Want to upgrade the drivetrain in my 1964 Fairlane 500 Sedan. Has the original V8 260 and 2 speed Fordomatic. Replace with a 302 with a C4 or C5

120

Asked by SJS57 Feb 13, 2018 at 10:45 AM

Question type: Car Customization

My V8 260 original motor needs a rebuild, transmission starting to have very
minor shift issue. Is upgrade the way to go?

10 Answers

157,115

If it is a nice original car in good condition I would keep it original as possible and rebuild the current drive train. Certainly a 2 door car would be more desirable than the 4 door, but it is still a cool classic car.

3 people found this helpful.
120

Thanks very much Bob. I keep going back and forth with what to do here, it IS a sedan, so, not as desirable as a 2 door. I've attached a photo. I've done a fair amount of work and am beginning to think that original (so far) might be the way to go. I think the drivetrain upgrade might make it LESS Special.

1 people found this helpful.
101,335

Shop around for an engine/machine shop, a rebuild may not be as much as the cost of replacing the drive train and dealing with the fitment & modification issues. There's no shortage of Ford classic car forums, they can help steer you to a quality rebuild shop in your area. I've actually shipped motors out of state to reputable shops, cost really wasn't that bad, although that requires you to be able to pull and install your own motor - but even that isn't bad, and you can enlist mobile mechanics to help with that too.

1 people found this helpful.
157,115

If you do change the engine and transmission to something else, just keep the old engine, transmission and related parts. They could always later be rebuilt and reinstalled. That is a very nice looking car. I like the baby moons with the blue paint and the chrome trim, the white top really sets it off.

120

Thanks very much. I have a local machinist who is highly recommended, I've talked to him and he gave me a cost of $1600.00 to completely machine and replace parts. I can take it to him "long-block", which is preferable. I've talked to a transmission mechanic who would do a rebuild (kit) for $700-750 on the 2-speed. I can do the drivetrain pull and put back in in my shop so that's not an issue. Thanks very much!

1 people found this helpful.
157,115

I think while I was doing all of that I would change the u-joints and service the differential. Then the entire power train will be ready to go. Those prices sound very reasonable.

1 people found this helpful.

I would stick with the original engine. If you want more power there are lots of goodies that you can install and still keep the engine looking stock.

What ever you do keep the original engine and transmission in case someone in the future wants to restore it to like new.

1 people found this helpful.
120

I have found a c4 3 speed Cruisomatic from an original 1964 vehicle. Have not seen photos yet but they say it is a 5 bolt bell housing. They also say it is NOT a Green Dot trans, which I think is not possible. Should I just skip all that, and take your advice about restoring the drivetrain with the 260 and the 2 speed? Thanks very much, I appreciate your opinion! Steve

157,115

A C-4 would be a good upgrade, just keep the original transmission if you decide to do it.

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