Another Chevy vs. Ford thread

Ok... seeing if anyone else has had the same experience:

I grew up a Chevy (GM) guy. My Father and my Grandfather both had GM cars and trucks- always. My first car was a Cadillac. Ive always had GMC trucks. My Dad has a couple AD chevy trucks, and when it came time for me to start working on old cars and trucks, Chevy was a natural choice. I learned how to effectively and economically hop up an SBC. I could afford the parts and I could do the work... and man was I prejudiced against anything other than GM products, particularly Ford.

Now I have done quite a few builds, the last one being a 53 belair. Naturally I kept it all Chevy (350/4 spd.). I did the best I could, and the car is fast, stable, and presentable. It was a fun project.

But I recently picked up a real ratty 53 Ford sedan that someone at one time put a 302/c4 in. I bought it to flip, but within a couple weeks of working on it I have fallen in love with this car. The 302 is a strong engine that sounds incredible. Today I changed the intake gaskets in about 30 minutes... I didnt even have to pull the distributor.

Am I a traitor? I dont think so? I love my belair, and my 46 GMC... but my opinions are changing and I can really understand why the Ford guys are so crazy for their cars.

Mopar........ thats a different story.

 

i'm a chevy guy, but all the car companies made good stuff [by accident i think] 302 ford v8 and 300 six are great. 318 chrysler and slant six great. etc.

 

I've always had Chevies--from a '60 vette to tri-fives to a 68 Camaro. Now I have a 302 sbf powered '40 tudor. It runs fine. No hangups.

 

I like them both OK. I've had good luck with either brand. I'm not a purest I use whatever suits me at the time.

 

My dad always had for trucks and they seemed very reliable. My mother had Plymouth & Chryslers. I started out with Pontiacs/Chevys and I am now an owner/mechanic of a 31 ford, 05 mustang, and 91 mustang, 66 cutlass, 59 caddy, 65 chevy truck, 93 suburban! Guess I am just a scatterbrain when it comes to brands!

 

Your no traitor. My favorite brand is ford, I have owned cars and trucks from just about every maker out there. I don`t get all caught up in the hype about this ones better than that one crap, just enjoy what you have or what you like at the time.

 

I'm just like anyone else because I started out working on Chevys. My father was a mechanic and my grandfather was a machinest. I started out rebuilding a 55 Corvette 235 six to put in my 52 Chevy Htp. Then mostly had Chevys until I started drag racing. First car was a 68 Camaro SS/IA car................sold that and got into a 427 Ford only because it was neat and you didn't see 20 of them at the strip..................sold that and moved to 68-1/2 428 Cobra Jet Mustang.......................and it has been Fords for the past 30+ years. I now have an old B/SM 1970 Maverick with a 408 stroker and is pretty much the way it was back
in 79/80 when it started it's drag strip life..............only has 33k original miles................
and does a respectable job of turning high 9's at 133+ in the 1/4.....................and you still see 20 Chevys to every Ford.........................but I like both marks...............just prefer a Ford.

 

I'm a purist..that is of American made engines (different makes, is what keeps it interesting).

 

I love Ford's but when it comes to older vehicles I like them all, for the most part.

Every antique or hotrod I have ever owned has been a Chevy, GMC and one Dodge. Every newer vehicle I have ever had has been a Ford.

I love the old Fords but for some reason have never found one to build. Right now I am looking at a 47 Chevy truck and a 50 Chevy coupe.

 

Brand loyalty and brand identity are based on emotion. Evaluating a piece of machinery based on its strengths and weaknesses is logic. Conflict and arguments happen when the two are not kept separate.

 

I like the ford bodies and chevy engines.

 

Growing up in rural South Carolina we had a choice,,drive what you could afford be the Ford,Chevy,Dodge,Plymouth,Buick or whatever,,

Personally,I liked Fords but have owned a lot of different makes and models,,add to that a lot of cars with something other than the original manufacture engines.

Most of the pre 64 Models have been Fords. HRP

 

I also have a '91 and a '05 Stang... But in my youth, it was nothing but chevys.. I should sell both my Fords and buy a classic Chevy...
I miss workin' on those..

 

Body wise, I like Fords for 1948 and earlier and Chevy for 1949 and later. Engines I don't have much preference, it could be flatheads, hemi's, rockets and Early Chevy V8's.

 

Ive always been a chevy guy for the last 3 old cars Ive bought have been fords. At least my OT 65 mustang has chevy power

 

40 on down I prefer the fords...after that I prefer Chevy

 

My pappy's first new car was a '72 Grabber just like this one with the same color combo an' dog dish caps with the trim rings ... Bright yellow with lime green stripes... I never seen another one like it until I found this one on the net...

 

there is good and bad about all. The air pump/short block does not care what is written on the v/c. just my way of thinking.

 

Died in the wool Chevy man but when it comes to hot rods (pre 48) I'll take a ford body with a Chevy drivetrain

Frank

 

I'm a Ford guy but I drive a chebbie as a dailey, I don't dis-like the sbc just get tired of guys telling me they think it's the only way to go. If it's good it's good simple as that. I've only had one Mopar in my life and I really liked it, don't think I will go out looking for another though. Just do what feels good, no traitor.

 

Traitor ??? No way man...
Good for you...it's American...
Now if it were some jap crap, that would be a different story..
Cheers.......

 

I used to be a Chevy engine guy, but after building my first small block Ford engine for my son a few years ago I came to the conclusion that the SBF is as dependable and every bit as good as a SBC, and even came away thinking that the NEWER Ford design is BETTER than the SBC.

SBFs respond very, very well to aftermarket heads. By eliminating the "weak link" of SBFs, the head, these things make for a potent and compact engine.

 

It's been my experience that the most rabid "fans" (aka Chebbie rah-rahs) have only had Chebbies, usually because someone else or a relative or a magazine or a shop told them that was the way to go, they have never really tried anything else, and they only know how to work on Chebbies. Nothing wrong with a Chebbie engine- in a Chebbie. But all the "justification" that gets spouted for bastardizing other brand cars when it's not necessary is just plain hooey- other than the fact that someone with limited ability can screw together a little Chebbie that runs OK by checking off parts from Summit or Jegs with little difficulty, especially if the local shop actually builds the major portion of it. Things are a little different between brands, but the principles are the same and the pistons all go up and down. As has been noted, a SBF engine is just as dependable and responsive as a SBC, parts are available, plus they are lighter and easier to work on- and the dizzy's in the front where it belongs. Anybody who really knows engines can make most any of the more popular engines run well and be dependable, might have to do a little homework on one you haven't done before, but you're just learning something new, which is not really such a bad thing...
Some of the fastest cars of the Supercar era were Buicks and Oldsmobiles- a sharply-tuned GS455 Stage1 will get right up in the butt of a Street Hemi and chew hard
To me, there's nothing more boring than another little Chebbie in a rod- other engines are just more interesting, and to me, building and tuning the engines is the challenge and fun of it and in the case of my FE stuff, those old 427's are just plain shagnasty and LOUD- never get lost in the crowd, and just more fun- for me. Can I make a Chebbie run for you? Sure. I've done it, up to the 410 Shaver/Sprint Car level, and played with the World of Outlaws a few times. Tell me you're going to put it in a Ford? Get somebody else

 

If you have only had blond girlfriends before, will falling in love with a brunette make you a traitor? I'm a Ford guy (especially when it comes to european cars) But a car is a car, I can't hate anything with wheels that purrs when idling and screams at full throttle

 

Ford>chevy. /thread

 

I have a 39 chevy 2dr.and I like unusual engines in Chevy's so mine has a 261 six in it.

 

that's the only way to go! A better heartbeat for that FoMoCo. I am a Chevy man from a Chevy family but my family has had a few Fords here and there. I personally like the 30s Fords, 58 Ranchero, and 49 to 54 Mercurys with a Chevy engine of course. But Chevrolet is U.S.A-1

 

I've owned Chevys, Fords, and Mopars (and some imports) I liked things about all of them, and disliked things about all of them. The car I'm building now has the body of a '33 Ford Tudor (love those lines), ZZ4 chevy crate and 700R4, ford rear end, Mustang II front, Dodge Omni steering - something for everybody to love - and hate.

 

When the Chevy SB was introduced, for its size and weight it had more performance potential than its competitors. Over the years since then there is no question that all the major past and present manufacturers have made some good stuff. At the low end of the scale Chevies may be cheaper to build. If you are building an engine with high end crank, rods, and block, aftermarket heads, and good everything, there is no real cost difference between building a Ford or Chevy SB, and comparable performance and durability can be had from either.

What is the difference between installing a later engine from the same manufacturer as the car vs an engine made by somebody else? Either was the car is "bastardized"...... What about Ford pick-ups manufactured with Navistar engines(another manufacturer); Dodge pick-ups built with Cummins engines(another manufacturer); the Oldsmobiles GM put Chevy SB engines in(different division); the Lincoln MK VIIs Ford built with turbocharged BMW diesel engines; the SHO Taurus with a Yamaha engine; Lincolns(and others) that had GM Hydra-Matic transmissions; Fords that had Saginaw steering boxes; AMC cars that used assorted Ford and GM components; the various old cars that came with 4 and 6 cylinder Continental industrial engines; heavy trucks that can be ordered with engine, transmission, axles, etc made by the manufacturer of your choice. Are those vehicles bastards, or was it ok because the manufacturer "bastardized" the vehicle instead of a hot rodder? Where does one draw the line, and does it really matter?

 

I've worked on both through the years and found Chevys easier to work on. When I street raced back in the '70's, Fords didn't not impress me. It wasn't until the 302 came on the scene, I became a believer.