5.0 SWAP TECHNICAL INFORMATION
This page will deal with the issues that arise when you put a Ford 289 or 302 ( 5.0 liter ) into a 62-63 Mercury Meteor. There will be pic's and factory drawings. I invite anyone who has done this swap to feel free to email me at sburke312@hfx.eastlink.ca with any info you wish to share. You will be given full credit on this page for what you share. Please feel free to notify me of any errors you see here.
The 62-63 Meteor shares it chassis with the 62-65 Ford Fairlane so parts can be swapped among them, this is a great help. The 62-63 Meteor's came with the 170 CID six cylinder, the 221 CID V8 or the 260 CID V8 so we know the chassis can handle the weight, horsepower and torque of a small-block Ford. One note: without shock tower modifications a 351W cannot be installed in a 62-63 Meteor or 62-65 Fairlane. Some people have swapped 351W's in without shock tower mod's, but this is more aggravation than its worth. If you wish to swap a 351W in, then visit this website- http://www.critesrestoration.com
You have several engine options to choose from such as a 289, the early 302 and the later 302 roller. What you need to clarify before you start is what balance your engine is. The 289's and 302's up to about 1981 are all a 28oz balance. 1981 and newer 5.0's are a 50oz balance. This is important so you can get the right flywheel or flex plate.
THE ISSUES YOU WILL FACE
1. ENGINE MOUNTS: The six cylinder mounts are obviously no good. The early 221/260 V8's had a six inch spacing between the bolt holes in the block where the mounts were fastened. The 289/302 engines had a seven inch spacing. The solutions - you can either drill two pieces of 1/4 flat steel to fit a seven inch block and weld or bolt them to the six inch mounts or look for a 65 Fairlane equipped with a 289 and purchase those mounts. There is one other solution, Crites makes a motor mount kit to put a 289-302-351 into the chassis of a 62-65 Fairlane. This has nothing to do with the headers issue, just that they offer a mount set that includes motor mount insulators, and metal plates that mount to the cross-member to allow installation of the non-221-260 motors.
2. TRANSMISSION MOUNTS: This is a big topic and I hope to get as much info from you guys as I can. There are a lot of options when it comes to transmissions. The C4 3 speed automatic is a direct bolt in but the 157 tooth bell housing C4 is the easiest tranny to put in. Then we have the C5, AOD, AODE, 4 and 5 speed standards and the C6. NOTE: the C6 will not fit in the trans tunnel without modifications do to its size. More info coming soon!!!
3. DRIVE SHAFTS: I definitely need some help with this one from anyone with anything other than a C4 transmission. I need to clarify a few things.
4. REAR ENDS: The 62-63 Meteor and 62-65 Fairlanes all came equipped with an 8 inch rear-end. All 8 inch diff's are the same 28 spline units. Some other Ford products had posi 8 inch diffs in them until the 8 inch diff was retired in the 70's. They either had 4 or 5 lug axles and ratio's such as 2:80, 3:00, 3:25, 3:50 and etc.
The common thought is that the 8 inch differential can handle up to 250 rear wheel horsepower. I recently broke mine with a dyno verified rear wheel horsepower of 207.7, so I'm cautious about its strength. I strongly suggest that you don't use 4 lug axles in a 289/302 powered car, find a set of 5 lug axles from the same chassis's and they will bolt right in. You will have to get 5 bolt rims as well.
5. FRONT AND REAR SPRINGS: Most Meteor owner's know that the 62-65 Fairlane suspension is different and that some parts are interchangeable. Whether they were 6 or 8 cylinder equipped, the 62-63 Meteors all had the same front and rear suspensions. There is no need to buy new front coil springs to install a V8 in a 6 cylinder Meteor.
6. FLEX-PLATES AND FLYWHEELS: As I stated above, you need to match your flywheel or flex-plate to you engines balance. The most common swap transmissions are either the C4 , AOD or T5. Ford never installed a 157 tooth, 50oz flex-plate in any of its cars or trucks but if you want to install a small bell housing C4 in your car then TCI has the flex plate for you - part # 529610. More info coming on this topic.
5.0 SWAP TECH PAGES, CLICK ON THE LINK FOR MORE DETAILED INFO
ELECTRONIC IGNITION CONVERSION