[Daty78]

I've been a die hard Chevy fan til recently I've pickup a 62 Fairlane 500 221/3on tree I'm new to site so please go easy on me 😁 I'm swapping the drivetrain out for that of a 80 tbird 302/c4 I believe with 94k miles wht I wanna know is can I use the rack and pinion setup also the suspension setup also please any positive advice and info will be gladly appreciate and I'm just want a reliable and a little modern feel thanks

 

[TROTTLEJO]

unless you are a great fabricator the t bird suspension steering is not gonna work frame rails are gonna be a different rake and width and mounting will be a task there is quite a few options for front end and i just read up on a company named tin man that makes frame rails and a transmission crossmember that i wish was avaible several years ago before i built my own front suspension you have rod and custom fat man heidts and one other one i cant remember that make different ways to change to a modern approach i also think the tunnel may need messaging with the od trans but im not positive on that have fun !!

 

[Mercury4me]

I've been a die hard Chevy fan til recently I've pickup a 62 Fairlane 500 221/3on tree I'm new to site so please go easy on me 😁 I'm swapping the drivetrain out for that of a 80 tbird 302/c4 I believe with 94k miles wht I wanna know is can I use the rack and pinion setup also the suspension setup also please any positive advice and info will be gladly appreciate and I'm just want a reliable and a little modern feel thanks

Welcome. The 302 and c4 should fit in there nice. My 63 has a 4r70w which is very tight but it fits. One thing you are going to learn about the 62/63 is the reinforced shock towers limit your options for headers. I think only hooker makes them or you can get these:

Scott Drake C5ZZ-9430-1-B Scott Drake High Performance Exhaust Manifolds | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Scott Drake High Performance Exhaust Manifolds with qualifying orders of $99. Shop Exhaust Manifolds at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I am not sure what manifolds the 1980 T-bird had but I am running 1965 mustang logs on mine. Its really tight on these bodies so check it out before you get too far.
If you are going full on Mustang II suspension, you can cut out the shock towers and then you have plenty of room for whatever. I tried not to cut anything when I did my swap.

You can check out my showcase if you want to see what I did. Pretty basic - I just wanted fuel injection, overdrive, and classic sheetmetal.

Where are you located?

Cheers

 

[ponch0v]

Welcome! Be aware that the motor mount plates for the 221 are different than the later 260, 289, 302 & 5.0 motors. The distance between the mounting holes for the 221 are 6” vs. 7” on the later blocks. Locate (hard to find) a set of the later block or extend the 6” set the fit the tbird motor.

 

[Daty78]

Thanks for all the advice I'll try to keep y'all posted

Welcome. The 302 and c4 should fit in there nice. My 63 has a 4r70w which is very tight but it fits. One thing you are going to learn about the 62/63 is the reinforced shock towers limit your options for headers. I think only hooker makes them or you can get these:

Scott Drake C5ZZ-9430-1-B Scott Drake High Performance Exhaust Manifolds | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Scott Drake High Performance Exhaust Manifolds with qualifying orders of $99. Shop Exhaust Manifolds at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I am not sure what manifolds the 1980 T-bird had but I am running 1965 mustang logs on mine. Its really tight on these bodies so check it out before you get too far.
If you are going full on Mustang II suspension, you can cut out the shock towers and then you have plenty of room for whatever. I tried not to cut anything when I did my swap.

You can check out my showcase if you want to see what I did. Pretty basic - I just wanted fuel injection, overdrive, and classic sheetmetal.

Where are you located?

Cheers

North little Rock AR

 

[Mercury4me]

Like @ponch0v said, the motor mounts you have will be 1 inch shorter. That's pretty easy to fix with some 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch bar stock drilled for all three bolt locations. I didnt have any of the stock V8 pieces and ended up using 1985 F150 mounts and fabricated some perches. Works but it is pretty much like solid mounts and she vibes under load.

 

[PSIG]

Just to throw a wrench into your plans , be aware that few drivers can tell any improvement between fully-rebuilt original steering and a R&P conversion. With some conversions the factory steering is notably superior. For fair comparison, be aware the entire factory steering from the horn button to the tire tread must be fresh and in-spec, and with a proper full alignment — apples-to-apples.

The original geometry can also be improved for certain advantages. The comparison does not consider substantial ride-height changes. Not trying to be a **** or start any arguments, just feel you should verify what you're buying into (or not).

 

[JeffB2]

Since this is a fairly light car you probably could do without power steering, you would want it mainly if you have to parallel park a very popular conversion is this solution Electric power steering install in a '54 Ford. Since you have the old "deadly spear" steering box like 50s Fords this would apply to your car as well. The advantages are you can keep your stock steering linkage without alterations and there will not be any need for brackets and a pump or hoses under the hood. The mounts used in Fox Body Mustangs will raise the block without using spacers, part numbers and pictures are here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/media/albums/289-302-351w-swap-mounts.41498/ READ the text under the pictures. You will need to use the oil pan, timing cover and dipstick from the 221 on the 302. Because Ford changed to a 50 ounce balance factor, you would need this harmonic balancer to use your existing pulleys and water pump. Professional Products Harmonic Balancer, 50 Ounces, Small Block Ford with the 50 ounce balance factor.