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Short version: The TBird is a front sump, rear steer car so you cant have a rear-sump engine, but the Canton LS swap oil pan for the 240SX fits this thing like it was made for it, right between the front engine mounts with 1/2" to spare per side. That plus some Chevy Small Block to LS conversion Slider Mounts (mounted on the block backwards) + engine mount standoffs made from a piece 4" 1/4 wall steel tubing cut down into a bracket and a custom trans mount means it actually fits pretty good. Lots of engine setback in the engine bay, clearance all around the big chunky transmission, and you can even get some blank valve covers and stencil "FORD" on them giving endless amounts of BS.
Obviously I am still in the fabrication and fitting stage, but I finally have the money, time, and place to work on the car in earnest. Suspension, brakes, steering, and half of the fuel and electrical are done.
Where I live there is a snooty old man Thunderbird Owners Club. I think I'm going to go to one of their events and try to get kindly asked to leave.
Short version: The TBird is a front sump, rear steer car so you cant have a rear-sump engine, but the Canton LS swap oil pan for the 240SX fits this thing like it was made for it, right between the front engine mounts with 1/2" to spare per side. That plus some Chevy Small Block to LS conversion Slider Mounts (mounted on the block backwards) + engine mount standoffs made from a piece 4" 1/4 wall steel tubing cut down into a bracket and a custom trans mount means it actually fits pretty good. Lots of engine setback in the engine bay, clearance all around the big chunky transmission, and you can even get some blank valve covers and stencil "FORD" on them giving endless amounts of BS.
Obviously I am still in the fabrication and fitting stage, but I finally have the money, time, and place to work on the car in earnest. Suspension, brakes, steering, and half of the fuel and electrical are done.
Where I live there is a snooty old man Thunderbird Owners Club. I think I'm going to go to one of their events and try to get kindly asked to leave.
Dude.... we need PICS!! LOTSA PICS!
Just razzin' ya man.... though pics WOULD be nice!
Then when you crash the T-bird party, pics of the disgusted looks on their faces would be the whipped cream and cherry on top....
Dude.... we need PICS!! LOTSA PICS!
Just razzin' ya man.... though pics WOULD be nice!...
These images shown the magnitude of the problem, the car is unibody and the shock towers are stressed members so it can't take a wide engine, the FE that it came with (which I still have) barely fit. The engine will be raised about 0.5-1" from it's current spot so the oil and transmission pans aren't so low.
One advantage of the full size car is that a trailblazer ss intake actually fits. Just barely. I intended to use it but I have a different engine for the car now that will need a different intake.
Did you know that the 1966 T-Bird came from the factory 12" 4 piston caliper disc brakes? I didn't before starting on this. I thought I would have to get some big aftermarket brakes for this car but after giving these a rebuild kit I figured I would give them a shot. Yes the car will have air springs. The factory springs were SCARY to remove, even with a 60s vintage forged steel internal spring compressor.
Another good thing about the tbird is that it came with a heavier duty large diameter rear diff housing, 31 spline axles and a strong 9 3/8 diff. Much better than what a mustang would be equipped with. Now if only the car wasnt so heavy...
The Bird is the WORD.....
Going well! Yeah that was the early days of Ford's foray into front discs, and Kelsey Hayes sold them on "Go big or go home". Now all ya gotta do is put an 11" or 12" kit on that 9" Ford rear end and you will be THERE, brake-wise.
Stock fuel tank is full of rust. No Bueno. Order a new one, and it fits great, along with a new fuel sender and fuel level sensor. The fuel sender is 3/8 line, but the bends look like they were made by an orangutan with a pair of channel locks, will flat out NOT flow enough fuel for a worthwhile engine. The car will be fuel injected so I need a real pickup and return, so I decided to use the stock pickup as the RETURN, and bought a Holley fuel pickup sock that comes with the 3/8 pickup, drilled a hole for a -6 AN bulkhead fitting in the pickup face, and bolted the whole thing together with proper chemical resistant gaskets. Bent a new stainless internal line with flare nut fittings, fished 4" wide the pickup into the tank through the 2" wide hole, bolted it all up and it seems pretty good. The only change from the outside is the pickup has an extra fitting.
Total Cost: Way too much.
Time Investment: Way too long.
Repeat this process for every other part of the car and you will have a home built RESTO MOD!!!
Making a post every once in a while keeps me motivated.
One thing they will never show you on a car TV show is the host buying a new part and either immediately cutting it up to make it fit (like my rear springs), or deciding that the old one was better quality and just deciding to polish it up and keep it instead.
One of my favorite BS moments from Car TV was a show where they had a new engine on a hoist, and as the hoist lowered this new engine into the bay the camera panned out and faded to black for commercial. It was actually a decent bit of cinematography. When they came back from the commercial break they were test-starting the new engine. That's how it works, right? Like a lightbulb, just thread it in.
Mapping out the ride tech air suspension system I actually bought years ago, it's finally to the mockup stage. The old TBird has a perfect place to mount the tank and pumps, up and behind the rear seat and not down in the trunk or spare tire well. It should be pretty good when it's mounted, tidy and compact at least.
If you do use air springs, the air tank is a great place to mount some stickers.
I like some of the old t-birds, and I know this will run contrary to the theme of this site but did you consider a 3.5L ecoboost in here when you were planning this out? I think those can be some pretty sweet engines also.
I like some of the old t-birds, and I know this will run contrary to the theme of this site but did you consider a 3.5L ecoboost in here when you were planning this out? I think those can be some pretty sweet engines also.
I did consider a Ford engine, but there is a problem. The car is unibody, so the shock towers are integral to the inner fender well and stressed members, the front upper A-arm bolts to it like a mustang of the same era, and while the TBird is bigger than the mustang a big V8 or V6 with overhead cams is too wide for the shock towers. So why not a standard ford V8? Well, having to be a Windsor or Big Block you would pay through the nose and would not make as much power for the money because the big block and and other ford V8s are 1960s tech. They didn't come with roller cams, the stock blocks can be fragile and fail at the oil gallery, they don't have priority mains oiling, they were never meant to turn more than about 4000rpm. Aftermarket blocks exist, of course, but again they are not cheap. The final option was a GM LS engine, which in some ways has more in common with some of Ford's engines than the old small block.
Ford's new engines are tremendous, they just don't fit! The width of the engine is why new mustangs are McPhearson Strut front suspension.
LS engines are not priority mains oiling either, just FYI...
You are correct but at least it doesn't need to have a groove machined into the cam bearing to have oil reach the mains. It's not priority mains oiling. It's an improvement though.
This car project feels so endless, some times. Rear suspension in, fuel tank in again (not pictured) battery box installed, air pumps mounted, last brake line installed. Lots of holes drilled in the car and I never like drilling holes in cars, let alone in 55 year old sheet metal.
Also I need to take the caltracs bars out one more time because the bracket will bind in the front eye under compression, needs a little more machined off in ye olde bench mill. Is it normal to put things together 4-6 times before getting it right?
That is an interesting swap. How heavy is that car?
Its factory curb weight was 4500, that's full of fluids and gas but no driver. It's a heavy beast, but it quickly becomes apparent why as stock iron engine is really heavy, the interior was full of what had to be 100+ pounds of roofing tar that Ford used as sound insulation, and thick heavy steel everywhere. It will be lighter when I get it running, I'm aiming for under 4000.
I'm going for the "She's a big girl, but she dances well" sort of performance.
That is heavy, you should make it a goal to get down to 3800 or so or build a big cube motor for it. If you ever get into a collision with it ....you win.
Fits right in there with contemporary offerings.....which is why I like older AND smaller swap candidates. And this is a really cool swap. It's gonna be downright perky -- and best of all -- not something that you see everyday.
Last edited by Michael Yount; Mar 23, 2021 at 12:52 PM.
Fits right in there with contemporary offerings.....which is why I like older AND smaller swap candidates. And this is a really cool swap. It's gonna be downright perky -- and best of all -- not something that you see everyday.
I kinda want to put a tunnel ram on it. Losing the hood would save 100 pounds.
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66 Ford T-Bird + LS engine and 4L80E 
