new guy venturing into flatheads. From the perspective of an initial build of a car (30-31 sport coupe) is there any issues with using a truck 8ba bellhousing and starter plate on my car?
A lot of us run the truck bellhousing with either the hogshead and and adapter or hook it to the early Ford Big bell transmission or bolt one of the hogshead shaped adapters to it. Here is mine with a small Ford pattern adapter (adapter has been sold) that You could bolt a 49/62 or so car trans to. This is right after I pulled it out of the early Jeep wagon huntin rig that it had spent a number of years in.
"Mr48Chev" -I think I may not understand what you did, but it seems you used a truck bell and starter plate. and then a "Hogshead" and then an adapter plate to mount a '49-'64 Ford transmission to an 8BA? Wouldn't it have been simpler to just use an 8BA car bellhousing?
there are cast bells for the '49 to '52 3 speed trannies... . careful, some stamped bells that were on 6 bangers... [thicker] F to B... . some stamped bells were much "thicker" F to B … 4 bolt to tranny pattern... 4 speeds. hog's head...
This is my '32's 8BA using a '51 Merc full bell, one inch spacer and late '80s/early '90s Mustang T-5, with an S-10 tail.
Using the the truck bell and transmission allows you to use the early Ford under the floor "twist Clutch". Using the truck bell with a big truck Hogshead (or new made adapter...they seem to go in and out of availability) allows you to use the early Ford Clutch with a more modern manual transmission. The only thing that interchanges bell housing wise between a 8BA and a 8RT is the starter. The bellhousings and starter plates will not interchange or mix.
Thanks for clearing that up. Actively leaning here! Appreciate ya. I'm hunting for my adaptor now as I have the the other components heading my way. What I find somewhat confusing is that as the truck and car appear identical...and while one is cast and one is steel it seems as if there’s zero gain to hold off for the car version....am o missing something?
Very well in the last 20K + miles. The tach reads about 2300 rpm @ 65, and that's with 4:30 change gears in the QC. The 1" transmission adapter I'm using will fit all '49-'53 Ford/'51-'53 Mercury car full bell housings with the B/W 4-bolt trans pattern.
The 49-53 car bell housing is useful if you go with different clutch linkage. Will Cap and others call the 8BA bell housing 49-64 Ford Universal. So most manuals used by Ford will adapt to the 8BA housing. Too, it can be modified to post ‘64. The 8RT is the same engine as the 8BA. The truck water pumps and bellhousing adapters allow the engine to be dropped into early V8 pre-48 cars. It fits the early transmissions and uses the same or at least the same motor mount design. A SBC, SBF, Cadillac, Rocket and others can use “Hurst style” front mounts and a adapter bell to fit the early transmissions using the under floor twist clutch. My F1 had a 68 302 with an adapter bell to early V8 transmission. This way I had a OHV engine that used Flathead mounts and the underfloor clutch. I considered going with a later manual. To use the old clutch design I would need a hogshead mini bell newly made or a modified original, to adapt the early transmission bell to a later transmission. The engine set up in my old F1.... ‘68 302 with hurst style mounts... 6 bolt SBF to early Round V8 transmission...... This set up allowed the 302 to sit and fit where the Flathead did. Let’s say I wanted a 3.03 3 speed, 4 speed or 5 speed.... Adapted 302... SBF to Flathead transmission adapter... Mini bell to later manual. My bother bought the F1...,This is what he is doing.... He planned to go automatic but since it would require crossmember surgery he is doing this... He’s keeping the F1 manual 3 speed and the early Ford under the floor clutch..... His set up is going to be this in his new F1..... 1963 Chevy 283 on Hurst style front mounts... SBC to Flathead bell housing. Chevy to Early Ford pilot bearing. Now the Chevy will go where the 8Rt did. Later if he wants to go 5 speed he can Get a mini bell or hogshead from Speedway.
The one exception is the '51 Mercury full cast bell I'm using, that retains the early style clutch release. The '32-'39/ '40-'48 Ford and '40-'51 Merc clutch shafts can be used.
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