Chevy Engine

47Merc said:
If you do go with an auto forget the 400. It far too large. The 350 will fit but you have to cut the centre out of the X member and fit a new g/box mount etc..
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.....and if you use a C4 behind a Ford you'll have only a minor amount of trimming if any. Just saying.
 
If you're gonna go...go big!
 

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Restoration, Yes, a fine word. A truly restored Ford would be beyond the financial ability of most people, and once finished, this museum piece wouldn't be driven very far, if alt all. Most of us just try to restore them to a safe drive able automobile. Something we can take on week end drives, something safe for our family and friends. Then there's the history of the old flathead when it was King of the road. Dual carbs and hi compression heads and smitty mufflers. Now there's a fine restored car. Chasing people away from this forum will only reduce the number of RESTORED Fords.
 
I have a flathead in my '48 but when I restored my '84 Bronco II I put a 302 in it. Upset the Bronco II purists but I love it. Couldn't care less. It's your rig so do what you want and enjoy it.
 
4t8v8 said:
I have a flathead in my '48 but when I restored my '84 Bronco II I put a 302 in it. Upset the Bronco II purists but I love it. Couldn't care less. It's your rig so do what you want and enjoy it.
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I'm sorry I don't quite get the correlation. Putting a Ford V8 in a Bronco II is upsetting to purists?

This is the same thing as 80% of the surviving fleet of V8 era Fords being repowered with their crosstown rival's engines?

Chevrolet engines in old Fords is so prevalent that it is ingrained in our culture. Witness the American Graffiti '32 Coupe as an example.

Ford Motor Company doesn't even care as long as they sell more Mustangs and F150's. Their performance division's response to the hot rod community is pathetic.
 
Chevy engines in an old Ford are boring. Go to a show and see them al lined up there. I guess because its cheap and easy. Folks walk right on past them to check out my souped up flathead 35 coupe.....
 
You can't please everyone only yourself. I restored to V8Club Standards for years on several projects.My last a '37 coupe with a sick sixty horse so I built it the way I would have when I wanted to in 1961 with a 59AB and a Merc crank,'39 transmission with a Columbia rear end and hydraulic brakes.I have a couple guys who still yell blasphemy at me for not keeping the sixty.
 
for a lot of people the cost to have a flathead rebuilt is to high. to pay. whitch i don,t under stand for a simple eng 3-8 thousand. if you want a chevy eng use the orignal trans & drive normal save the flathead you take out when you sell the car let the next person deal with it proven facts chevy eng much cheaper very relible parts sold at every parts store they don,t over heat.
 
richard crow said:
for a lot of people the cost to have a flathead rebuilt is to high. to pay. whitch i don,t under stand for a simple eng 3-8 thousand. if you want a chevy eng use the orignal trans & drive normal save the flathead you take out when you sell the car let the next person deal with it proven facts chevy eng much cheaper very relible parts sold at every parts store they don,t over heat.
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I agree with you on this Richard. Back in the '50's & '60's it was much more difficult for us kids to find a good replacement FH engine, or find the money to rebuild one, than it was to find a modern ohv engine to transplant into our beloved early Ford V8's. This was probably a good thing that resulted in the survival of many of these old Fords that may have otherwise been sent to the scrap yards. Back then, a SBC engine was a more reliable choice, IMO, than an early ohv Ford engine.
But now days....it's back to Flatheads Forever for me :D
 
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An SBC engine in an early Ford V8 is about as simple as can be, the only problem is the fuel pump not having good clearance, an electric pump solves that problem.
I would suggest a GM 2004R trans in lieu of the 350/400. Of course you will have to alter the rear suspension, discarding the torque tube and early Ford rear end, I would suggest a first generation Camario/Nova 10 bolt, 34-1/4" backing plate to backing plate with a ratio in the 326.1 range. Stay away from the BPO rear ends, they were not good rear ends, you should also avoid any rear end newer that about '80, they are two wide for the early Ford chassis.
If you want to be a purest, keeping your '40 stock you can have a 59AB engine rebuilt and modernized, for about 8k, if you are lucky. then spend $5k for a Columbia that has been rebuilt and bullet proofed, all to please other people and drive the car about 2k a year to an occasional car show.
 
Henry Floored said:
I'm sorry I don't quite get the correlation. Putting a Ford V8 in a Bronco II is upsetting to purists?

This is the same thing as 80% of the surviving fleet of V8 era Fords being repowered with their crosstown rival's engines?

Chevrolet engines in old Fords is so prevalent that it is ingrained in our culture. Witness the American Graffiti '32 Coupe as an example.

Ford Motor Company doesn't even care as long as they sell more Mustangs and F150's. Their performance division's response to the hot rod community is pathetic.
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It isn't that hard to understand. To the Bronco II crowd I ruined a pristeen one by modifying it to be something it wasn't meant to be. There are a lot more hobbies than flathead fords. I know, it's hard to believe. Each one has it's purists. The correlation is "modifications" to some is blasphemy. The point is, it's your vehicle. Do what you want with it.
 
I know I'm getting old when there's such thing as a "Bronco II crowd". In my experience, when the ash tray in a Bronco II got full it was time to haul it to the wrecking yard.
 
to quote Henry Floored "Chevrolet engines in old Fords is so prevalent that it is ingrained in our culture "

I have a couple of cars and one is a 1932 roadster (fiberglass) that is now set up to drag race with a 347 stroker (302) and when in the staging lanes once a young man asked me when I took the C*&*& motor out! This car has never had one of those and was originally set up and run on the street with a flathead, and will one day have a flathead again (hopefully to race at Bonneville)

by the way he had a Firebird with some kind of stroked Pontiac motor his dad built, which I thought was pretty cool.
 
Capt Kirk said:
I know I'm getting old when there's such thing as a "Bronco II crowd". In my experience, when the ash tray in a Bronco II got full it was time to haul it to the wrecking yard.
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Yep. They even have their own forums. Ain't it funny how time slips away.
 
Maybe we should all re-read the guidelines Ryan posted:

http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23523

Question: Is the Ford Barn about stock/restored early Fords?

Answer: YES!

Question: Is the Ford Barn about hot rodded or customized early Fords?

Answer: No... That's not our focus on The Ford Barn. The Jalopy Journal focuses on that stuff.

All that said, I understand there is some overlap. A great example is a guy with a '40 coupe that he likes to drive quite a bit. For drivability, he might stick a dual carb intake and maybe even some heads on his mill. Advice on such modifications is, of course, welcomed.

I realize (and I'm sure you guys do as well) that there is no broad line of separation between hot rodded and stock early Fords. This would be easy if there was... But it's important to remember that the Ford Barn focuses on the stock restorations while The Jalopy Journal focuses on hot rods and customs. Sure, we will have some "sidebars" on each site covering more bases, but the general premises remains.
 
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