Don is right on target. I’m kind of an old school guy, so I like the FE family of motors. If you replace a 292 Y-block with a 390 FE, you get another 100 cubic inches, another 100 horse power, and if you install an aluminum intake manifold on the FE, they weigh about the same. The 351 is a good choice for several reasons. It is physically both smaller and lighter than the Y-block or FE, and like the FE motor, it has a huge supply of factory and aftermarket performance parts.

Any Y-block, 289/302, and any FE motor are a direct bolt-in for a 1954 and later full-size Ford car. All Y-blocks and FE motors use the same motor mount. The earlier mounts used two studs on the frame side of the mount, around 1960, Ford changed that to one stud on the frame side of the mount. If you are putting an FE in a pre 60’s Ford you can just use the 2-stud mount, or drill a hole in between the two slotted holes on your pre-60’s frame motor mount pad and use the single stud mount. If you want to install a 289/302 in a 1954 to 1962 full size ford, just use the 1963 and later Ford motor mounts used to by the factory to install 289/302’s in Galaxies, 300 sedans, wagons, etc. If you want to use a manual trans, the engine mounted clutch linkage pivot ball lines up perfectly. If you want to use a Cruis-O-Matic to replace the early Ford-O-Matic two-speed auto, it’s a direct bolt-in, and they use a vacuum modulator instead of mechanical linkage. If you plan to use a C-6 or C-4, you can still use your existing crossmember, but because of different transmission lengthes, you will need to weld a 3/16″ plate onto your existing crossmember and re-drill the trans mount holes so they line up with the new trans mount studs. The emergency brake pivot still works. 1954-56 Transmission yokes and u-joints are very different, mainly smaller and weaker. It’s just better and wiser to have a drive shaft shop make up a new drive shaft with a new yoke that matches your trans splines, and has the larger u-joints. You will need a later u-joint mount on your 1954-56 differential if you plan to keep the original axle, or you can have the drive shaft shop attatch the old style smaller u-joint on the differential end of your drive shaft. Personally, I think its better to just swap in a complete 1957-59 (later years are too wide) 9-inch rear axle. You get the larger u-joint, bigger brakes, stronger axles, and the emergency brake cables match up.

In a word – – – No. However, the transmission bolt pattern is identical, so a trans (3-speed 4-speed) that bolts up to a y-block will bolt up to a 289/302. Unless you added a lot of horse power to your 289/302, the early Borg-Warner y-block 3-speeds will stand up to the 289/302 engine just fine. Just don’t wind up the engine and dump the clutch. If you are really concerned about 3-speed transmission strength, look for a curved side cover Borg-Warner T-85 3-speed transmission. They have the same gear strength as a T-10. They are still out there. try ebay. They came behind some Mercury and Ford Y-blocks, starting in 1956, and all FE engine 3-speed applications until around 1965 or 1966 when the all syncro 3-speed showed up.

A very straightforward swap would be a Ford Windsor 351. Those engines are reasonably priced, readily available and simply installed. There is a mount referred to as a saddle mount. It is designed to match up to the late model, side mounts of the Windsor motor. Transmission wise, if you want to keep a three speed, Ford build some very strong, three speed transmissions that will bolt up to the Windsor. It requires what is referred to as a small block bell housing. You will also have available with that engine , a couple of very very strong four-speed transmission, or if you decide to go automatic, you have both the C4 and the C6 transmissions. Other items such as headers are readily available as are complete 12 V conversions.

If you need some questions answered, or some help, please feel free to reach out to me. My phone number is 408–9 30–4065. DTW, I belong to the F 100 elite club. Our members all own 1954-1956 F-100 trucks. All members are using late model engines. A bit more involved, but simple to install are Ford 460 engines.