motor/trans swaps - mount locations

[John Hertog <crossram@xxxx>]

Hi Mike,

Many years ago, like around 1983, I went thru a period where I was
excessively... broke. At that time, a $100.00 bill represented a small
fortune to me.

I found a '60 Saratoga 2dr htp (LWB) ... was pretty decent all around, but
missing engine and trans and rad. and driveshaft. It was free. The price
was right. I dragged it home. Then someone gave me a mid 70's Newport - big
blue tank... with a great drivetrain. Free. Right up my alley !

Now - this was 20 years ago... so I have forgotten some of the details, but
what I do remember is that this was a no-brainer, very very low buck swap. I
remember having to buy (gasp) a pair of '60 style motor mounts out of
something. With hindsight, I think they were from a short wheelbase wagon. I
ripped the rad, engine, trans and driveshaft out of the Newport and went
for it. Everything fit right in. I htink I had to turn the motor mounts
around. Even the driveshaft did not have to be modified ! Even the NEWPORT
single exhaust system fit right in ! And, what's scary, I do not remember
having any oil pan problems - which makes no sense to me right now.

It cost me next to nothing to make this swap work. Really. A points
distributor was located for the 400 that came out of the Newport, and that
took care of the ignition system. The trans bolted up to the original
crossmember somehow - I don't even remember fabricating anything, and I had
no means or tools to fabricate! It was a no-brainer swap as strange as that
may sound. I definitely could not have afforded any fancy anything, and I
did this in a backyard, with no fancy tools at all.

For a shifter.... I used the stalk from a console-type car shifter. Just
the stalk. I drilled a hole in the floor of the Saratoga (or punched one
out with a chisel...) and attached this stalk to the tranny. It had a
"head" on it which used to connect to the shifter in the console of whatever
car I stole it from.. I used to reach forward, grab the head of the stalk,
select a gear that way, and off we went... a marked improvement was that
the car now had Park ! The original '60 rear was retained. There was no
ebrake at all - I never bothered.

The '60 Saratoga served me well, was very reliable, and eventually was
traded to a Club member on Staten Island (forget his name) who owned a red
"G" convert (?) in the late 80's. I never saw it since. Another car I wish I
still had !

It's beem many years - two decades - but thanks for making me remember
leaner times. Hope this helps in some way.

John