Bamamav's 1947 Lincoln Club Coupe build

[Bamamav]

And here's something else, the factory header won't even go down all the way, it's sitting on the steering box before it gets down to the head.



I even tried another one turned upside down. Front clears, but back hits steering shaft.



Also can't go any farther back due to the oil filter. Engine is offset to passenger side about 2" the way it sits now.



Trans sticks through the cross member about the same as the Turbo 350 did, so driveshaft should work just by changing the front yoke.

 

[Bamamav]

Looks like there is plenty of room, but it's closer than it looks.



I've got another set of the factory Mustang headers, guess I'll cut them up and try to run the front two tubes up and back, and run the back two down and back, maybe that will clear everything. But I still have to figure out how to build a motor frame mount the will go around the steering box and leave room for pipes. No easy job. Beginning to wish I'd just stayed with the Chevy motor....

 

[kenny c]

Have you tried fox body short tube headers yet?

 

[Bamamav]

That's what those are Kenny. I had an old set of manifolds around here somewhere, can't put my hands on them now. I may have hauled them off for scrap. Was going to try them and see if they cleared the box.
Kinda wish now I'd went with the Cavalier r&p, still may have to....

If that darn cross member didn't mount the wishbone, and I had a cutting torch, I'd cut that puppy out and make a tube one to bolt to it, giving me room to slide everything back another 3" or more. I've got nearly 6" from the bellhousing to the firewall......

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Those Mustang "headers" are no better than a cast manifold, from a performance standpoint. I'm sure you know this and the tubes look better, no doubt. (I have a pair for our Fox/351 project.)

I also thought I had the manifolds that came out of our Mustang and hoped to compare and/or measure them for your consideration... can't find them, I guess they left last time I hauled a load of scrap!

At any speed, I hope you find solutions to your problems...

.

 

[Bamamav]

Yeah, not really using them for performance, more because I have them, and they do look better than rusty manifolds. I just had a thought, if I could find a drivers side Ford Explorer 5.0 header, it might work. They had a weird design IIRC, with the front tubes going up and back.

 

[Torchie]

Hang in there Bamma.....
Wish I could be of more help but the last time I put a Ford in a Ford(Other then rebuilding the original engine) was back in 1974 when I put a Lincoln 460 in my 39 Ford coupe. I also went with the stock steering box though.
Is there any way to go with a front type engine mount like the old Hurst saddle style mounts?
You could also go to a remote oil filter to get more room there as well.
Keep at it.[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[Bamamav]

Hang in there Bamma.....
Is there any way to go with a front type engine mount like the old Hurst saddle style mounts?
You could also go to a remote oil filter to get more room there as well.
Keep at it.[P [P [P
Torchie

Only front style engine mounts I have ever seen for the SBF mounted to the heads. I really want to keep the accessory drive brackets and pulleys I have now, so I don't see a way that would work. I think I can build a mount that goes under the steering box, with maybe a brace going over or in front of it. Will probably build a cross member that attaches to both frame rails just for the added strength.

I have thought about the remote filter and that is a possibility. The rear cross member where the wishbone mounts is really whats keeping it from moving back. The trans pan is almost against it now. If I could somehow notch it on the sides and about 1" -2" on the bottom, everything would move back. Cutting that cross member would be a PIA though, it's 1/8" or thicker steel, and hard to access with a zizz wheel, all that I have to cut it with. Then I'd have to reinforce it with some plate steel so the wishbone on the bottom wouldn't collapse it upward. Now if I went to some kind of IFS like a Jag or MII, I could do away with the wishbone, but that's not in the budget right now....

After looking at pics of an Explorer manifold, I'm thinking it might work. I'm going to try to go to the pic a part next Sat, they have 10 Explorers in the right year frame, maybe one will have a manifold I can get. If not, I can get a new one for about $50, just hate to buy a new one and it not work, either, when I can possibly get a used one for around $20- $25. Budget again, I'm cheap.

 

[Bamamav]

Here you can see how much room there is between the back of the engine and the firewall. Kinda like a 50's T Bird, I can keep a close check on the top tranny bolts easily! Plenty of room to stick a hair dryer back there later on if I get kinky! [ddd



Here's a side view so you can see how the engine fits in the bay



To better understand where the placement is, the yellow tape measure is in line with the pulleys.



I would like a little more setback, 3" or so, but may just have to be happy with it where it is now. Still plenty of room up front for the radiator and condenser, with 4"-6" between the front of the pulleys and the radiator at the least. May have to use an electric fan, reverse rotation manual fans are hard to find. Don't think there will be enough room for a fan clutch the way it sits now.

 

[Torchie]

It would be nice if you could get that engine back farther Bama.
Does moving it back allow the engine mount to clear the steering box?
And what about the possibility of notching the trans pan? I have done a few oil pans that way but never a trans pan so I don't know if it is even possible or would help you any.
Just spit balling I guess. [S
Torchie

 

[Bamamav]

Torchie, moving it back 3" would put the mount just behind the box, but would put the filter right into the box, so a remote system would be needed for sure, and then I wonder about if there would be room for the lines off of it. Looking at my pics, it looks like the oil filter would be right in the widest spot of the box. The 90* adapter Ford used on Vans might work though.

No way I'd even think about notching the trans pan. The bolt flange is right even with the bottom of the cross member opening.

I'm thinking it's where it's gonna be. The carb pad is level or slightly uphill to the front. The draglink, while not close to the pan, is in the notch of the pan {rear sump Mustang style}. I think an Explorer manifold might work on left side, anything will work on right. It just looks funny with so much of the bell housing exposed, but you have to remember this car had a loooonnnnggg V12 in it, so the 302 looks short in the bay. The engine is in line with the axle, only the pulleys are in front of it and they are in the center of the spring cross member.

 

[Torchie]

Sounds like it stays where it is then Bama...
Put my glasses on this time and can see what you mean about the trans pan flange. I have very little experience with auto trans so as I said my comment about notching it was just spit balling.
Good luck and keep at it my friend.
Torchie

 

[Bamamav]

Went to pick a part today and got a set of manifolds off of a Mercury Mountaineer, Mercury's version of the Explorer. Tried them when I got home, they look like they were made for the car!






Plenty of clearance everywhere. Even the passenger side looks as though it's made to clear the battery box.




Now on to making a crossmember for the motor mounts....

 

[Skip]

How sweet is that!

Some heat shielding may be in order for the power steering hoses.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

The driver's side is a funky looking piece and I mean that in a positive way... weird and wonderful as a Lincoln or Caddy should be. [cl

.

 

[Bamamav]

Both are weird looking DrC. I was hoping to find something that looked like the front part all the way back, apparently no one made one. I found one that had a tubular one on the drivers side, front into 3rd port, 2nd into 4th port, then a y together at the collector, but the car was on the ground and no way to get under it to take it off. I could have used it and my Mustang header on the other side and not looked too bad. Probably flowed better, too. Oh well, it's a cruiser, not a bruiser, lol.

 

[Torchie]

[cl [cl [cl [cl [cl
[P [P
Torchie

 

[kenny c]

Looks good. Looks like the oil filter position worked out too. If you're not happy with it I think the 2000 ford Explorer that I took my engine out of had a right angle adapter on it.

 

[Old Iron]

Gotta love it when the newer parts fit that well on the classic stuff.

 

[Bamamav]

Looks good. Looks like the oil filter position worked out too. If you're not happy with it I think the 2000 ford Explorer that I took my engine out of had a right angle adapter on it.

You know, I didn't even notice if my donor had one or not. If I had of, I would have snagged it. I know some Ford vans had one, my E350 based motor home has one on the 460 in it. Would be nice to have that extra space. If I have problems getting the filter off, I know the filter from a later 4.6 is about 2" shorter and bolts right up.