouts, baffling and gates. Copy and modify as necessary to fit the 250 pickup. You can NEVER have too good an oil control system.

 

[MustangSix]

Here's a shot of the 250 in the Fox chassis. Not a great shot, but proof it will fit.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, I am sure I will catch some flack for this one but why don't you save alot of time and just drop in a little 302. I love both my 200's but if you want to smoke honda's a little 302 will do it without any fabricating and they are so abundant I am sure you would come out almost even if not ahead in the end.
I am all for inliners but a fox with a 302 has almost perfect weight distribution.

John

 

[StrangeRanger]

I am all for inliners but a fox with a 302 has almost perfect weight distribution. John

IIRC about 58% on the front wheels. That's a LONG way from perfect. The 200 drops that number to around 56%. The 250 would be somewhere in between. The biggest single problem with the Fox chassis is it's horrid initial understeer, a combination of the low camber gain of the strut suspension and the heavy nose. People spend a lot of money lightening the front ends for just that reason.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have the numbers for the distribution so I have to believe you, but for cheap straight line power which is the target here the 302 would be the economical choice. I have had a blast with both my 200's but Money to HP an eight is cheaper to buid and get HP return for the $.

John

 

[MustangSix]

Absolutely true. The 5.0 is the cheapest per hp swap to do and very easy to boot. Just strip a Mustang and bolt it all in. Makes for a very fast Fairmont!

But building the six isn't necessarily about going fast; it's about bieng a little different and not using a cookbook. It's a fun approach.

 

[Anonymous]

I thought about the 302 (I even have many of the parts needed for the swap), but I'd like to keep it the way it is. besides, it would be worth it to see the "What the hell is that?" look on people's faces. A lot of people don't realize that foxstangs came with the inline 6.

 

[Anonymous]

that's a fact that not many know they came with an inline6, while we were searching for a cylinder head for my engine i told my stepdad there was a foxbody with a 200ci six in it and he didnt believe me, and sure enough when we got there and popped the hood it had it, i kick myself in the shin everytime i think about it, because it had a 3 speed with overdrive and my tranny is kaput right now, everything i had been wanting, overdrive, no modifications other than cutting my floor, really mad at myself for not getting it, they towed it away sometime after we took the head