you know there have been threads about the first sbc conversions I wonder when the first av8 was done Tom
Built mine 10 years ago, 59A, '39 3 spd, '32 K member, pedals and unsplit wish bones, '40 juice brakes with 4" drop axle in front and reverse eye springs, it does have the stock model A rear axle which is plenty strong for 85 hp Flathead................in this picture it just completed 130 mile reliability run with a tired flathead
If you go to all the trouble to put a flatmotor in a Model A, put in a 5 spd and 9 in Ford and not worry about popping the clutch and squealing the tires. The early Ford running gear was marginal when it was new,now 75 years later it's not any better if you want to punish it from time to time.My first "hot rod" at age 22 was a t bucket powered by a built flattie.Every time I thrashed it,BOOM,2nd gear and cluster shelled out.Tore up 3-4-5 transmissions(early Ford) then bought an Offy adaptor for chevy 4 spd and have put my foot in it many times over and no more problems. I am 68 years old and push my flatheads hard!
A friend of mine, I did the chassis he did bodywork. 37 flattie, trans and rear. Hydraulic brakes. Split wishbones. Pat
I put a flathead in my T uncut fire wall and it runs great! 30 years and counting. It can get warm with the full hood on so I sometimes take off the sides and it runs just fine. 27TV8
OK my two cents worth, I have a 30 tudor with 16 inch wheels. Bought a running driving car. Juice brakes was one of the first mods. After sailing through a couple of red lights and having some well known A mechanics help adj, and adj, and adj some more,I had enough and converted to juice brakes and the fact wife would not ride in car to it was fixed.lol. INfact she located most of the parts for me on the net.lol. Next was a t-5 5 speed, great conversion. no more double clutching and could do like 60 -65 with a good tailwind. After a while i saw some post on here about the merecruiser marine engines being swapped. I had looked at the flathead option but I think as cool as they are the prices on that stuff is rediculous. And in the end what do you have 110=120 hp for thousands of dollars. As I like the bangers hot rodded but then you have a motor that redlines at like 3500 rpm/ Great motor for what it was designed for in 1930. So I decided to start searching for a mercruiser motor. Funny thing was there was a post where to find these motors. I ended up with three. They were falling out of the sky.lol. Fact Ive got two for sale cheap here in the parts section. Bolted up my t-5 to it Slid it in, fabbed up some mounts and 101 other little details and shes a great running car.And a friend asked me if she burns rubber. Brought up rpms to like 12-1400 and dropped clutch just to chirp the tires. I broke everything from the t-5 mounting ears,new driveshaft. stock trailing arms open drive conversion on the stock rear speedway. So that was about a $1500.00 Lesson. And he isn't my friend anymore.lol. Just kidding. He did tow me home. Anyway all is good, love the conversion, car has no problem going 60 mph all day. purist hate it but check it out anyway. Had a magnaflow muffler and exhaust put on. Sounds like an old mg going down the road. Happy with my swap
Pat do you know what steering box is in this car and if stock was it moved or altered. This is the exact same set up Im doing for my tudor right now Thanks Ron
Use a modified f1,small,fit great,steers nice. Just rebushed,resealed and installed a new sector roller,should have done it when i built it! Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I believe it is an 50's F-1 ford PU. I called my friend but he is out. I'll find out for sure. I know we used a lot of stock ford stuff like crossmember (modified) and pedals from the F-1. Pat
Problem is...I want to use the head light, horn button and electronics that run down thru the steering column to the switch, which I believe I would lose going to a later F1 or F100 box. My original box is tight and steers well so Im going to have to relocate the box I have I guess.
I am not familiar with the details but the guys that modify the boxes (like http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101155&highlight=gross ) make the original light switch work. Charlie Stephens
i undestand the stock box will hit the left corner of the head when I install the V8 flathead in my car
I doubt that,ive got an 8ba with a f1 which is way bigger and no contact,although the left header was a bitch. Unless because the steering column is on top of sector instead of below maybe? You could probly keep it as close to the rad as possible and be fine. Where theres a will theres a way Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
You have to move the stock steering box back 6-7" on the frame to clear the header on a V8, That is what I did 10 years ago
When I worked for Scotty at Chuckles Garage I helped to build a VERY basic AV8 out of a Tudor Sedan. It was a clean, classy hotrod that was WAY nicer to drive than the car was stock, and we didn't cut it up at all. I consider it necessary to box the frame (yes some early rodders skipped his step, but the frames weren't almost 90 years old then), and add juice brakes. The '35 Ford wires on big 'n littles with the Dego axle just kind of complete the look, but I suppose those are more of a personal choice. I snapped this pic from the @chucklesgarage Instagram. I think there's a thread with more pics somewhere. I tried to tag him, but I don't know if it worked. Maybe he'll chime in.
Do a search for "Shane's 28 sedan thread". Bob, from Midwest Fabrication, turned his Model A into a hot rod.
Anyone have some experience with putting a 3.27 or 3.54 in the rear with the stock V8 and 3 speed tranny? Just wondering how much difference it is than using the stock 3.78 rear end gear and 35 wire wheels. Thanks, Denny
I have an 8BA in my 27 Coupe on my 28 frame. Looks good. No chop needed and kept the motor stock with no shiney crap on it. I didn't beef up the motor in any way becauae there is no need to do it. Beef up your brakes if it makes you feel better and be sure to box your frame. Sent from my SM-G930T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Hi, I have 3.25:1 gears in a'40 rear end in my 31 roadster with a Merc flathead and Ford 3 speed. Tons of take off, 25 mph in first easily, 50 -60 easily in 2nd and tons of top end. Cruises at 65 or more at reasonable revs. Had 35 wires and 6.00x16s when first built. Switched to get better ride and traction braking. Major improvement handling also a result with the 235/75/15 rear radials on the ET vintage wheels. Bill
i would like to do the same thing to my 29 Roadster, i have search, and cant find anything. if you went to Fordbarn they will tell you to come hear
if you go to google, type in "hamb putting flathead 8 into model A", (or a variation of that) The first block of results are threads from hamb, at the bottom of that block is the option to search "more results from www.jalopyjournal" If you click on that, it will open up tons of old threads that will provide you with hours of reading that you will find helpful, rather than try to actually ask for help here and be belittled and admonished by bitter folks who yet are happy to participate in a new 300 post thread about "radials vs. bias ply" every couple months or go on for 250 posts congratulating another old hamber about their deuce. Google's algorithms are way better than hamb's to search hamb. If you already knew that, sorry to interfere.
Couldn't agree more on the brakes, but.... The 60 is one of the most maligned good ideas out there in that it is easy if a few design strategies are observed. It is true that a bad job is more bad when done with that tiny engine. I always wonder how many AV8-60 miles are under their critical opinions. The small size has way fewer of the fit problems that the bigger flathead suffers. The 85 is a poor but strongly traditional swap. Currently the best argument against the 60 is the cost. Good Luck: Fred A
The Jalopy Journal
