So I'm building a little lowboy Model A roadster. Want to run a 4 banger / 5 speed. Want to use a later model motor and try to make it look like an early motor (carbs, valve/cam cover, etc). Would like to stick with American made but would consider foreign if I can can get considerably more power out of it. Car will be fairly low budget so don't want to spend a ton of $ on anything exotic. GM Ecotec maybe? Any cheaper alternatives?
My vote is to use a Chevy/ Mercruiser 3.0 motor....many available...lots of parts available...and will accept any SB chevy transmission. Lots of photos and info on here about them!
Mercruisers and S10 2.5s are pushrod engines and can be made to look older with reletive ease. The old Toyota pushrod "hemi" design engines from the early 70s look very cool. I don't know how pricey the mods may cost, though. Jeep 2.5s can look kind of vintage, too. Some of the twin cam engines, Quad4, Fiat, Alfa and maybe Mazda can be vintag-ized or some are just old designs and look the part 'cause they are. 2.3 Fords are cheap to make power, reliable as an anvil and fairly good looking on their own.
My vote would be for a 2.3 Ford/Merkur turbo charged unit! It'd give you a boost when you needed it and they just plain run out good. Couple that with a 5-speed and you've got a winning combination in a light car. Dan Stevens dba, Steelsmith
I think the best route woule be the mercrusier 3.0, Since it will accept alot of GM transmissions. You could probably put together a nice motor/trans combo on the cheap, if you shopped around the swap meets and junk yards
the Datsun 510 guys are getting good HP from the L series motors. I think they go up to 2.4 litres. I believe they use a cross flow head from a later year for max HP. my 2.0/5-speed/4.33 geared pickup ran 17.7's at 77 MPH with nothing but a weber and big pipe. those little motors are indestructable, I was shifting at 7000 RPM
Spork, Look at the 4 cylinder Mercruiser 3.7 threads. While these engines don't look as neat as some of the others mentioned they can be run with minimal wireing and plumbing and can be mated with a Mustang V6 T5 transmission with a S10 tailhousing. Change the 460 ford cast iron head to an alumonum 460 head and get 200 to 230 reliable high torque grunt hp. The end result is something that looks like a tractor engine but goes like spit. Dick
Another vote for the 2.3 Turbo engine. They are cheap, plentiful and easy to get 300 HP to the wheels on stock bottom ends.
I also like the 20R and 22R Toyota engines. Tough little motors, with reasonable care will go 200,000 miles before you need to rebuild. Plenty of power in a lightweight vehicle.
I'm building an s10 2.5 now. Using the original intake, modified to take two one barrel carbs. It will also have a faux Rajo valve cover. will use a T5 behind it.
Datsun 510 engines(circa 1970), the 1,6litre(98cu in) makes 96hp right out of the box. It is the same design as the 240z, less 2 cyls. You can use the flat top high comp. pistons for the 240z and they give higher compression. It's a cross flow head, with room for port and polishing. I had a 510 in my teens and did these mods and it was great! I added a Solex side draught carb and the little car used to eat BMW 2002 2 litre cars. Chain driven OHC, makes it a bomb-proof engine.
I saw a Ford 2.3 with a PTO for a backup generator for sale at a surplus auction site here in NYS, bid to around $600 complete in the Ford housing. Circa 1980. Per seller it was maintained and started occasionally but never really used. Can you rebuild a 2.3 that cheap? I would think one of those or a Chevy four from a Chevette or S10 would be the cheapest and easiest to find. If you're more aventurous, the GM Quad Four looks kind of like an Offy motor if you clean it up. They have a bad reputation, so also liable to be cheap.
Ford 2.3 we race them in the Mod 4 class under WISSOTA racing sanction. Our motors put out 200 HP. We buzz them 7200 to 8400 depending on track conditions. The cars weigh 1650# with the driver. We turn a 3/8 mile track in 16.7 to 17 sec. The superstocks turn the track at 17 sec. They have a real strong lower end , and there is more HP there. But thats what we get with the rules we have ( we have our motors dynoed) Steve
I’ve always thought an S10 Iron Duke would be about ideal in a Model A - particularly a RPU. In fact, I sketched out an ultra-cheapo woodie RPU not too long ago, that involved an original Model A torque-tube rear, an S10 2.5, and a 4x4 5-speed with one of those neat adaptors somebody on here is making. I figured a truck engine in a truck would make a good combination. With the right valve cover (think cast aluminum, no ribs), the removal of all the electronics, and a rebuilt 97 or 94, you’d have something that would appear at a glance to be an A banger with an OHV conversion. -Dave
If you want it to look Vintage I would think it needs to be either a pushrod engine (Chevy 2, Iron Duke, Mercruser) or a twin cam that has the cams well seperated and enclosed in their own cam covers like an Offy or a HAL. Fiat or Lotus 907 come to mind. A 2.3 Ford has no vintage look at all to me.
I used a Toyota 4A-GE (1986-91 Carolla GTS, MR2s, 88 Chevy Novas, & others) in my 26 roadster. All kinds of race parts out there, this is the engine used in Formula Atlantic. I also used the GTS 5 speed and the posi rear end from an 86 GTS. goes like stink!
I'm going with the twin cam Ford Zetec mated to a T5. (Quad4Rods has a bellhousing or make your own) I'll be using twin side draft webers on the intake side and homemade lake pipe out the other side. Found a neat old finned cast aluminum box to house the electronic ignition module I built too so it won't take away from the vintage feel.
Another vote for the quad 4 oldsmobile. The bad rep came from a crappy factory head gasket, which can be easily upgraded.
What do yall think would go good in a 61 ford econoline? , mind you i'd need to shift on the cloumn' .. you think i can do a five speed on the cloumn?
Quad 4 olds, Ford 2.3 turbo, toyota 22r. My favorites. I dont know if its just me but the one that vibrates the less is the 22r.
I used to race dirt roundy round and there were only 2 engines that were dominant, the 2.3 Ford and the 20R/22R Toyotas. The old 2.0 Ford Pinto engines were tough little bastards and there used to be some cool stuff around for them. I kinda like those twin cam Saturn engines and I think a few years ago there was someone here who was hooking them to a rear wheel drive train. Lots of power and no money don't go together tho. HP costs $$$
I run a Ford Zetec in my 28 modified. It had 20,000 mile on it when I bought it for $750 and I have added about 12,000 to that in the last couple of years. BW T5 tranny, Hilborn electronic FI. Runs pretty good. I have attached a couple of pics. I agree with Rich Fox about not looking "old timey" though but I was looking more for the midget motor look. Rex
Or you could go old school Pontiac Tempest 4 cyl. 200CI, 166Hp in 61-63 with a factory 4 bbl carb. Or you could step it up & go wild with it. Here is a pic of a Mickey Thompson Blown Tempest 4 cyl & A carb'd one from Nunzie. Or if you want really wild, how about one in a mudbogger Jeep!!!
The earlier 2.3l has more potential to make power, but the later 2.4l had most of the bugs worked out of it- fun engines, like a poor man's Offy.
+1. They also make Weber carb setups, cams, inexpensive aftermarket heads and headers for these. I bought an 85 Celica GTS for my son for his 16th birthday with 22REC (EFI) and 5 speed. Soon I'm going to actually have to stop hellraising in it and give it to him. 230,000 and runs like a top.
try a volvo any year from 1965 up to 1992 ith turbo or not 2.0liters or 2.4 with 4 speed plus over drive or a later 5 spd. even take the solid axle disc brake set up out of the car and half done. volvo's also are known to take a licking and last an eon. ofcourse- other than those little iron beauts- i would think the ford 2.3 turbo or not is alright- and they are quite common. even Jeep 2.5 4 banger can work and most of the newer cars have 5 speeds with them.
How about a 12a turbo rotary? Theyre light make tons of power and you can back it up with a 5 speed or 4 speed. This is what my next project is getting. With the radiator in the back and the whole engine exposed, it will get a lot of looks.
I went with the 2.3 Ford for my project for a few reasons. The major one being that the intake is on the left and the exhaust is on the right. That makes it easier to set up carburetor linkage and keeps the noise, fumes, and heat away from me. Another point that helped me make up my mind is that the aftermarket support is very alive for this engine, even Speedway has parts for it. Lastly it is very compact and it would fit in the space I had available since I intend to run a hood with sides. I fabbed a header styled from pictures from 40's era lakes racing, and painted it old Ford green and it doesn't look too out of place to me. Check out the link for some pictures and a short clip of it running. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393340
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