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Well everyone, excited to be a member here. I posted a question about ls swapping my 63 fairlane and after the responses I got, I was pushed over the ledge and have decided to go all in. I started today by removing the hood, draining coolant, disconnected power steering, and removing the alternator wires from the stock 221 v8. I have big plans for this car, they will just take awhile. 2 kids that both play sports which I coach takes up a lot of time. Bear with me and I will update as much as I can. Feel free to ask questions
The motor: 2002 5.3 from a Tahoe with 80k original miles. I rebuilt it, did a carb conversion, and it currently runs on my stand
862 heads with LS6 springs
edelbrock performer intake
edelbrock msd ignition box with timing pills(older design)
holley 750 street demon carb
stock cam for now
plan for now is to see how this engine fits in the bay between the shock towers. Since a 351w fits, the LS should fit. Will be going Th400 trans, explorer disc brake rear end, and possibly doing the crites shock tower conversion or going with a mustang 2 suspension up front. Thanks for looking everyone here’s a few pictures of the car and engine
Did you have ideas of putting that engine in something else? Or are you just the sort of guy who has a spare engine running on a stand in his garage?
What's the history on the car? Cool lookin' ride, should be great with the new powerplant!
haha yea so originally I bought this engine last October and my plan was to get into the LS scene and learn some new stuff. Originally I wanted a early nova or a 73-75 blazer. So I ended up building this engine over time and was actually going to sell it since I didn’t have a vehicle to put it in. I made an ad on offerup and had multiple people who were going to buy it for 3000 bucks. Well, the wife talked me out of selling it and just being patient and waiting for a vehicle to come along...
story is, I had a 63 falcon future 260 v8 car, 11 years ago. I built a 302 for it, put in a new trans, did a bunch of work. The plan was for my wife and I to drive away from our wedding in that car. Well smart guy here sold it a month or so before the wedding. Wife has never let me forget it either. Fast forward to now, I found this fairlane on offerup and it looks eerily similar to my 63 falcon. The guy I bought it from owner for 16 years. And he got it from the original owner. It still has the original license plates, original bob keefer ford license plate frame, owners manual that has been signed by the dealer, and some service documentation. I was the first person to see the car and I brought my trailer and picked it up for a couple grand. I figured it’s light weight, and everyone throws a 302 or 351 in these things, why not an ls1? I think it will look pretty sweet in there and **** a lot of people off. Which I’m okay with. Haha!
Where in Cali are you? I remember the dealer name "Bob Keefer Ford" I THINK in the LA area.
I used to live in Cerritos, now north in the San Joaquin Valley
small update, I have the engine totally disconnected and separated from the trans. Only thing holding it up is the ram for the power steering that runs underneath the engine. The flex plate is hitting it. This got me thinking, it looks like the 63 fairlane PS setup is kind of an oddball. Any of you know what my options will be for power steering once I put in the 5.3 that uses the GM pump?
small update, I have the engine totally disconnected and separated from the trans. Only thing holding it up is the ram for the power steering that runs underneath the engine. The flex plate is hitting it. This got me thinking, it looks like the 63 fairlane PS setup is kind of an oddball. Any of you know what my options will be for power steering once I put in the 5.3 that uses the GM pump?
I don't have any advice there, but in my Cougar I used a TCP manual rack, but I am not sure if TCP offers that for the Fairlane. I later converted the manual rack to electronic steering assist using a Toyota Prius steering unit.
Did a little research and there is an EPS unit for my fairlane. Also looks like I can convert to a borgeson steering box with some modification to my steering shaft and use the gm pump and power steering lines with the correct threaded fittings
Did a little research and there is an EPS unit for my fairlane. Also looks like I can convert to a borgeson steering box with some modification to my steering shaft and use the gm pump and power steering lines with the correct threaded fittings
The electric steering works ok, but the feel is not as good as a good hydraulic system. The Borgeson box should work well, but it will eat into your available space for the exhaust on the driver's side.
Well I got the 221 ford pulled yesterday. I took my ls1 of the stand and dropped into the engine bay. The fordomatic trans and ford crossmember are still in. I was just excited to get a visual. The engine size looks identical to a 351w sitting in there. It’s not level or even side to side but it actually looks like with the right headers it just might fit, although it Would be quite a squee
ze
Are 351w headers available for these cars? If so, the exhaust spacing between a Windsor and LS are almost identical. You can cut the flange off the 351W headers and weld on LS flanges.
If the front end of that car will come apart/out (radiator surround/front sheet metal) you'll save yourself tons of headaches by clearing all that out so you can see/work/drop engine and tranny in/out together while you're mocking up.
If the front end of that car will come apart/out (radiator surround/front sheet metal) you'll save yourself tons of headaches by clearing all that out so you can see/work/drop engine and tranny in/out together while you're mocking up.
The core support is an integral part of the unibody.
07-22-2020, 09:57 PM
1963 LSx Ford Fairlane build 
