Hi everyone, I am a bit of a self confessed N00B (I am considering my first car project for this spring - Shoebox Ford minus the power train), so just seeking some advice. How easy/difficult would it be to put a 225 Slant six in a 1949 Ford? Asking as I already have a rebuilt 225 with auto (push-button) trans - and I want to try to save some money by using what I already have kicking around the garage. thanks in advance
I should also maybe ask if adapter plates are available to mate a 225 to the original Ford transmission (probably not) and if this is a totally ridiculous idea - what might an affordable and easy to install option be (Ford 300 inline 6?) thanks again!!
That does not sound like a good plan for a someone new to the hobby. That said, Welcome. Use the search. There's a thread about the 300 in a shoebox that's about 3 weeks old. Do an intro, read the rules, and have fun.
Good reasons to stick an oddball offbrand engine in a nice car: It will produce a lot of power. It's a cool engine. It's a powerplant your grandfather originally ran at Bonneville. Bad reasons to stick an oddball offbrand engine in a car: You already have it. I've had a few slant-six powered cars in my day, including one I drove through Mexico for a couple months. The first (and only) word that pops into mind is "reliable." I guess that's OK to a point, but this is a hot rod site. I believe there were some hi-performace accessories made in the day for the slant six that could increase your power and coolness, but they're hard to find. And once you pay for them, your "savings" of using the slant six over a nice Ford 6 or 8 will evaporate.
A buddy of mine drag raced Chrysler slant sixes "back in the day". They're good reliable engines that can put out some ponies. Still, no reason to swap one into a shoebox Ford.
that would only be a good idea if you wanted your car to be worth more with no motor than a running car.
Slant sixes are cool in the right place. In your Ford, you would be going down in cubic inches. Except to make class, that is almost never the idea when building a hot rod. I would think you should look for a V8 in the 400 inch range.
Remembering ol' Tex Smith... "XR-6" That was an exception, of course. Blatant example of the legend of one of our friends on here... "Don't make a wood wrench just because you have the material on hand"
All I gotta' say is why build another belly-button Shoebox...go for the slant-6....if that's what you like...do it.
Sounds like a good idea. A better idea would be to install 2 of them and make it a V-12. It would be twice as weird then. Sell the slant 6 to a Mopar guy and put a Ford in it.
First measure the length. Most cars have the recess in the firewall in the center. The slant 6 needs it on the right side for head clearance. Right where the heater is on most cars. I bet it will not fit without major surgery to the firewall, and relocating the heater.
Having worked on a lot of Slant sixes back in the 70's they are a royal ass pain to work on in a Mopar let alone in anything they don't belong in. If you were building a little low buck T bucket we would say head on. In a Ford Shoebox you kill the value of the shoebox if it is halfways decent to begin with. There are lots of Ford sixes out there if you want a six, they aren't spendy and are just as reliable. No adapters and Ford in a Ford will keep you some semblance of value for resale.
There's only about 8 good engines to swap into a shubox and a slant 6 [or any 6 IMHO] isn't one. I believe the easiest is the old gen 1 small block chev. I loved my 355/350 turbo in my 49. BTW, a stock 49 ford 3 speed and original rear axle are NOT up to the task...even behind the original stock flathead 6 or 8 motor. I used a 70s Maverick 8 inch. [ATTAC
if you have the engine, and you have the car, do some measuring. Where is the oil pan, relative to where the crossmember is? how long from the back of the engine block to the end of the water pump, where the fan bolts on? You should be able to tell how well it will fit from a few measurements, and some visualizing.
My '49 was originally a flathead 6. I turned the center bullet upside down. Made the un educated scratch their heads.
In the long run, assuming that you actually get the car finished/driving, you will be happier with a 289-302 and if you have a manual trans you can keep it with a little effort. OR, you could put a Hemi in that thing...... .
Just do it your already set for it anyway. Than when you get back on here asking 20 million questions about how to do this or that we can ignore you and just say. NOOB!
^^^^^^^ this is true. Be smart. We all want to different (just like everyone else), but there are GOOD reasons you don't see a slant 6 in 49-51 Fords. You can make the car yours in other ways (good way) besides an odd-ball engine choice. AND save a ton of time, $$$ and frustration.
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