need help with motor for 58

[abarang]

Hi all. I have a 1958 Thunderbird that is having some serious motor problems. I've been trying to decide how I want to go about fixing the problem. I am not a collector, and I'd like to drive my tbird on a daily basis. Would you guys recommend taking apart the 352 motor for a rebuild or trying to get a new motor for it?

I know I may get flamed for even considering this, but has anyone ever tried doing a motor swap with a newer, fuel-injected v8? Where would I start to find out more information about what motors could be a direct bolt-in (using same motor mounts)? This solution would cure the gas mileage issues, and provide a more reliable ride. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[John]

I would encourage you to work with what
you have. The pros of this might be (my opinion only):

* less work since you are using the same
wiring, engine mounts and so on

* value and integrity of the car maintained
or increased. There were only 32,000 or
so of these made...

* challenge of seeing what can be done to
upgrade a 1958 vehicle

If it's not suitable for daily driving
due to poor mileage, emissions and so on,
perhaps its a different car you need!

Potential improvements that could be considered:
* rebuild the motor. Better compression
should lead to better performance
* different camshaft suited to low end
torque and gas economy
* carb fine tuned for efficiency. In
1958, who cared?
* either better or ported/polished
manifolds, for better efficiency
* improved ignition (coil? solid state?
lots of good stuff out there now) for better
spark -> better mileage
* valve seats and valves can be replaced
with stellited versions so as to run properly
on unleaded gas. They are not terribly
expensive.

good luck!

 

[Joe Vandatta]

I agree with John, stick with what you have.
Joe

 

[Flip]

Stick with what you have. I have a 58 and decided to tear down the engine and rebuild it on my own. I'm not much of a mechanic but I have accumulated quite a few books (including the original manual) that have really been helpful. I'm still not finished but will be soon. It has been slow and time consuming but I have learned a lot about the motor, transmission, and just about everything else.