1965 Continental Engine Swap - Need Ideas

[SillyBob]

Can anyone give me ideas to what newer engines will fit into a 1965 Continental 4 door hardtop. It has a 430 now but it is in bad shape and I understand they had a overheating problem. Unsure what more efficient engines can fit into existing mounts, or need minor modifications to fit. I want the engine to be reliable with availability of aftermarket parts. Any help is appreciated.

[BurlyBob]

My 1969 Continental has a 460 cubic inch engine rated at 365 horsepower and 500 foot pounds of torque. I believe that 69 was the first year for the 460. I don't think that they changed that much on the big Lincolns so you can probably obtain the parts necessary for the swap. You can also put a 400 or a 429 using the same components.

[Symax]

Hi Bob. That 430 was manufactured from 1959 to 1965. Lincoln than switched to the 460. You can't simply switch the motor without change the tranny. The input shaft uses a totally different system. The advantage of switching the tranny is that the newer tranny can be modified to accept an overdrive. The old 430 was an excellent motor that can run all that long at 60 mph without overheating (as long as proper maintenance was done). The major difference between the old 430 and the newer big block was that the 430 had no compression chamber in the heads (no cups). The heads are flat sit on an angle at the top of the cylinder. Kits are still available for rebuilding those motors. Let me suggest to you, if it can be fixed by refreshing the motor, do it. You can't go wrong by sticking to original with 320 HP. You can swap your power train with ANY big block (429,460,390,...).
I have a 65 also.
Good luck, Sly

[SillyBob]

Hey Sly, Thanks for the information. I have since purchased a parts car and got a second engine that looks like it is in better shape. Still needs to be rebuilt, but between the two I should be ok. I will probably do some modifications (Oil cooler, transmission cooler) to keep the engine running nice and cool. Did yours have cruise control? Mine does and I am not sure I want to rely on that technology, so I may set it up without ever using it.

[Symax]

Good for you. Did you know that the 430 is known as the "super cobra"? It's basically the grand -father of the 429 cobra jet. It was also the first engine from ford to get the title "high performance". Do you run the original carburator?
Mine does not have cruise or air. I will install air for sure when I rebuild it. With what I have planned, it will likely take me 4-5 years to rebuild. I did not think about swaping the radiator for one that would use a bigger tranny cooler or a separate cooler for that matter; good idea. I'll keep that in mind
Stay posted.
Sly