Hoping to get some help/advice here Just bought a 1946 Stylemaster and the plan is to swap the straight 6 for a V8 Which is the easiest way to go? Read another thread here that you could use a torque tube from a 50-54 powerglide car to get 3.55 ratio Would any "newer" V8 powerglide fit that torque tube? If so it would be a pretty easy swap
It depends on how much horsepower you want. You could install a small block Chevy, and mate it to the original transmission and rear end, but the transmission and rear end would be the weak links. I installed a 1954 Buick in my 47 Chev, but also swapped in the Buick transmission and rear end. For 99% of the swaps, you would be better off to change to a more modern transmission and rear end with an open driveshaft. It will save you money in the long run. Bob
To answer your question- no, the aluminum Powerglide like was found behind 60's V-8's won't work with a torque tube rear end. You would have to go to an open rear end with all that entails. A V-8 swap in those car calls for the whole power train to be changed. My '41 has a 283, TH350, and a 10-bolt in it. Of course then you need better brakes, tighten up the steering.... it's a slippery slope, trust me! lol Todd at Walton Fabrication sells V-8 motor mount kits for your car- call him, he will let you know what all you'll need to do and get.
I´m not looking for hp. I just like the V8 sound and find the 6 in line boring Would use the car gently as well The car has a 3 speed manual but would like a automatic tranny Any way to do this without swapping rear end?
The short answer is no. I am not certain, but the only GM division that used a torque tube with an automatic was Buick. Chevrolet first offered the powerglide in 1950, and it doesn't automatically shift from 1st to 2nd. In other words, It has to be manually shifted. It is also a heavy cast iron beast, and although I am not certain whether it connects to a torque tube or an open driveshaft, I don't think you would want to go through all the trouble to put in a Chevy V8, and then have to adapt it to the early, less desirable transmission. It would be an easy swap, to find a complete 55 or later Chevy car, and swap all the running gear. The biggest challenges, would be to shorten the driveshaft, and any competent machine shop can do it in a heartbeat. I have actually done my own. The only other possible area of concern, would be whether or not the left side stock exhaust manifold will conflict with the steering column. By asking someone on this forum that has done this swap, they will be able to provide you with the solution they used for this potential issue. In the long run, this would be the easiest way to do the swap, and it is amazing, how many extra parts you need off the donor car, such as the ignition/starter switch, and all the 12 volt stuff, such as light bulbs. You would be surprised at how quickly the costs for these little items add up. My preference for a transmission, would be to use a TH 350, which would be easy to come by. Bob
Built this '48 back in high school. Bought a good running '57 4 door (283/3spd) and used the COMPLETE drivetrain. There s NO economical way to install a V8 and keep the closed driveshaft...the rear end swap is no big deal. And if a couple of dumb high school kids could do this conversion in about 3 weekends, ANYONE can do it
im doing a rear swap in my 41 real soon. the stock is to low for real life in 2020 even if you could leave it. not there yet , but ive been told if the leafs are flipped , front to rear ,nova rear is almost bolt in. and as stated a cast pg is crazy to even me .
use a 55-57 Chevy rear,or a s10,or Camaro 10 bolt.Easy swap.SBC hooked to a turbo 350,or a Camaro T5.A 292 six with two carbs,and split exhaust would be a real cruiser.
. My 48 has a 78 Camaro front subframe, 350, Turbo 350 automatic, and a 10 bolt Camaro rear. The subframe makes it easy to install the V8 and and solves steering and exhaust issues. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
Camaro 67 to 69 and nova up to late 70s rears fit well. Stock leaf springs should be replaced. They are too thin and without torque tube they will wrap under acceleration. CE has a leaf kit with hangers and new mounts. You will have to cut original trans crossmember for the auto transmission. This is where the brake master is. You'll need a new pedal assembly. For a crossmember, I modified one from a 60s impala for mine. Emergency brake also will need lots of modifications as it was on the crossmember. V8 mounts, bigger radiator and its mounts. Wiring. The factory steering box and arm stink, replace with a 505 or similar while the 6 is out of your way. All this stuff adds up in time and money. Took 6 years to do mine part time while raising a family. You can no longer go to a yard and pick a 55 chevy for parts. Hit swap meets, collect first and then take apart and modify. Sent from my SM-A102U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I was going to stay the same thing, I was still in school in 1961 when I did mine. Mine was Buick powered, with a Buick 3 spd and rear end. I kept the Buick torque tube, because I didn't have the money for a different rear end. Bob
the frnt susp is a must do before the mtr for sure . i choose to have my upper a arms/shocks rblt. . very spendy ,and im still waiting to see if ill leave it that way . mustang/pinto might be the safest bet .
I did my '46 with a blown 355" and turbo 400. I did put disc brakes on the front, but kept everything else competely stock. Never had an issue with it and drove it down the highway at 65mph lots of time. Hope yours does the same. I have a picture of it on post number 4 here. Bob
If you want it all to be bolt-in stuff, you can apparently use the center section from a 50-54 Chevy Powerglide car to give yourself 3.55 gears but I think you have to take the rearend apart to get it all in there. The 49-up cars have 5 lug wheels so if you wanted to try to use the entire rearend you'll have mismatched bolt patterns, or you'll have to convert the front. You can put a later full-pressure-oiling 235 in place of your current 216 and get a bit more power, although some have different engine mounting points so depending on what year engine you get, it may not bolt directly to your original motor mounts. If you really wanted to get deep into engineering, you could probably swap the guts from a Powerglide rear into your original, mate your original torque tube to a 50-54 Chevy Powerglide automatic (which were still made for torque tube drive, you'd have to figure out a shifter), bolt on a 55-57 style Chevy V8 to Powerglide adapter plate (they came stock on Tri-5's with V8 and cast iron Powerglide, may have still been used after '57) and then get a small block Chevy V8 in front of that. That mix would be all period correct pieces, but it seems like a shitload of work to keep the torque tube in place.
In my opinion there's not many engine or drivetrain swaps as easy as a SBC with automatic and later rear axle into a car like yours. It's less work, and cheaper to do engine, trans, and rearend than it would be to try to do engine and trans, and make it work with your enclosed driveline, and rearend. And likely after all the fiddling and fooling around, you'd end up eventually swapping in a later rearend anyway. This could easily be done in a weekend by a couple guys with some skills and a welder. I've done more elaborate swaps in a weekend with a friend.
Sounds like I need to stay with the 6 in line until I get more time and parts Thanks for all the info I´ll keep you updated
If your car tracks good, stay with the original front end but put some better shocks on. If the steering box is good, another plus. I put a MII in and I'm not real happy with it as it took a lot of trial and error to get the car to track good. I used the original transmission cross member but modified it so I could keep the original E-brake and have power brakes. I used a free 70 Ford truck rear but I hate the different bolt patterns. The rear matched the front tire tread width perfect. I do have a 74 Nova rear which I would like to install for the matched bolt pattern. Like you, I liked the V8 better than a boring six. There is definitely a lot of detail work to be done, I did all my work with all the front sheet metal in place. These Chevy's are very easy to work with but not worth anywhere near all the money you will put into the car. A sad fact.
Why not go with a later model 235 as suggested earlier? I’m running a ‘61 235 with headers in my ‘46 Fleetmaster coupe. You have to modify the shift levers on the column to clear the headers, but not difficult. It will run on the highway. A lot of performance options for the six are available. Just my two cents worth.
Why not swap the 216 for a latter 235 or do what I did and replace it with a 261 Chev. 6 (54-62 2 Ton truck engine)
the 235 /261 swap is near bolt in, a big plus for someone just starting in the obsetion . if youthink the 6 dosnt sound good ,maybe someone with more skill than me can put up a link of fenton manifolds/pipes doing what they do . nothing sounds any better to me . just different !!
No, I did not use the stock leaf springs, I used the CE rear suspension kit, it rides like a truck over bigger bumps so per CE, I removed the second leaf from the bottom. Still bounces on larger bumps. A friend used Weedeater's rear spring kit and his 48 Ford road like a Cadillac. CE uses Dakota 4x4 front springs and my car just never rode good in my opinion.
Newer inline sixes are not boring at all. I have a 292 in my '57 GMC that runs like a scalded dog and will go faster than I'll admit publicly all day long. However, a 235 or 250 will give you thrills, as well. A 350 SBC is also a good choice. I have a 350 with TH 350 transmission and a 12-bolt GM pumpkin in the rear of my '52 Chevy (My Avatar).
do you have any info on the weedeater kit chevyfordman ? did a search and came up blank . cadillac ride works for me . i just started a thread hoping for feed back
41 Chevy here. Posies rear springs work superbly. With a small block there's no room to get the exhaust past the brake pedal and master without going under the chassis, but running it forward and around to the passenger side isn't difficult. With a th350 the removeable trans cover needs to be modified (quite easy, or replace with modified - EMS make one) as otherwise the engine pan will run very low if you fit the engine / trans to fit the stock trans cover - that's the only mod needed to the bodywork, save for a minor massage of the firewall for distributor clearance. Chris
Hello Happy New Year I have a 1946 Stylemaster with a 235 with 2 one barbells on a offenhouser intake with fenton headers. What do i need to trim so that i can shift with out a problem. Can you explain thank you [email protected]
My friend was apprenticing at a Bear Alignment shop, and he overhauled the stock front suspension. Initially, we cut one coil off the front springs and installed air bags. This made a significant improvement in the handling. My next step, was to use a combination of parts from the Chevy and an American Pontiac, to mount the Pontiac backing plates and drums on the Coupe. It worked like a charm, and allowed me to run chrome reversed Buick rims on all four corners. I didn't have much extra money then, so I got the back wheels done first, and when I could afford it, had the front wheels done. The wider Buick rims on the front also improved the handling. Bob
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