Hot Rods small block chevy or 351 ford?

im building a 29 model a sedan and im wondering what kind of motor to put in it. My options right now are a sbc and 351 ford.

 

Ford in a Ford.-Weeks

 

well... you want to go fast or slow?

 

fast DUHH

 

You gotta ask? on this forum. But I'll give chevy a chance...John

 

Do a search !

Its been discussed many many times..

Most HAMBers WILL tell ya to do

FORD IN A FORD.

But others will say Chevy's are great.

Really you should just

DO WHAT EVER TRIPS YOUR TRIGGER

Thats all that matters is its yours do as you feel...

But with the name rattrap you should for sure

Paint the rims/wheels RED !

All the Guys AND GALS here love some RED wheels.

hahhahhhhahhaaaaaahhhahahhhahahhhhahhhahahhhahha,

Hell you asked ,BUT i don't know........

My two cents of wasted time ..............

 

thanks a bunch for your two cents haha
the 351 has been recently rebuilt and the small block Chevy will need to be rebuilt

 

ford in a ford if it's an FE, a flathead, a y block, etc. not into 289's 302s etc in period hotrods. They just don't look right. SBC can be made to look pretty "right" with the correct parts on em. better yet find a 265 or a 283. it really depends on what era you're goin for.....

 

I think you just answered your own question. Your money ahead right now with the Ford in a Ford.-Weeks

 

You don't say if it's a 351W or 351C but either one is a good engine. I love my chevies but in this case I'd do the Ford, especially if it's the Cleveland ,even if it's not a traditional engine

 

TO ME most of what makes a hot rod a hot rod is the motor. I guess depending on your build and what you want it to look like when you are finished depends on which engine you should run. Also it depends on your budget.

I dunno how much dress up stuff there is for a 351...can you make it look like an earlier ford V8? With a SBC you can dress up a new motor to look like an old 283 or 327.

I would say got SBC and dress it up nice, run no hood.

to each his own...

 

Yep same here too!

Nick.

 

You didn't mention if the 351 is a windsor or cleveland. If the 351(assuming windsor) is a late model smog motor being recently rebuilt is okay for a driver.
Since you mentioned you wanted it to be fast there are a few options. If you're on a budget throw a mustang T5 behind it since the first gear will make it feel like a racecar. If you want more power a 408 kit is pretty reasonable for the 351's and combined with good heads you'll have a low 11/high 10 sec ride.
350 chevy is fine......but not my choice.

 

I think he hit the nail on the head. ^^^^^

 

Ford in a Ford here too

 

Ford motor. Please...

 

just look in some old rod & custom, rodding and restyling, hotrod magazines from the 40s-60s and tell me how many cars in there have small block ford motors....this is the earliest car that i remember seeing with a small block ford in it. It's one of my favorite cars of all time, This was '64, and Dean got the motor from Carol Shelby as a thank you for doing some work for him(it's a 289). Same year the mustang came out. So maybe mid 60's show rod? otherwise it doesn't fit, not traditional. just throwing in whatever you have cause it's there....

 

a buick nailhead would be better but since its not on the option a ford , getting tired of seeing a gazillion sbc in everything mills

 

If it's a 351 Cleveland...yes, if it's a Windsor and you want to go fast...use the Chevy. If you're looking for an unlimited mount of options, performance parts, want to find reusable parts such as heads, factory aluminum intake, etc... Chevy will have MANY more options and parts available. Clevelands are way cool...Windsors are ehh, ok. Now, if the SBC is a 327, no question in my mind...go with the Chevy.

 

If it's a 351 Cleveland...yes, if it's a Windsor and you want to go fast...use the Chevy. If you're looking for an unlimited mount of options, performance parts, want to find reusable parts such as heads, factory aluminum intake, etc... Chevy will have MANY more options and parts available. Clevelands are way cool...Windsors are ehh, ok. Now, if the SBC is a 327, no question in my mind...go with the Chevy.

 

Where the SBF didn't come out till '62, no shit, but then the SBC didn't untill '55, so that leaves half the 40s-60s out as well.

 

ok, look at a bunch of mags from 55-65, thats a 10 year span, how many small block fords? I'm just sayin....they sound good, and they have their place, just not in a traditional model A sedan. Of course, it's just my opinion, but it was a solicited opinion, so there it is.

 

Ford. Be different.

 

Well then its a no brain-er then isn't it!?

Stroke that sum-bitch!

Do what you will be proud with. Forget all the rest. This is coming from a Chevy guy.

 

I missed that part... If the Ferd is rebuilt and you need to throw money at the Chevy (money you could use elsewhere in your project) then why is it even a debate?

 

I agree with Dan. If it was me I'd sell the ford and buy a running chevy. I don't hate the ford motor, but they're not that pretty...

 

is it a 351w 351c or 351m. If it is a w or c I would use them but if it is a 351m I would go with the sbc

 

Agreed! The cutoff date here is '64. right? Speaking of '64, My high school pals and I were at the Camp Wheeler drags here in Macon, and watched a black '54 Ford coupe pretty well destroy its class. We headed for the pits for a look, because we'd never heard a 312 turn up the way that thing did. Someone mentioned that to the driver who proceeded to raise the hood and show us a 271hp 289.
There was also a guy working for Garland Pugh Ford, in Macon, in '63 or '64 who drove a sbf powered Model A two door. The car was primered, with big 'n' littles, and I thought it was the coolest thing I'd seen outside the pages of a car mag. Experiences like these make the sbf traditional TO ME.

 

Don't sell the 351/400 engines short. They're cheap, plentiful, and the ones I've had were tough. It has been said that they won't make hp. Don't believe that either. Just research what John Kasse did with one at the last engine builder's competition...it will surprise you!