1932 ford coupe

Henry Floored said:
Serious question: When you decided to "upgrade" to an OHV , why did you choose an engine that is produced by Ford's arch rival? I think Ford had built about 10 million OHV V8's that could easily power an early Ford. Just curious as to why a Chevrolet is the "default" choice?
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Because my frame was so rotted that I had to buy and aftermarket frame and it had no original x members in it, and because the 348 engine that I used was one I already had just sitting there waiting to be used. I don't care if one company is an "arch rival" of another. I grew up and got out of that childish kind of thinking. I like what I like and do not care who manufactures it as long as its old and American. I wanted to restore this truck but after I got it I found out the only usable parts were the main cab, one fender and the bed sides. Everything else I had to replace.
 

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I guess it's all about what you want the car for and how much money you want to put into it. You said you wanted it to "keep up"...that sounds like a simple gear change. I'm sure you can modify the flathead to get whatever HP you want out of it...and you can make the modifications slowly over time. Personally, I have both engines you're talking about. 59AB in my 35 and 283 in my 56 chevy. They sound completely different but there's something about the sound of a flathead. If you're wanting to show the car, I think there would be more public interest in something they rarely get to see. When I open the hood on my 35 around people that have never seen a flatty...the look on their face is priceless. I vote to keep the flatty, switch gears and make any desired HP modifications over time as you see fit.
 
IndianapolisRacer said:
Oh in the end I will,just searching for opinions,I did run the car at the Newport Hillclimb last year on Sat.but was told if I ran on Sunday it would be disqualified because front and rear tires were different sizes.
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So what was their beef with different size tires?? Seems pretty hokey to me!
 
LOL...if you're going to be driving on the highway I would also vote for getting the same size of matching tires.
 
Indianapolis, I had a similar dilemma that I posted here awhile ago. I have the 35 cabriolet that my parents owned since the early 40's. My dad made changes to the car over the years and it was the families daily driver as the 4 of us kids were growing up. A lot of family history...unlike your circumstance. I restored it several years ago and made a few changes to get it a few steps closer to original. My question here was, now that I've got the money, should I put it all the way back to original. The resounding response was to preserve the family history of the car, to keep it the way my dad had it because the story of a car (provenance) is as important as the car itself. I read your story and, there may be no family ties, but it's the story of the car and the story has a lot of age and had me really interested. As the new owner, it's your duty to preserve the story and preserve what you have the best you can. You have a vintage "race car" so preserve it as that and be proud of and enjoy it. I'm leaving my Cab close to the way that my dad had it and...yes, I'm proud of it even if it's not the way it rolled off the line.
 
i prefer the flathead, but what you do is up to you....some vintage period pieces with the chev engine and shifter, etc......have fun and post some pics....Mike
 
IndianapolisRacer said:
The majority says to keep flathead at this point,all well and good however this car will never keep up with my fellow EVille Iron Club members on a rod run 65 t0 70 is really pushing it especially on those 90 degree + hot summer days . I can cruise all day at 55 but they leave me behind.The 8BA has 2 Stromberg 97s + Offy heads and a Columbia 2 speed .At this time thinking of a new aluminum trailer and pulling it !
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I'm wondering why you can't keep up when you have a Columbia? My 39 coupe has a flatty with a 3.70 rear axle and overdrive transmission. I can run all day at 70 mph - about 2400 rpm. Been doing it for 20 years. You should be able to do the same.
 
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