First Flathead build- need guideness

Flathead-Arm said:
This looks good....
Click to expand...

That is NOT a gear combination you want for any kind of high performance. Don't confuse dump trucks with hot rods!

Your best combination is a 2.95 first gear and a 3.73 to 4.11 rear end gear. Look at the gearing on any of the high performance cars, Camaros , Mustangs, etc. On the mustangs the factory 1st gearing tended to be in the 3.35 range and the aftermarket upgrades were 2.95.
 
Last edited:
Additional Comments . . .

Given that you'll never achieve anywhere near 250 HP with this engine - why make the "big cubic inches" your goal? A well built flathead that makes 150 HP in a light coupe will perform beyond your expectations.

1) Bore: There is no reason to go beyond 3 5/16 bore. Save some block meat for a potential future rebuild. I never go to 3 3/8 for anything on the street - makes no sense.

2) Cubic Inches: A real nice combination is a 3 5/16 bore and 4 1/8 stroke - this is 284 cubic inches. With the right combination of parts, you'll find this to be a great street combination.

3) Cam: I'm not a big fan of either cam . . . for me, I'd run a Potvin 3/8 in that cubic inch range. Another popular cam is the L100 or Kiwi100.

4) Carbs: You'll probably find that for a stout street engine, that two carbs will probably run better and be easier to tune that three. I'd probably run an Edelbrock Slingshot manifold and two 97's or two 48's. You could even use a complete setup from Edelbrock (with their 94's) - they make good stuff and support their products well. You'll find that 97's are a bit easier to tune . . . but that is just personal preference.

5) Porting: It is one thing to polish the ports and clean up the bowls (street port), a very different thing to dramatically increase port size and flow. It is easy to "hit water" on the intakes if you're a newbie . . . as there are some real 'thin places' that you'd need to know about. I wouldn't recommend more than a street port for your setup anyway - unless you plan to spin the thing beyond 4500 rpm regularly (not many do that!). If you're not really experienced in porting in general, you may do more harm than good.

6) Ignition: Don't run a 49-53 stock distributor - is junk. There are plenty of options, you might want to chat with "Bubba" - he is one of the ignition gurus on this site. Me, I like magnetos - but that is just me. There are a lot of dual point Mallory setups that run well on 49-53 engines, converted SBC distributors . . . many options.

7) Transmissions: As many noted, the S-10 gear sets are almost useless. Also, having a .72 or .82 overdrive will result in a reasonable RPM drop in overdrive. Personally, I like the .82 - then I setup my final gear ratios and tire sizes to match.
 
JSeery said:
That is NOT a gear combination you want for any kind of high performance. Don't confuse dump trucks with hot rods!

Your best combination is a 2.95 first gear and a 3.73 to 4.11 rear end gear. Look at the gearing on any of the high performance cars, Camaros , Mustangs, etc. On the mustangs the factory 1st gearing tended to be in the 3.35 range and the aftermarket upgrades were 2.95.
Click to expand...

Bored&Stroked said:
Additional Comments . . .

Transmissions: As many noted, the S-10 gear sets are almost useless. Also, having a .72 or .82 overdrive will result in a reasonable RPM drop in overdrive. Personally, I like the .82 - then I setup my final gear ratios and tire sizes to match.
Click to expand...

JSeery and Bored&Stroked in the above two posts are giving you some really valid advice when it comes to understanding the WHYs of making decisions regarding gear ratios. Ratio selection can make or break the enjoyment of, or even the useability of a vehicle. It is a subject that can go very "wrong" suddenly..... if a guy just starts throwing parts together 'cuz they were what he happened to purchase on the cheap, or because he read some ill-informed old wives' tales in some old magazines.
 
I have a S10 T5 but I am running tall tires and a 3:54 banjo rear end. Many feel that the gears are to low but I think it makes it easy to drive in traffic. A little more shifting maybe but once in overdrive who cares. I wouldn't use a S10 T5 with 4.11's though. If you have the cash, a new TKO-500 would be nice. They give you options for speedo senders and shifter locations. They are also stronger. Used T5's are not really cheap anymore and then you would probably want to rebuild it anyway.
 
I use the aluminum 3 speed Ford OD so I don't need any adapter. I've got a 3.70 rear axle with 225-15 rear tires. At 2500 rpm, I'm doing 73 mph. Love the combo and the shifter is almost exactly in the same location as the stock 39 lever.
 
flatjack9 said:
I use the aluminum 3 speed Ford OD so I don't need any adapter. I've got a 3.70 rear axle with 225-15 rear tires. At 2500 rpm, I'm doing 73 mph. Love the combo and the shifter is almost exactly in the same location as the stock 39 lever.
Click to expand...

Flatjack:

Can these be adapted to closed drive or do you have to run them open?

Thanks,

Tim
 
They can be adapted to a closed driveline. I've seen them for the Model A and I'm sure someone is doing them for V-8's. Probably do a search.
 
flatjack9 said:
They can be adapted to a closed driveline. I've seen them for the Model A and I'm sure someone is doing them for V-8's. Probably do a search.
Click to expand...

Would it not be exactly the same job for Model A and V8? You can use Ford V8 transmission in a Model A, at the back of the trans nothing changes, just plop the Model A torque tube straight in.
Martin.
 
As for gear ratios, in my opinion the 2.95 first gear coupled with a 4.11 rear would be hard to beat. With this combination, in first gear it feels just like a stock early Ford trans, then you have a ratio split on your way through the gears, in fourth is exactly the same as Ford V8 (1:1) and an overdrive with fifth.
It just don't get better than that!
For those using the S10 granny first transmissions and say they're happy with it really need to take a flathead for a good round town drive with the 2.95 - 4.11 combo, it'll feel like a little rocket ship.
As double D stated, the right combo can really make a car. Difference between being "it works fine, nice" to "I wanna go, please let me drive it again, please. Aw go on, I won't break it, honest!"
Martin.
 
The biggest problem we make is, Making decisions with out all the facts. Some of us have the experience here of all the mistakes we made when building Hot Rods for the past 60 years. These junk yard builds were inexpensive to us, because we didn't have any money in the first place. Today, junkyard build are very difficult. Not many yards let you browse the place looking for parts. Not much old stuff left anyway, the scrapers get what isn't sell able. In fact I get quite a bit of stuff from the scrappers. The fact that we "old timers" are so smart is because we made so many mistakes.. once you make the plunge, you have to live with it, and the $$$$$. So listen to these guys, what we tell you was learned through their mistakes.
 
Another thing to think about that I haven't seen mention of is fit. Model As have a very tight fit in the fire wall to radiator space. Using the 8BA is good for trans choices but may need some mods for the front end to make it fit better in a model A. Considering this before you get too far down the road is a good idea. You can build the front exactly like a 59 or earlier series 24 stud motor but you have to choose parts carefully to get you where you want to go. The 8RT truck type water pumps take up more space than the early 37 through 48 pumps do. Some folks prefer the crab type front mount distributor and some prefer the more conventional design like a modified Chevy or Mopar type. The crab is a better fit for water pump belt clearance. You can use an earlier 59 series type cam in an 8BA to take advantage of the crab fit but you will have to make that decision before you buy a cam.
 
Last edited:
You can also use a SBC distributor with the early pumps. Knowledge is power. You can accomplish almost everything with Ford Barn
 
My wife bought me the How to Rebuild and Modify Ford Flathead V8 engines by Mike Bishop and Vern Tardel. Thanks JSeery for the recommendation greatly appreciated. It was the only one on the shelf at Barnes and Noble

Sent from my LG-K371 using Tapatalk
 
OK so I got a line on Chevy T5 out of a 91 Camaro V8 with 111K. Couple of questions:

1. Does anyone know the gear ratio on them? The Mustangs and S10s are posted everywhere, but its difficult finding info on Camaros.
2. Are all V8 Camaros WC? The only way I can tell is by looking at the front cap by the input shaft. But this guy only has pictures of it with the bell housing still attached.
3 What's a fair price?

Thanks,
Armando
 
Flathead-Arm said:
OK so I got a line on Chevy T5 out of a 91 Camaro V8 with 111K. Couple of questions:

1. Does anyone know the gear ratio on them? The Mustangs and S10s are posted everywhere, but its difficult finding info on Camaros.
2. Are all V8 Camaros WC? The only way I can tell is by looking at the front cap by the input shaft. But this guy only has pictures of it with the bell housing still attached.
3 What's a fair price?

Thanks,
Armando
Click to expand...

Armando.........I've looked on the list in the link below. Ironically, it does NOT show an ID # for a 1991 Camaro V8. It does show 1992 "F car" which I believe is Camaro. It shows that trans to have the 2.95 1st gear. I BELIEVE that if the input shaft has 26-splines (where the clutch disc rides), that it SHOULD be the 2.95 gearset. Click this link just below for that list of tag ID #s.

http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Borg-Warner-T5-ID-Tags.htm

This list shows the number stamped on the METAL tag that came on every transmission when it was assembled at the factory. That tag IDs the year, application and gear ratio of that trans. See the picture below for what these tags look like. Ask your guy if the tag is still attached under a bolt on that Camaro trans. If so, take the last three digits and compare with the list in the link above. The numbers that are cast onto the main case and tailshaft housing HAVE NOTHING to do with the ID numbers that de-code your trans. The ID code will only come from that metal tag...IF it is still attached. If there is no tag, that transmission has likely been apart for some QUESTIONABLE reason.

128732_orig.jpg


Be careful......I'd have to ask the seller WHY is he selling this trans (like...is it broken)?

To answer one of your questions, 1983-'87 Camaro T5s were NWC. Supposedly, the '88 and later V8 Camaro T5s were WC. DD
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top