61 econo-mods =??

Ive got a 61 econoline van- had the camper mods from "Travel Equip. corp" done when new. Roof mods - and im wondering if anyone had put a 460 motor in these ? Thanx group.

thats a BIIIIGGGG motor for these vans, too much fab work involved in my opinion. if you need the power you can build a pretty stout 302 that would be much easier to fit and alot less weight

you won't get one between the seats. I put a 419 hp 347 stroker in one and it barely fit without cutting the floor all up.

I've heard of one, but it makes absolutely NO SENSE to me ??????????? For the buck its hard to beat the 302 and even better a 351W, either with some good aftermarket heads.
vic

a 351 is a decent size wider and taller then a 302, you can pretty much make the same hp witha 302

I know that as just installing one. In fact my cross members will fit either one. . I have a built 289 going in one right now, building a 302 roller for the pickup, two built 300's going in as soon as I get a break(ha,ha)~~~~ all I was saying was,, its got 50 more cubes for a bolt in,, of course you can build any of them bigger. They BOTH need better breathing heads.
vic

nice i opted not to do the v8 but next van ill drop in a small block

Im still trying to figure out what the topic of this has to do with anything??????

Tim,, I think it started with asking about a 460, from there it went to a 302 or 351, then it went to build a 302 to run as well, then I think it was a 347 stroker, then it went, big six and easier and why the 302 seems to be the best,,, Like I said, I have heard of one, and think it was Eugene.
whew,,,,,,,,
vic

It was Eugene Phillips

Old Skool wrote:Tim,, I think it started with asking about a 460, from there it went to a 302 or 351, then it went to build a 302 to run as well, then I think it was a 347 stroker, then it went, big six and easier and why the 302 seems to be the best,,, Like I said, I have heard of one, and think it was Eugene.
whew,,,,,,,,
vic

So are we saying 81 different mods or what? I assumed 81 Econo meant the year which isnt normally covered on this forum????

So,,, were??? did the 81 mods come from ?? I thought it was about modifying a 61 as in "61 mods" LOL
vic

i think it was a typo. It was supposed to say 61 mods as in mods to a 61 Econo

Why a 460 anyway....? Not a lot of power from a ridiculously big engine. They are so wide that you would have nowhere to sit as well...!!

Old Skool wrote:So,,, were??? did the 81 mods come from ?? I thought it was about modifying a 61 as in "61 mods" LOL
vic

Until my post last night,that's what the subject line said. Obviously someone has now fixed that since it now says 61.

Hi to all again- thats a typo - should be a 1951 econo.I had a 1971 lincoln that i rebuilt a 46o for and that car got a constant 21MPG @ 65-75 mph. Had for years - great fuel mileage & torque as i ever needed. Just curious if anyone had done this engine in an early econo>.??????????

Twinpilot001 wrote:Hi to all again- thats a typo - should be a 1951 econo.I had a 1971 lincoln that i rebuilt a 46o for and that car got a constant 21MPG @ 65-75 mph. Had for years - great fuel mileage & torque as i ever needed. Just curious if anyone had done this engine in an early econo>.??????????

Nothing like following up a typo with a typo,lol. Actually Eugene's van had a 502 crate motor in it. Quite scary if you know how Eugene drove.

LMFAO~~~~~~~ that's what they say about mine,,, been driving them for so long its second nature with that front end,,, LOL.....
vic

yes is a 61 econo and I do have a good 302 - just curious as to if it had been done - seems too much fab work so its gettin a 302 & c4 trans - now i need a good rear end for it. Thanx to all.

Earlie's are a little bit more work but come out just as nice. MAIN problem with the early is the trans mount and no frame brackets for the engine cross member. Weld in the brackets, and use a cross member for the trans. I JUST happen to make both of them as well as disc brakes, cable conversions. All kinds of neet stuff?? LOL.
vic/ca

coolo thanx -shoot me a PM on price of a trans member Thanx

What about the idea of putting a small block 350 in there? I myself am a FORD Guy, but had a good running chev engine and found that it fits nice between the seats. Put the motor in then looked at the side clearance on the manifolds. I probably didn't need to cut the floor but did anyway. If I pushed to hard on the gas pedal it looked like the motor might bump the dog house a bit, and didn't want to fix a problem later on down the road. Also I still have to make a box with suport for seat mount but other then that it sure fit nice in there. As for the 460 idea...I have only seen one done and that was in a truck. Engine was set back half way into the box and even then that had to be put in with a really big shoe horn.

My thinking was this - from experience- I build a 460 marine engine years back- put it in a 73 lincoln (fam car) and had a offenhauser 4bbl intake on it - intake seemed to use small runners on it and I used a 650 holly. I used to use this for trips all over the stste-texas then and ALWAYS- got 21-21.8 MPG at 70 miles an hour!1 Had tons of torque and great mileage - used a new crower can kit in it - was a runner. I like the torque that 460 had and was just theorizing one in an old econo I have .

Just my opinion of the motors and installs. Basically that coming from not being real fond of cross breeding a Ford,, no offense, it just sits wrong with me from the get go. No offense.
As far as the differences between the small blocks, the Chevy has but just a couple of advantages, first is the availability of parts, both after market and stock, and nothing better. The second for a small block Chevy is its higher torque at lessor RPM's. The Chevy makes its cubes by a longer stroke, which, is also its down fall at the same time. The Ford makes the cubes from a shorter stroke and a larger bore. You can take a 289 or 302 Ford, run it for 200,000 miles and simply re ring it, as it doesn't have the stroke of a Chevy, the Chevy, will need a minimum of .030 over size pistons, no way out of it.
The Ford is skiinnier in width, and if you insist,, can slip in our stock doghouse with out any mods to it, although I strongly suggest to make it bigger anyways.
Each to their own, however although the 460 makes a killer boat or RV motor I just don't understand the logic in putting one in ours, there is no way that you can possibly use all that torque and horsepower in ours???? Even with four wheel disc brakes, the much heavier weight and size, seems like extreme over kill to put in ours, perhaps in a funny car, or something that is not a daily driver. Like the 454 Chevy, it has the same logic for gas mileage. BOTH known for 10 mpg towing a tank up a hill, or getting 10 mpg driving down the freeway to go get groceries!!! ,,,,It is a lot bigger, MUCH harder to install, much heavier springs and shocks, etc, needed for what,,,, to simply say "I have a 460 in mine",,,, like I said,, each to their own and meaning no offense for sure.
I like the ease of the small block Ford in its power for size ratio, it is after all a Ford in a Ford for those who care, and all the homework is done already. It is a nice little runner in my books, and actually one of the best V8 motors ever built, both for expense and longevity.
I make and have in stock engine cross members, transmission cross members, disc brakes, throttle conversions, automatic shift cable conversions, replacement short solid yoke tail stocks, master cylinder remote reservoir conversions, custom and rebuilt steering columns for ours, to include a 61 automatic column that never was,,,,, just my nickel on the conversions, and no offense meant to anyone,,,,,,
vic

No Offense taken vic- Thanx - Im more of a Chevy man - just because of a few things - mainy for me Chevys are cheaper for parts and ease of availibility. Yet in past have had & done many fords., also.. Having been wrenching & building both for around =45+ years now - i have as yet to see any ford motor go 200k in mileage - most chevys wont either yet ive never -never been let down by a chev motor to date. I honestly cant say that about the ford motors ive owned- sad to say. I know what your saying - yes there are those that would loose sleep over seeing a Chev engine in a ford - yet to each his own- I am surprised when I see a Chev under a fords hood & do notice many ford rods prior to 1941 do have the chev motors-Nice to see them run too. Guess it all boils down to a persons personal peferances. Happy vannin