Hot Rods Why do many still build Fords & use Chevy eng./trans.?

I just like the Ford in a Ford idea but really don't care if a guy uses a Chevy, why should I?
I've pretty much figured that the, "readily available, low cost, easy to install, find parts" comments were the major motivation for Chevys in just about anything.
But I do question high dollar builds where they did nothing that was, "readily available, low cost, easy to install, find parts" in their builds. Seems at that point, you would use something with a bit more character. Its like checking out a major build, looking at unique parts, handmade parts, vintage old parts, etc. and then opening the hood to find a sbc. Great engine indeed, but a bit ho hum, thats all.
Run Chevys man, no worries.

 

Well said Ghost.

 

Ultimately, it seems there is no answer to this question. Some are brand loyal. Some say they are Chevy is the best ever & support them to the end, but they drive a Ford. (slightly confusing) There are some that just want to follow everyone else because that's traditional. Then there are some the simply don't care either way. I have built & rebuilt GMs & Fords for 20+ years. I don't believe one is "better or superior" to the other because there are parts other there to do anything you want to them. Basically people are people & we aren't trying to be difficult, we are all just different. That is actually what I love about the hot rod & custom world, there are no rules!

 

yep. I've been guilty of that.

 

I agree.

 

Nothing wrong with a SBC or Ford. I will admit that they are overdone, but for a reason.

I myself cut my teeth on a SBC in my OT Oldsmobile. The first engine I built was a 350 SBC, but it was a good choice since I was in college, being broke and trying to be a gearhead at the same time. I could eat ramen and buy parts!

But now that I'm older and established, I can afford to tinker with other powerplants. I'm going to hop up the GMC 305 V6 in my 61 just because it's a cool unique engine. I was planning on swapping in a SBC but not anymore.

 

Dont care. Not into sitting in a folding chair in some parking lot waiting for someone to look at my stuff.

When I drive by and they hear it they'll look!

 

I would walk a mile to check out a 305 V6, even if was just sitting on a stand. But I wouldn't walk across the street to look at a SBC. I already have a 283 in my Impala, nothing against the motors...I just don't have to see another one.

 

I think the point many people miss is that nobody really cares what someone else wants to look at.

 

Alot of the Ford in a Ford going on is just not talked about on the Hamb because it's OT....not so with the Chevy conversions...seems like they're considered traditional no matter what vintage the engine is. I'm a Ford guy right now, because I'm building one, but I'll always lean towards same maker engines....but now if I could get my hands on a Viper v10...LOL Why..because it's different, and that's the key word in most guys objections to seeing so many sbc's. All of us are into hot rods or classics because we don't want to be in the 9-5 dd crowd....so why wouldn't we naturally get tired, or bored, with something being overdone. just my 1 cent

 

"TRADITIONAL, is using an engine from the 1950s, not one that was first used then. Almost all of the sbc engines used aren't from the 50s or 60s, so saying it's traditional is a cop-out for not being original." Would you be able to tell the difference without running the #'s?

 

I bet you were one of those many many kids who whore all black, listened to punk music, & said, "I'm different, I'm my own style".

I like your 28 coupe, when are you gonna chop it, channel it, & paint it "SATIN" black? I see it's "Z'd" & it has the red rims already. I got a drilled grenade you could have if you pay for the shipping.

 

That's kinda what I'm thinking. And that might be where the HoHum thing comes from. So many years of production means a late model engine, dressed traditional. The engines that had a short run of production (like y-blocks, nailheads, etc.) cannot be dressed as anything else.


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See what changed my mind was the Viva car show last week. It was the very first car show I was in, and the compliments on the engine blew me away. I talked a lot about how I wanted to swap in a 327, but I decided to stick with the 305 and build around it. It grew on me as I worked on it and brought it back to life after sitting 20 years!

 

As the engine man for a large, well respected west coast salvage yard back in the 70s, I came in contact with an average of 3-4 engines a day. It was my job to run all the incoming engines and determine their condition. Good ones were painted and re-sold and junkers were sold to the core buyers.
I began to notice a pattern. The high mileage chevy engines fared better than the high mileage fords. When the mileage was less than 30,000 miles, we were able to pass almost all the engines, regardless of make except for some import engines.
The small block fords had a cool sound when run uncapped but the small chevys were easier to fit in early car's small engine bays and the aftermarket support is unbelievable for the chevs.
One part of the fords I never cared for was their oil pump/distributor drive shafts. I always thought ford could have spent just a little more money on each engine to install a high quality shaft. Oil pump shaft replacement is a job I've done more than any other on ford engines.
Problem is..........loose your oil pump drive and you've just lost your engine.
All this said, I'm using an old Pontiac V/8 engine in my 34 coupe BUT! I have a few sbc's lined up in case the Poncho doesn't make me happy.

 

Stale tortilla chips and mild salsa.

 

EEEeee EEEeee EEEeee...Shaaaa Shaaaa Shaaaa

 

Every engine combo is based on many different factors. Probably first and foremost is like clockwork has mentioned here, the engine of choice.

But there are other factors that sometimes help make the determination, fitment issues can be one as well as availability and price. Sometimes it comes down to the era as well as usage.

For every hole in the board there is a peg to fit.

 

Cost - plain and simple, the SBC is cheaper to buy/build/own than fords or mopars.

Using what is readily available to you is key for a lot of guys

Godspeed
MrC.

 

I didn't ,I put a CADDY in my 53 MERC.
TwoChops

 

Interchangeability. Chevrolet has a level of interchangeability that is unprecedented by any other auto manufacturer. In the world of hot rodding, this means a lot less hoops to jump through when it comes to piecing your drive train together. Easier, lower cost, etc. Then consider the fact that GM has been filling the salvage yards with these parts that all work together for many, many years now. Even the newer LS series motor share that same bell housing pattern!

Even at your local auto parts counter, this makes it easy for them to keep the parts you need in stock, and at a cheap price.

Ford had different bell housing patterns, cleveland, windsor, modified, etc.

 

As far as the early Ford's there are several guys I know that are Chevy guys but prefer the early Ford Body's,,but Chevy Engines are their power plant of choice! HRP

 

I would say stick with what brand of car you got. (Ford car Ford motor).

 

Hey - I resemble that remark! Well, I never whored all black. Variety is the spice of life when it comes to whoring ...

 

After attending the Back To The 50's for the past 15 or so years i've seen enough SBC's to choke a T Rex. And if a rod has a sbc in it i probably won't give the engin bay a second look. But it's hard to argue with the economics of a 350 chevy and if you live up in the rust belt like i do after spending 3-5K on the body work there isn't much left over to spend on the engine,and with chevy motors being so plentiful,cheap,and easy to build and dress up goodies being the same it's not a hard choice to make.

 

I am a diehard Chevy guy, however have a Ford in my Sweet 16 Donzi...if the motor ever went I would love to rip it out and put a Chevy in..but likely wouldnt be worth the effort, could easily put a nice 347 in it (eww I did just say that)

Point is as many haev stated, Chevys were used a ton way back when, good power, cheap and plentiful.

There is a reason for the saying "Anyone can build a Chevy'

 

Boy...this subject gets a lot of mileage, huh?

 

Tom McMullen once said that he was very proud of his full race flathead powered roadster....until a 283 blew him off handly in an impromptu street race, and that led to him building a bored and stroked sbc with six 97s to replace the flathead. Why do you still see lots of sbc to '32-'48 Ford transmission adapters at swap meets? Leftovers from all of the hot rodders who followed the same path Tom did. I never fail to marvel at all of the people who bitch about Chevy V8s because "they're boring". I guess all of you would have been bored to tears with hot rods of the '40s and early '50s....nothing but boring flatheads. BUT WAIT.....flatheads were cheap, plentiful, compact, light, and there was lots of speed equipment available for them.....sort of like another engine I know of.

 

After reading through all 6 pages of this thread, I am shocked that nobody has really nailed down the reason(s) why people prefer to use a SBC instead of a SBF.

If you have ever done an engine conversion and tried to use a SBF, you always come to the same conclusion. The oil filter is in the wrong place if you're putting it in a chassis with narrow frame rails, or if the steering box is bolted to the frame. The front sump oil pan is usually right in the same location as your steering linkage. The interchanging of parts between any Ford engine built between 1955 and 1985 is a pain in the ass. You had better know what month the engine was built, and you're building a 351, good luck. Cleveland, Windsor, Midland.....what a mess when you're trying to order parts.

Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Ford engines. I like Chevys because they fit better. The oil filter is in the rear, out of the way. The rear sump pans will clear 90% of the steering linkages out there. The distributor location in the rear cleans up the front of the motor. They look more proportioned than a SBF. Chevy Orange looks better on an engine than Ford Blue. When dressed up, a SBC looks nicer.

You can save yourself a bunch of headaches and packaging issues by using a SBC instead of a SBF. Most guys don't want to hassle with that kind of stuff when they're building a car.

Disassemble a SBC and a SBF and lay all of the parts out and compare each piece. The Chevy rods and cranks are beefier, the block is beefier, and the heads and intake flow better. Compare the two distributors, big difference.

Any Chevy transmission from a 6 cyl, a SBC, and a BBC will all bolt up. Can't say that about Ford. You've got the Big pattern, the small pattern, etc.

I like seeing a Ford in a Ford, but my cars will always have a Chevy powerplant.

 

God bless you