60 hp AV8 performance ?

F

Ford Freak

Well-known member
Hi guys ! I seen an ad locally for a '29 A coupe w/a 60 hp V8 in it .
How do you guys think it would go , compared to a (heavier ?) '37 coupe with a 85 hp ? Just curious ......
 
I have a 28 Phaeton with a 60 and a 40 sideshift trans with a 46 ford axle. It is a great combination. Fun to drive, sounds great! I love it!
 
The stock Model A 4 cyl. had 44 more cubic inches, and probably more toque than the V8-60. Don't know what the attraction is on a V8-60 except the old racing days in superlight cars.

Sal
 
scicala said:
The stock Model A 4 cyl. had 44 more cubic inches, and probably more toque than the V8-60. Don't know what the attraction is on a V8-60 except the old racing days in superlight cars.

Sal
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Yes , I believe they used them in midgets back in the 40's - 50's , no ?:confused:
 
If you have a v8-60 installed I would think it would be for the "look", and not for performance.
 
Midget race cars and boats that needed very small engines were where many of the old 60s ended up. A midget car is a lot smaller than an AV8. I'd go for the gusto and use 239 or above size. 59 series are great. 8BA types are easier to find but need a bit more modification to fit in a 28 or 29.
 
Ford Freak said:
Hi guys ! I seen an ad locally for a '29 A coupe w/a 60 hp V8 in it .
How do you guys think it would go , compared to a (heavier ?) '37 coupe with a 85 hp ? Just curious ......
Click to expand...

Good question !
At one time, I was smitten by the V8-60 bug and had several good runners.
At the time , I was assembling parts for my '30 roadster. I put a couple of the 60s (diff color engines :p) into the frame, just to see what. After much contemplation, put a 239 in same place for same reason. Ended up with a '32 B banger that was warmed up.
The 60 looked 'cute' and its rpm range was impressive...but it just didn't have the cubes or the torque. My guess is that it was made/used at all for fuel economy ! My 60s sold like hotcakes to a hungry crowd :). The buyers were/are midget builders/racers.

Now , the '32 banger warmed up is at 100hp +/-. That engine can and is built as wild as a guy wants to spend for. Bored/stroked, etc..a B can be made with 239 cu. Torque and rpm with gearing is very satisfactory. I know a guy who spent thousands warming up his 60. He would never compete with a warmed up B, unless the B was sitting on a stand:D !

All flatheads, IMO, look great with dressing. And, the 60 looks cute in a model a..did mention that ?
 
Thanks guys ! I have only had flathead powered vehicles for about 4 yrs. now, and all of them have been 85 & 100 hp engines . I know very little about the 60's , but thanks to you guys , I am learning more !
 
I ran one in my 3/4 scale 32 roadster. It was fine with 4/11 gears. They have no torque to speak of. It would run 65 mph. It had mild cam with 2 81 carbs. Total weight of roadster was about 1600 pounds.
 
scicala said:
The stock Model A 4 cyl. had 44 more cubic inches, and probably more toque than the V8-60. Don't know what the attraction is on a V8-60 except the old racing days in superlight cars.

Sal
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The V8 60 had 136 cubic inches. The Model A had 200. I think that is 66 more cubic inches.

Charlie Stephens
 
I guess we both had trouble adding the numbers in our heads. I was the furthest off.
Bottom line...., the 4 cyl. is bigger. Lol

Sal
 
In about 1949 my father had a '39 Ford pickup that had a V8 60 in it. It was about the most under-powered vehicle I ever had the misfortune to drive. My father claimed that the truck did not have enough power to "pull a wet cigarette butt out of the gutter".
I made a proposal to my father that I would pull the V8 60 from the truck, replacing it with a 85 hp.. I had two things on my mind, improving the power of the truck and building a AV8 with the 60.
I knew a man a couple of blocks from my house that had a '29 A roadster pickup sitting in his back yard. I had talked to the owner of the "A" a few times, he was very willing to have me get it out of his yard.
I had my father all primed for the idea of improving the power of the '39, however, as he thought about it and the time to start the swap on the '39, dad came to the conclusion that I would most likely kill myself with the '29 A and a V8 in it.
That was the closest I ever came to owning a Model A Ford..
Until just a few years ago I had a neighbor that had a '48 MG that he bought new. He raced the car in sanctioned sport car races, the MG engine did not hold up well so he replaced it with a '40 Ford V8 60 trk engine. the engine was very well built with all of the usual speed equipment, it ran very well.
My neighbor recently passed away, his son came up from LA, he hauled the MG to his home in LA..
 
When installing a V8 60 in a Model A it is necessary to change the ring/pinion from 3.78 to 4.11. The little 60 does not have any low end torque. You need to get the RPM'S up before it will develop any reasonable horsepower.
 
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