Hey Guys, What would be the perfect donor car for a 1930 Model A Coupe. Looking for idea's for engine, tranny, rear end brakes etc Thanks
Thats kinda tough. I guess uhh, 1957-1959 ford that will give you a narrow 9" with drum brakes. You could get a cool engine and a transmission out of it to. But its gonna be pricey to buy a 57-59 that complete amd kinda wrong to tear it up. If you try you might find a trashed one you can nab a rear end out of. Engine and transmission , well ughh If this is your first hot rod go with a small block ford or chevy, they are both a lot cheaper to build. If you have deep pockets then get a olds rocket, or a y-block, or a flathead, or a hemi, or a Fe , or a chevy bigblock , Yeah there a million ways you could go with that. I have a 1930 A coupe and havnt decided on my engine yet so good luck.
49-51 Ford F1 with a V8 would give you most of what you need. Might swap a different trans in, and for a rearend, 61-66 Ford 1/2 ton pickup would give you a 9" with the right bolt pattern and about the right width for cheap. Those trucks are basically only worth their weight in metal.
rustynewyorker has it. Model A + an F1 is pretty much a hot rod kit and an F1 is probably going to be the easiest donor to find. Between the two you should have nearly everything for an early hot rod.
Just my 2 1/2 cents but you really need to know what you want the car to be when it's finished and then get the componants that are required.If you are looking for a 40's or 50's period car than the parts needed would be different than if you wanted a street rod or just a generic Hot Rod . It takes alot of time and effort (not to mention considerable cash) to build these cars and if you try to work with a group of parts just because they came with your Doner car you may end up with something that you don't really like and does not match your "Vision". It may be a good idea to search through pics of model A coupes (there are many on the HAMB ) and find a few that really inspire you then work to that end . Bob
It's not as common now, but try to hook up with a rod shop. People will buy a decent 39-48 Ford and have the shop do the modern 709 conversion (350+350+9") with a MII front. All those goddies will be removed and set aside. Be there with cash when that happens.
My best friend and I cut up a 71 Boss 351 Mustang to build his Model A truck. Used the motor/ trans, 9", front disc brakes, steering box/ column and even the shifter. Made his A a pretty wicked fast car. Of course this was in 1977 or so, don't think you could buy a good running Boss for $700 any more! And yes, I do feel guilty for cutting up that Boss now!
You dont need a 9" for a flattie, just run the F-1 rear, they are good rears... I'd say my choice would be '56 olds, motor, hydro and rear.....
Thanks for the reply. In a perfect world a flathead is first choice, however a sbc & auto tranny may be the cheapest route. Have redone a few A's back to original but this time I really want a fenderless rod. Thanks again for the F1 info as I have never built a conversion/hot rod and need all the help I can get re: what will fit etc JW
Nothing wrong with the F1 rear but I'm looking at gear ratio availability, what's the best you're going to find in the F1, a 4.11? If you're going to drive on the highway at all you might want to go to the mid-3s and keep the engine RPMs down. Or put a T5 behind the engine. But you can buy a mid-60s Ford pickup for scrap price, pull the rearend, and sell it to a scrapper for just about as much as you paid for it, so that's the cheapest option, even if you have to rob a later car for the gears.
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