Drive train for my 48 convertible..opinions needed

T

T&A Flathead

Member
I am collecting parts for my 48 convertible build and have a drive train dilemma.
i want to make the car more drivable than original and am thinking about using a 289 mated to the original trans and rearend with a 3.25 gear.
Another option would be the 289 with a 3 spd w/OD (49-63 ford trans) and a later model rearend.
I want to avoid automatics and a t5.

Thoughts?
 
I think your question will be better answered on the HAMB Forum. There are hotrodders here, but the HAMB will have gobs of them with ideas for you.
 
A nicely rebuilt Flathead with maybe a few more cubes than stock,a 3 speed trans and a banjo rear end with some 3:25 gears . Very drivable ,very reliable, and it all bolts in . I am not sure what is NOT drivable about the stock drive train with some minor mods for today's driving speeds .
Just my opinion .
 
I thought about posting on the hamb but wanted ideas from ford guys without suggestions of crossbreading.

I figured there were guys here that put many miles on early ford drivetrains that could steer me in a good direction.
 
OK, I reread your post... All I saw at first was lots of changes to modern stuff.
You might consider a Columbia rear end. The controls are being reproduced, and with the gears bulletproofed, you'll have a great runner that is still stock.
 
There are so many cut up Fords and there is no reason to cut up another. The Mitchell company makes a two speed rear end that is easy to install. I like the Colombian two speed. Buy a good copper radiator-forget aluminum- and forget the electric fan. There have been all kinds of front end conversions on old Fords from clips off of Chevy Corvairs to Mustang two. They all seem to have problems and go out of style. The straight axle never goes out of style along with the banjo rear-end.

I have a 39 Ford standard two door. It is painted with grey primer paint and is pretty much stock. A guy came by and said you are almost there. He said come look at mine. It is what every citizen would call a beautiful car. Nice paint, fancy wheels, SBF, automatic, mustang two Etc. He wanted to trade. I said I did not want to give up my red wide fives, dual chrome radiator hoses, my banjo rear end and my Mercury Flathead. I think he was sorry he destroyed his old Ford and was jealous of mine. Mine is not a rat rod but a work in progress and I never plan to paint the car. They are fun and easy to work on and it is dependable. I have a Columbia two speed rear end that is the next project.
 
Last edited:
I have a '47 Ford Convertible with a Flathead with dual 94's, Offy heads, Red's Headers, Brockman Mellow Tone steel packed mufflers and a Mallory electronic ignition.:D I run '46 Merc 15" wheels with WWW radials and I've put 144,000 miles (both highway and around town) on the car in the last 17 years.:eek: No need for an OHV engine, different transmission or rear end (my car has a 3.78) however, I am thinking about installing a Mitchell OD in the future.:cool:
 
I see a trans while back its was a 3 speed with od out of a 80 ford truck,i had one in a stock truck years ago 1986.It was a nice trans,darn i let it get away.
 
Thanks for the opinions, keep them coming. Im not scared of going flathead, 3 of my other cars are with 3spds and banjos. And theythe get worked hard. The 48 is complete minus the motor. The Mitchell sounds like a good idea.
 
One plus for the Mitchell unit (at least in my mind) is that there's no need to take the rear end apart with the attendant labor intensive re-construction since the Mitchell unit replaces the entire driveshaft assembly. My '46 has 4.11 gears and I'm looking forward to a Mitchell transplant sometime soon. I believe they have two different overdrive ratios available. FWIW
 
Tim, I ran my forty with a 51 truck motor, 3 spd, 3:78 rear for many years but when I had to go 70 mph on a trip, it needed one more gear. I didn't want to go to a taller ring and pinion as I liked the power to take off with the original setup. So I always wanted to go to overdrive or a columbia rear end. An overdrive trans was a lot of center section work and I didn't want to cut the frame up for the trans so even though the columbia is expensive it is the best answer to me. Sonny
 
A good set of HC heads, single carb, columbia with 4:11 if you live in hilly country or 3:78 if you are a flatlander. The col. with 4:11 will run 70 easy on the interstate and have plenty of pep. A good single carb will give you trouble free service and run you plenty fast. I have a 47 set up like this and it drives very well. If you want to burn tires, get a stovebolt.
 
I drove a stock 46 for years anywhere I wanted ----then a 46 1-1/2 ton truck was used to go to fleamarkets several states in each direction for years--with a2 ton+ load ---sometimes climbing "hills" with a load turned into ---I think I can, I think I can(first gear and slowing)

then the 4" crank in a 49 Merc engine made it into --catch me if you can ----and the vacuum wipers always worked climbing hills


4" crank, Columbia---or a Mitchell
 
I purchassed a 3.25 from Speedway for my 46 conv. and it was great on the highway. I was not interested in burning rubber at the stop lights, so acceleration was not a big thing. I wanted reliability on the freeway without high revs.
 
You don't see a 1948 convertible everyday and it surely won't be your work car. Why not keep it as original as possible? There are lots of belly-button modifieds out there.
 
I'm running a 3:27 behind a 239" flathead. Offy heads Mallory ignition and 2-94's in a 31 pickup.
Also running 46 gears in a 37 trans with a 29 tooth cluster & 15 tooth main drive gear. It still has good pickup in first and 2400RPM at 60MPH.
Butch
 
I have stated many times here on the "Barn" that I like reliable cars that can be driven at freeway speeds.. To that end, I improved my '36 with various Ford components from '37 to 48.. I started the conversions in 1952 and by 1960 had the car the way I wanted it..
My engine is a "built" 59AB, trans 28 tooth 48 Merc, rear end 3.78 ratio '47-48 Columbia.. The brakes are '42-48 and the steering is '40 through 41..
I have driven my car over 94k during the past 60 plus years that I have owned it. I have driven it in howling blizzards, blazing desert heat and Southern CA traffic.. The car has only let me down once, it blew a piston in 1960 one morning on my way to work.. I limped it home and got the family car..
During the mid 1960's I considered replacing the flat head with a SBC, I bought all of the adapters, then changed my mind...
For my money I don't like the Aux OD transmissions, many of which require cutting the floor boards.. I know the Columbia's are very pricey, however, they work very well, even behind engines with more than stock power..
It has become a very common trend in the last few years for an EFV8 to have an engine with many upgrades, i.e. carbs, heads, ect., in years past many of the purists really bad mouthed my '36, now they love it because it is an "old school" rod..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top