try the HAMB....

I think the merc is bigger than the ford, could be wrong though.

In the shop I worked in we did 2 merc frame swaps, 1 was a 49 4 dr on a 89 crown vic chassis with a 5.0/aod from a mustang, the other was a 50 2dr on a 79 olds 88 chassis 403/th400 and air suspension.

A GM G body frame may be close to working under the ford, it may be possible to use the 360/727 in it with custom mounts and a rear sump pan from a truck.

Paul, I see that you want a mopar drivetrain and want a nice driver out a classic ford. I will say that is a nice combination and have seen others do the same with 49-53 ford/merc products.

There are easier upgrades than cutting up the whole body on both cars. There are a few companies that have suspension/brake upgrades for those cars, namely your model. Installing aftermarket disc brakes will be easier than subbing the front clip and way cheaper in time and materials invalved. The fords can also get dropped knuckels, swaybars, improved shocks and better weight distribution could be done in half the time with little use of welding equipment (except for mounting the driveline). There are several companies in Street Rodder Magazine that sell all the parts you need, including power brake booster assemblies.

Another thing is that there are a few companies that have done the work and have easy to read diagrams on their sites/printed instructions on how to install the parts, so having a brainfart most likely won't slow you down when something akward comes up. With all the improvements done to the car, plus the drivetrin fron the valiant is probably 100lbs less in weight compared to all the ford stuff, the new ford should drive really nice.

Check out the HAMB for more tech tips and diffrent ideas on the build-up.

Hope this helps you out, good luck with your project.