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Projects 324 Olds Rocket in a 40 Ford

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by djweaz, Dec 8, 2020.

  1. I don’t know if this is allowed here or not but I have some questions I’m thinking about doing. I want to make my 40 Ford more of a traditional hot rod. I want to go against the flow of what people are going today and do it the way it would have been done in the 50s or early 60s. You don’t see a lot of 40s around these days and when you do they have a Flatty or a SBC in them. I love a Flatty but it just isn’t the way to go and still be a good cruiser. Besides the fact of costing a lot of money and constantly having to work on it. I read a lot of old school magazines from the 50s and the 60s like hop up and am always looking at ideas as to what was used then. Frequently you will see a Nailhead, a caddy engine or an olds rocket as the power plant in the Hot Rods. One of my friends builds cars from the ground up and searches all around for his customers. One that he is building now is a 56 Olds 2 door. It was found in blocks in a barn on dirt floors it had a jar of mothballs in it and when he found it not one mouse dropping was in the car. A look under the dash and the wiring harness looked like new other than being dusty and dirty. The car had 30k miles on it. Surprisingly he went through the engine and checked it out and it was a runner and a good one at that. It’s not something that his customer wanted so he pulled the 324 Olds Rocket and 4 speed transmission out. I saw it one day and he offered it to me after I said I’ve seen those in a a lot of hot rods including 40 Fords. It has a single carb on it. With the old two vent air cleaners that you see people using these days in a a lot of hot rods. I would rather either put 3 deuces same as the sbc that’s in my 40 already or dual quads. Those intakes are still available to get. He told me those engines were pretty torquey and a a lot of people used them and the tranny configuration. I don’t know much other than that from reading and what he told me. I don’t know if the firewall has to be modified for the sbc to fit or if it had to be modified to fit with a Rocket engine or not. It still has everything factory on the engine including funny looking power steering that says to put tranny fluid in it on the cap.

    My car has split wishbones front and back monoleaf front and back straight axle and a 10 bolt rear end in it. It has a manual Omni rack in the front and disk brakes up front. It was an older hot rod that was taken apart and put in a basement and found and put back together 30 years ago.

    I’m wondering if anybody has ever done this conversion before and pros and cons as to what I might run into doing the conversion. I am also wondering about drive ability and reliability. Would you stay with the 350th or would you go with the olds 4spd automatic? I want to go as close to traditional as I can without hindering myself in the process. The only modern accessory that I will have is AC. It gets too hot in Tennessee

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  2. I like your idea using the Olds, popular swap "back in the day".
    If you do a search, you'll find a build thread where F&J put an Olds in his '40 coupe using, I believe the stock Ford 3 spd.
    Issues will be starter location, they make an aftermarket "changeover to the other side of the block" to avoid the interference of the steering box, or you can go with the mini gear reduction starter, that's available from Ross.
    Good luck, be sure and post your build.
     
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  4. Illustrious Hector
    Joined: Jun 15, 2020
    Posts: 452

    Illustrious Hector
    Member

    There's more accessory cool stuff for early Olds than can be found for the '65 and later engines. I put a 425 in my Model A still had room for the (LH) starter.
     
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  5. Dreddybear
    Joined: Mar 31, 2007
    Posts: 6,084

    Dreddybear
    Member

    Such a great idea. 40FORDPU nailed it for ya. Get the hurst mounts for the Olds and it will fit into the flatty motor mounts. Tons of adapters to run the original trans or you can go to wilcap if you want a modern auto behind that Olds.

    This is something I've wanted to do. I have the Olds just need the 40. :D

    Moriarty has a sweet 40 with a Caddy in it. It's awesome.
     
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  6. 302GMC
    Joined: Dec 15, 2005
    Posts: 7,856

    302GMC
    Member
    from Idaho

    After looking at what you have now, it's tempting to suggest selling it to a street rod type person, then find a decent stocker & start from scratch. You might not want the '56 Jetaway trans. But - the '56 donor might have been one of the early Deluxe 88s still dual range equipped. Does the quadrant have a "Park" ?
     
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  7. Little off topic but there is a book that is a great read about a bunch of guys growing up in a small town in Oregon in the late 50's early 60's called "The little bastards". The main hero in the book buys a 40 Ford for his first car and puts a 57 - 371 Olds in it and wins many street races. The sequel book called "Swerve" he further soups up the Olds. Very well done good read if you like the 50's and cars and dumb stuff guys did! https://www.amazon.com/Little-Bastards-jim-lindsay/dp/1494356732
     
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  8. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 30,778

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    My 40 has a 331 Caddy, real similar swap to an Olds. I used Hurst mounts and an adapter to the stock trans. there is no cutting or modifying anything when using this method. I would imagine that the Hydro will cause you to have to modify the X in the frame. But that may have already been done to your car


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  9. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    I have a friend who reproduces the Hurst front mounts for the Olds. In my mind, for the period of late 50's to early 60's, a 40 coupe with an Olds engine, was it ! I have some pics of a 41 PU I had with a 324 Olds, maybe I can dig them out.
     
  10. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    324/Hydro would be uber cool. Not too sure I'd want the slant pan either.
     
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  11. fordcoupeguy
    Joined: Apr 26, 2014
    Posts: 172

    fordcoupeguy
    Member

    I would look into an adaptor to use the 350th. The old hydros are heavy and I think you will have to cut the x member out to use one.
     
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  12. I saw his last night it had about 3 pages on it was a good read.


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  13. That is absolutely sweet looking. The 324 I was offered has the same power steering box on it. What rack are you running on it?


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  14. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 30,778

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    I think what you are seeing is the oil filter. My car has the stock 40 ford steering box. There is nothing modern on my car
     
  15. Dooley
    Joined: May 29, 2002
    Posts: 2,956

    Dooley
    Member
    from Buffalo NY

    Very cool car
     
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  16. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,916

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    All I can add is that starter switchover housings are rare and expensive. It took me 3 years to find one 5 years ago. You are better off if you can get by without one. Oh yeah, they require the stock oil filter to be relocated as well.
     
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  17. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    Certainly not the driver.
     
  18. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 30,778

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    truer words were never spoken
     
  19. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    I think they are back in production, not cheap but not outrageous. I've seen several advertised for reasonable prices lately too. Yes, the big canister oil filter needs to move, several ways to do that.
    Olds in a '40? Hell yeah. If your frame is already cut out for an automatic just run what it comes with. (get the driveshaft if you can) If it's not, you've got a big decision to make.
     
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  20. Last edited: Dec 9, 2020
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  21. :eek:
     
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  22. 4ty
    Joined: Jan 1, 2009
    Posts: 272

    4ty

    Back in 60-61 I put a 55 Olds, 39 tranny in my 32, in 69 right out of the service I bought a 40 coupe with a 57 Olds, 39 tranny. My "new" 40 has the flathead, which is staying.
    Paul in CT
     
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  23. 40ragtopdown
    Joined: Jan 13, 2015
    Posts: 25,454

    40ragtopdown
    Member

    My 40 had a 303 olds motor that was installed in it back in the late 50s . They had just moved the stock steering box over about an inch and a half and used the stock starter. If you intend to keep your rack you may not have a problem with the stock location of the starter. 20190523_180612.jpg 20190523_181452.jpg 20190523_180441.jpg
     
  24. Is that what you are still running in your 40? I’ve loved that car since I was a kid seeing it drive around town. I’m just trying to make it into a late 50s early 60s traditional hot rod. It was already that and taken apart and put away. I’m trying to stick to that plan as much as possible.
     
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  25. I talked to my buddy with the 324 and I am getting it off him. I’m going to go through it change the gaskets and maybe paint it. Going to try to start buying parts needed. Intake 3 new carbs, oil relocation and starter relocation. I don’t think I’m going to use the Hydro with it and think I’ll stay with my 350th. I will sell it when I get around to it. I’m also not going to use the power steering for now. I’m going to shelf it in case I do want power steering in the future. We are going to do it at my buddies shop. I want to have him around for knowledge. He’s and old school hot rods. If it was a 350 drop in I wouldn’t be worried about it. Never having messed with an engine that ok’d before he will help me with tricks and I will gain knowledge doing it and understand the engine better if I run into any problems.
     
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  26. 40ragtopdown
    Joined: Jan 13, 2015
    Posts: 25,454

    40ragtopdown
    Member

    No that olds motor developed a knock in 1972 . We were getting ready to go to Detroit to the nationals. Didn't make the nationals. But in nine days it was back up and running again with a 283 and a power glide and 62 chevy rear end. Funny how we did that in nine days back then. Now a days it takes me nine days to think about doing something. Ain't youth a wonderful thing. Good luck with your project. As someone else said that mini starter could save you some grief on your swap. Not traditional but I won't tell anybody.
     
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  27. I’m going to try that inch and a half move of the steering box. I didn’t really like the idea of mini starter. Doesn’t seem like something that would have a lot of compression and a mini starter would work but I’m a fan of a full starter. Ken says Hi he is down in Nashville with us now.


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  28. We used to blow engines up at Hills or Clarkins or Burger King on Cleveland st and go to wherever pull it and drop a spare in and be back up cruising before the night was out. Those days are long gone now. Haha


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