I'm looking for a donor engine/trans for a '68 Lincoln Continental 4 door and I don't know much about the ford engines. What are some of your thoughts on a SBF with a nice broad torque curve for a 100% street/cruise/freeway ride? I want to put a heavy duty 4 speed auto with a lockup torque converter so he can get some mileage out of it. What auto transmission is in the F250 gas trucks?

The newer Navigator/F150 5.4L seems like a good engine but I believe the intake is too tall, is there a different factory or aftermarket intake(besides a blower)?
A mildly built 5.0 may be enough power for what he wants but seems like it'd be a narrow powerband; which stroking to 347 would help. Is the 5.0L that's in the 80's-90's lincolns a roller cam and stout short block like the mustangs?
What about the late model 5.8L 351? Are there good/bad versions of this? How is aftermarket support?

We were all set on putting lincoln trim on top of an LQ4 6.0L Gen III chevy in front of a 4L80E and he decided to keep it ford, so that's kind of a bummer but I'm hoping I can get a stout small ford out of a 90's-newer car/truck that will be close to the above combo. Actually, he was interested in putting a 4BT in for a little while but then chickened out.

What do you guys think?

 

As heavy as that Lincoln is, why not try to find a 460 with E4OD out of a 90's Ford F-250 or F-350? The 1968 probably had a 462 CID - in 1969, the 460 came out in the Lincoln, so you might be able to use some of the 1969 components for the swap.

Rusty

 

I was thinking the same thing ... a 5.0 might be a little anemic for that big of a car. They push a small car like the Mustangs around pretty good but that is quite a bit heavier. Sounds like a cool project though !! Good luck with it.

PISTOL

 

we've considered the 460, forgot to mention that. Kinda torn between putting a 460 in because it'd be relatively easy and getting a newer 5.4L or 5.8L. yeah it's got a 462 in it right now. it's pretty cool and definitely has some torque but there just isn't any support for that engine.
Anything wrong or not desirable about the f250 5.8L engines? a friend of mine had a truck with a 5.8L, wasn't the most peppy thing but it was bone stock, infested with egr/vacuum/smog stuff that could be done away with for a '68; porting the heads and a cam/intake would go a long way on that too.

is there much support for the 460? I've seen heads for it for $2k so I assume there would be intakes and cams/valvetrain stuff available. what about EFI options for the 460? anyone know about any factory or aftermarket options?
Since I started this thread I've narrowed it down to 5.4, 5.8 or 460. I want something reliable and efficient...I realize a 460 isn't going to get any mileage to speak of but if it's efficient and puts power out for the amount of fuel that goes in then it's okay.

 

There's still a lot of stuff available in the aftermarket as well as through Ford Motorsports for the 429/460 engines.

Rusty

 

I see you would like to stay with an EFI engine by some of the things you were saying, so why not the 5.4 since it is widely available?

But if you were to consider the Carb option, then I would reccomend two combonations.

#1-351W (5.8) you can get c6's for these all day long. Many aftermarket parts available, not as many as the 302, but still many resources on the web. A 408 stroker for that car would be awesome...

#2-351M this engine was put in most trucks back in the late 70's. they are great on torque. Their torque band is a lot broader than there HP band. I prefer the 351W myself because of all the aftermarket stuff available for them, but the 351M is great, but read up on the oiling system. Would be a wise decision to run a high pressure line from the front sending unit to the rear sending unit to equalize the oil pressure from the front of the block to the rear. C-6 trannies are widely available for these also.

 

so I assume the C-6 is completely non-computer/electric control? what's the difference between the C-6 and the E4OD? Is the E4OD an electronic version of the C-6?

for fuel injection I think the 5.4 would be easiest but I don't think the navigator intake will fit under the hood of the '68. as far as I know the only other intake is the supercharger for the lightning and cobra 5.4L. Is this correct?

I've been doing some searching on the 5.8W and I think that's what I'll do if I don't put in a 5.4L. World Castings and Ford Motorsports have some good heads, there's quite a few carb intakes and I've found a couple aftermarket upgrades for the mustang/towncar 5.8L EFI intake, which I assume is the same or similar to the truck 5.8L. I don't know enough about the EFI to say if I want to dig into swapping a factory system in or not(wiring harness, ecm and sensor availability); I've done EFI before so it's not a big deal to me if there's parts available. I can get a 351 stock, performance or stroked short block cheaper than I can put one together for and throw the top end on. Then I just need to hit up the junkyards for accessory brackets and accessory cores for napa.

 

well i've answered my trans question, the E4OD is basically a modified C6 that is a 4 speed electric controlled lockup torque converter, the C6 is a 3 speed.

 

Why no Cummins? Cummins, bull horns, side liners... You'd have it made, man...

 

Another option would be a 390ci. There are plenty of them out there. It wouldn't be as big of a pig on fuel as the 460 but it would still have plenty of power.

 

Careful on the lockup torque converter part on the E4OD I don't think so (could be wrong but never heard lockup TQ). You are correct it's electronically controlled 4 speed with OD fly by wire, Ford started building this in '92 or '93 in F150's and bronco's 250's etc, after 94, you want a 95 or newer they redesigned it much stronger.

 

390's in stock form are pretty much a stone. They're heavy as hell, probably heavier than the 385-series motors (429/460) and have far less airflow and power potential. Yes, they will produce enough low end grunt to move a big barge along, but they do nothing particularly well compared to other ford engines. I'd personally probably go 460, either late model efi, which in itself will limit power potential (intake manifolding designed for torque, not good flow) but have plenty of torque, or carbureted with a set of decent heads. Barring that, to keep it light you could do a windsor-based stroker. 393's and 408's are pretty good combos that are easy to fit in a stock block without much grinding.

 

When you talk 390, then you get into the FE version of the Ford Engine line, and you are talking $$$$ to build one. They are relatively cheap to build as a sotck motor, but once you start looking for aftermarket parts for them, hold on to your wallet.

I only race fords, unless I am driving my truck .

I have a lot of experience with the 351W and have some good info on them if you would like it, just pm me. I can turn you to a forum also that is awesome for gas engine fords.

I almost forgot the breathing GIANT. The 351C how did i forget this baby? This is what I am running in my asphalt circle track car. These things with a set of 4bbl heads flow as much stock, as aftermarket heads do, in most instances... they can make huge HP with a few easy mods and about $1500 to get past the stock limits.

 

That Lincoln would sing with a Ford Motorsports 514 inch crate engine. Its a bit over your budget, but 625 HP and 600 TQ would put a huge grin on your face. Even the little 466 would put a kink in some of those ricers's armor.

http://www.fordracingparts.com/crateengine/bigblock.asp

 

well I don't like the 351M or the 390 just because the reason we're doing an engine swap is to get something common so it's easier and cheaper to build but also to drive and find repairs and parts for down the road.
I'm not real excited about the 5.4L anymore, not the greatest powerband, kinda short/peaky and they get pretty poor mileage for the power and technology they have.
So I believe I've narrowed it down to the 351W(but still entertaining the 460), now to decide whether or not to stroke it. And AFAIK '94 and newer is a hydraulic roller block...mid 90's broncos are a dime a dozen around here, both for sale and in boneyards. Holley and Accel both make a standalone EFI setup for SBF windsor.

HEHEHE, I thought the World Man-O-War 427 (575hp) looked like fun!

Now for a trans, depending what I do as far as EFI/carb I'm not sure what it takes to control the E4OD. If I can't do that I'm considering a GM 4L80E, there are a few standalone programable aftermarket controllers for these and a ton of aftermarket support, along with an excellent reputation. They've been out long enough that prices have dropped considerably the last few years. I'm sure advance adapters makes something to put a ferd in front of a chevy trans.

Thanks for all the feedback so far, it's been helpful. HappyGA I'll check that forum out and quit bugging you guys with silly ferd questions if you throw enough aftermarket parts at an SBF it seems to be a good engine