[rollenhard]

I am helping a friend build a 40 ford 2dr sedan with a 39 ford transmission and stock rear-end. He wants to install a 289 small block Ford . This is my question is there an adapter to mate the engine to the 39 trans? If so, where can I get one? Are the any problems with oil pan clearance? Any other problems? If there is a kit made to convert the closed drive to an open drive, would it be better (cheaper, easier) to put the 289 with a C4 auto trans and adapt it to the stock 40 rear end? ? And if so what do I need to do to make it work. The car has no engine now and he does not want to put a flathead back in, because he already has a rebuilt 289+C4.
Thanks

[timothale]

Easiest and probably cheapest is to use the C 4 and an 8 in rear end and change to parallel rear leaf springs, Old bronco V 8 oil pans and pick up tube moves the sump to the rear. You can buy new rear sump bronco design pans and tube. Mustang 5.0 from the 80;s has an oil pan with not as much space as bronco but might work. Then it's probably time to add front Disc brakes with the 5 bolt wheel pattern to match the 8 in rear. You can adapt to the old trans, change to open drive line, use the old rear end but the newer parts cost less, better brakes, etc,

[MARTINSR]

Yes the Bronco pan will work I am told (an old Hotrod trick though I have never used one) and you can mate it to the stock trans. This has been done zillions of times and it works just fine. before good automatics or four speeds came around in the sixties this was the ONLY option, bolt a late model OHV motor into an early Ford, that was it, pickup a fifties hot rod mag and this is ALL you will see. Look for adapters for that trans and just about every engine under the sun has been bolted to those stock Ford trannies, I have had many Buick nailhead both early and late adapters over the years. And as far as disc brakes and the like, it really depends on your expectations and how you are going to drive it. I have driven MANY miles on the old stock drums and to me unless you are doing some serious canyon carving or high speed driving the drums are PLENTY good.

I would bolt that 289 in and have fun!

Brian

[timothale]

I 've used Ford Van oil pans when doing 460 engine swaps , I haven't seen any small blocks in vans around here. Everybody usually has a big RV trailer, a 4 horse livestock hauler, jet ski's
Snowmobiles , 4 wheelers, lots of toys and steep mountain roads and they want lots of big block power. You could check out ford pickups, 4 X 4's, and vans to see if any other oil pan-pickup tube would work.

[rollenhard]

Thanks for the info and advise guys that's exactly what i needed.
Thanks
Merry Christmas

[kleen56]

It really depends on what type of front end your using. If you have the straight axle, the oil pan with the sump in the front (early 289) should work because the straight axle and steering tie rod sits further back. If your running a Mustang II or IFS type suspension, you might have to go with the sump to the rear type pan. Since you already have the C4 transmission and it's in good shape, why not use it? The C4 would probably be stronger than the original 40 transmission. It's a matter of making a transmount and modifying the driveline. I wouldn't go with a 8 inch Ford for two reasons. They break and gear selection is much more difficult to find than the 9 inch Ford rearend which is readily available. If your going to all that work of changing the rearend. Might as well go with a popular and easy to find parts 9 inch Ford. It's only an opinion. You have several options to go with...