Buying a flathead

If you have no parts from various years on hand, having to buy piece by piece what you will need to make a 49-53 engine could be expensive and frustrating. I will say this, even a decent running stock 85 will run plenty fast enough to kill you. A 36 or 37 engine would be the easiest to fit with what you have ( considering intake, exhaust manifolds, fan, dist. motor mounts and so on). Next thing is the rear end ratio, if its a 4:11 85 or 100 hp will not make a lot of difference cause it will be screaming at even 65 mph. A set of brake floaters IMHO would be an excellent way to upgrade the brakes, they sure work well on my stuff. If you have a 3:78 rear gear, a 100 hrs 46-8 would propel you well.
 
Not sure if this pic works I have photobucket, a bit unsure how to use it.

I should clarify my " cruising speeds" I would expect to drive on the freeway 65mph. 80-85 would be nice for passing if I want to. 95% of the time I would be in the city going 25mph. Also from a red light if I wanted to spin the tires I'd like to,just for show( not much fun if people want you to light them up,but all I have is to limp away from the line sputtering lol).
 
I would vote for a T5 with a low rear end, like the 4.11. That combination should meet your stated goals.
 
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Charlie Stephens said:
Be sure to check out anyone that you are considering buying from in the archives, here and on HAMB. If it was me I would rebuild the 21 stud and drive a little slower. What year is the 221? You should put your email in your profile.

Charlie Stephens
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Thanks for the advice. Not sure how to add my email addy yet I'm still learning how to use this forum but I'll figure it out
 
No one has mentioned the major surgery required to install a t-5. It involves replacing the complete center section of the frame. Open drive is also a lot of surgery and modification as well. Consider an alternative that works very well is adding a Mitchell OD for $2,500 with the stock drive train. You get the top speed you are looking for and the only modification is replacing the drive shaft with the OD/driveshaft provided by Mitchell. I'd also add front disc brakes and rear lincoln bendix style brakes. I've done the mitchell/discs/bendix to a 36 and 41 woodie. They cruise the interstate effortlessly. Some models require some cutting of the trunk area for the Mitchell. My woodies did not require any mods. The mitchell/discs/bendix is completely reversible as well if that matter to you. I updated my 36 steering box to a 38 as well with little mods required.

You would do well to find a 36+ flathead with insert bearings. If you want you can add 34 style heads for a more authentic look. I didn't on my 36 and only early Ford toadies can tell.

I wouldn't call any stock flathead high performance.
 
rotorwrench said:
The transmission was updated with a decent synchronizer set up in 1939 time frame so that's why it is a good update plus it is still a closed drive set up like was original to all the early V8 cars. The suspension and rear axle would need a lot of work if it goes open drive. The 33 had a different trans case that can't be easily upgraded so that's the reason it comes up. With the later 3-speed transmission, a mid 40s 59 series V8 could also be in the running but an 8BA family of engine is likely easier to find. It just needs the 49 through early 51 Mercury or F1 pickup half bell housing to bolt it up. The 59 series engine would already have a clutch & flywheel that would work with the 3-speed. The 8BA flywheel would have to be drilled and you would need a rear sump oil pan from either the 49/51 Merc or an F1 pickup to clear the wishbone. There are other alternatives but these are the long time favorites.

You might have to consider an overdrive set up to get those speeds but the old Columbia units for the early V8 cars are hard to find. One could be built for a 33/34 from later parts but it would be a big expense. A Mitchel overdrive might get the speeds up. It's part of the torque tube on closed drive applications. Hydraulic brakes would be a must for stopping. The MT reproductions of the 39 Lincoln set up would be a good old timey choice. The 34 steering box will work OK but it can be updated to a later Gemmer II type design since it has the rotating sector gear instead of the old hard gear drive. Might be something to consider anyway. Anything that helps with steering or stopping these old cars is a good thing in my book. Especially after a person makes them go faster than they were intended to.
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This is alot for me to digest, great advice and something to reference too! I see from other posters my expectations might be a bit high for speed and possibly my wallet to. I'm in the midst of thinning my collection to make way for the final "3". Decided I'm going to commit to a 1982 airstream motorhome with the turbo diesel and a 34 Tudor in tow for trips and also a modified small airstream for sleeping. Unfortunately only one will be able to be towed at once hehe
 

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The Tremec T5 transmission can now be set up for closed drive but there is also a T170 RTS 3-speed with a 4th position overdrive made by Tremec for mid 80s Ford Pickups and it can be set up with a closed drive too for the old cars plus the gear shift is nearly in the same position as the old Ford 3-speed. All this stuff requires adapters but it is available if you know where to find it all.

There are still French made engine blocks available from San Fransisco Flathead or So Cal Speed Shop (north). These have the 59 series type rear bell but are set up internally like an 8BA (cooling system). I believe the threaded bores are mostlly Unified Thread like old US non metric but there may be some exceptions. There is a techno site with info on them. They are new or like new manufactured from the 60s up through around 1990 for French military trucks but the price is like new too. The old 59 series blocks are getting harder to find so at least there is an alternative. They were only line manufactured from 1945 through 1948 while the 8BA was manufactured from 1948 through 1953 (1954 in Canada) so they are still relatively plentiful. The 8BA types just take a few more parts & mods to make them fit the early V8 or 4-banger cars.

The easiest, in my opinion, would be a hopped up 59 series V8 and the old 1939 thru 1950 top shift Ford 3-speed. The 34 V8 rear axle is useable but I'd look for a later one that stays in the 35 through 41 width range and mate it up with a Mitchel OD torque tube and use the radius rods that work best for it and the axle. This is just about ease of assembly and fit. There are so many other ways you can go but this might be the most simple way that I can think of with the least amount of alterations from stock. Others may think differently and good parts harder to find. This is a good old traditional hot rod way of doing things with the exception of the Mitchel overdrive but I think the overdrive is worth getting for the best off the line and highway performance.
 
I've always wondered how a mitchell OD would handle a burnout? I don't think I'll try with mine. I'm sure it hold up, but sidestepping that clutch is hard on transmissions and rearends.
 
Off line, the Mitchel would not have the planetary engaged yet but I don't know how well the shafting or the old transmission would hold up either. There has been discussion about the Mitchel box and the rear floor clearance on the 33/34 cars too. Although more complicated, the T5 or the T170 would likely be the stronger for an application where you could dump the clutch. Back in the hey day of hot rodding, the clutch dumpers would look for a LaSalle 3-speed transmission to put behind their hopped up V8 mills. They would get tired of replacing the old Ford 3-speeds and I guess the LaSalle unit could take a lot more punishment. I imagine they still sheared axle keys or broke the axles though.

All are considerations for an update build of a 1934 Ford. Easy isn't always better but it depends on whether you want to thrash it real hard or not. A 1949 Olds 303 rocket motor with a narrow 9-inch Ford axle & open drive would be somewhat traditional ( mid to late 50s) but it's also a lot more work.

Just to Add: I forgot to mention the axle updates that can be had from The Hot Rod Works up in Idaho. Some of their mods will solve the old axle problems. A person might be able to thrash the rear end a bit more with their mods.
 
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It's funny what age and spending substantial $ on a car will do to people. I cannot force myself to dump the clutch on anything I own these days. I have an O/T '67 Corvette that is essentially a new car, (rebuilt engine, trans and rear end completely gone through, new u-joints, etc., etc., etc.) and I can't bring myself to do a "spirited start" in it. I have tried several times, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Back when I was 18, it was noo problem. I was a lot better at crawling under it and changing things, though. Plus, parts were easy to come by and a lot cheaper.
 
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