46 ford sedan delivery

M

montucky

Junior Member
Hi all, I'm new to Fords (mostly a Hudson guy), and I'm looking at a 1946 Ford Sedan Delivery. I has an original type flathead v8, but I'm not stuck on being totally original and was wondering what would you all recommend as a good all around flathead V-8 of this vintage? I'm totally fresh in the Ford world, so engine model numbers and displacement, along with preferred manifolds, transmisisons, rear end (Columbia 2 spd??), etc, would be helpful. I like the looks of the flatheads and want to stay in that style, but mild performance upgrades are okay too.

Also, are patch panel hard to come by? Floor boards and such....

thanks in advance, Montucky
 
Montucky, Welcome to Flatworld! The Sedan Delivery you are considering should have the most sought after flat motor ever made. Look on the center of each head, and you'll see a number 59, with a suffix of A or AB. Another large number 59 will be visible with a flashlight at the rear of the block close to the firewall. You may need a mirror and flashlight. This is a 239 ci engine, having a 3.1875 x 3.750 bore & stroke. It is rated at 100 hp. It should have a flat style distributor having the V cap.

If your transmission is a 3 speed, it's as good as it gets. (Some Commercials had 4 speeds). You may have a low ratio rear end. (4.11) A good all around ratio is 3.78. A Columbia would be desirable, but they are costly. If you find one, the controls are more valuable than the differential itself. Floorboards for the Delivery are probably not being reproduced, but someone else may have more info on that. Good luck!
 
Greetings and welcome, Montucky! There's a lot of information available on flatheads and there are a lot ov very knowlegable people who regularly post here on the Fordbarn. A couple are authors of definitive works on flathead performance and what does and does not work. In addition to what ford38v8 has already said, I would add that flatheads are not "plug and play"( not my words) Other-than-stock work and tuning can be very rewarding but it takes time and, usually, machine work. It may be the same on Hudsons, but - unfortunately - I don't know. This is a great place to learn and we're glad you're here.
 
The front 2/3 of the floor pan is the same as a regular Tudor or Fordor sedan complete with the rear seat riser. I am not sure who makes new floor patch panels for them though. I used a donor Fordor sedan to replace the front floor section in my '42. The rear section i.e. behind the hump for the rear axle is only used for sedan delivery I believe, so if that area is rusty you would need to get that hand made. I can supply photos of mine if you need.
 
Thanks for the info....I'll look for the numbers. The engine that is in it is not original, but the original is lying next to it and is included in the sale. Let me say that I was told that it was the original. Anyways the "original" has a fenton intake...that sounds aftermarket, and the car comes with a Columbia two speed. I'm excited to find that the Columbia is desirable. I was a little worried that it was a crazy patch job type of thing....but now I'm guessing that it's not an unheard of "upgrade".

In response to what someone posted to this thread....Hudsons, for me so far, have been very easy and compliant mechanically. I find them to be a very sturdy and straight forward engine. I'm thinking that the Ford flathead might offer a similar straight forwardness compared to the SBC that I just got done with. Hope is a wonderful thing...

thanks again, Montucky
 
Montucky, Comparing a Hudson to a Ford is like apples and oranges. No comparison except they both have four wheels. I hope you won't be disapointed in the Ford, but you'll find it to be very spartan in comparison. Lighter weight, more feel of the road like a sports car. Fast as a speeding bullet and able to jump tall buildings!
 
Just as a note, Hudson won the manufacturer trophys 3 years in a row for 1952, 1953 & 1954. Then it was taken away in 1955 by an 8 cylinder overhead valve engine, American made contender with a bowtie grill emblem. I stll love the early Ford V-8 flathead engines!!!!

Mark
 
You are fortunate to have the Columbia, especially if it includes the necessary controls.

A really good thing to do is join the Early Ford V8 Club. They have an excellent magazine and a forum like this one for information.

I don't have any direct experience with the Columbia, but there are people who can 'bulletproof' them, eliminating some of the inherent weaknesses. They advertise in the V8 Times magazine, the journal of the Early V8 club.

Between here and the Early V8 Forum there are a wealth of leads, knowledge and assistance.

Regards

Henry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top