51 Ford Vic question re clutch & Flywheel

2

2xspinner

Junior Member
Hi, I am new to the site and after some advice. Restoring project 1951 Ford Vic O/D car which I have in NZ. Has rebuilt O/D g/box and wanting to mate it to a rebuilt 49 Mercury motor. Issue - the 49 motor had fitted to it an 11" dia fly wheel too big for Ford bellhousing and starter motor alignment. Have been suggested to use a 10" Ford Fly Wheel but this seems to raise other issues: sourcing a pressure plate for rebuild + throw out bearing and set up probs. My reading indicates most 51 Ford cars were factory fitted with 9.5 " Fly wheel which is easier to obtain, plus parts. Is this application workable for the my car with Merc motor? I am aware Ford fly wheel will need redrilling to suit mounting stubs. The car will be a weekend cruiser not for racing drags etc. Advice appreciated. Many thanks.
 
I have a warmed over '51 Mercury engine in my '51 Ford club coupe. I used the flywheel from the Ford (I believe it uses a 9 1/2" clutch), and everything went together without any problems. I bought a new pressure plate and disc from Fort Wayne Clutch and everything works perfectly. I don'r see any reason why the flywheel would need to be re-drilled, unless you are planning on using the Mercury clutch, which I believe would be a mistake.
 
2xspinner, keep in mind you are much better off with a smaller diameter clutch/pressure plate for most driving conditions, including acceleration. I would go with the 9 1/2.
 
Someone must have had the motor in a truck or it's an older flywheel from 59 series era. Does your transmission have the half bell like the Mercury cars 1949 to early 51 or is it a 4-bolt narrow Borg Warner pattern? There is a big difference. If yours is a Ford car type then you need the 9.5 inch clutch with the 1-inch 10-spline disk. Any 8BA era flywheel can be drilled to work with any of the available clutches used in that era. I hope you have the Ford bell housing with starter plate and clutch arm mechanism. It would make life much easier. Those transmissions have a place for the clutch linkage to attach on the side and the 1951 has its own rear mount. The earlier Ford car units have a different rear mount.
 
Thanks guys for your replies. Yes I have the correct Ford bell housing bolted to the gearbox with starter plate fork etc.
 
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