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

I have a ford engine in my model a and my brother has a chevy engine in his.I way rather work on mine then his,that's my two cents.

 

I went to a car show this weekend and I was actually surprised at how many SBC's I saw. I think I saw one flathead, the rest were SBC.

 

I wonder if people in the early 50s looked at flatheads and made the same comments as you hear about sbc chevs today.

 

And they love oil leaks...

 

It's a dead horse, but before the SBC the fast cars were running Olds and Caddy overheads and making good power. Heavier than a flattie but fast. Then came the last nail in the flathead coffin. The SBC. Small, light, powerful, and by probably 58 or sooner, widely available and speed equipment up the yingyang. The latest "Ford in a Ford" thing is just typical posturing among rodders IMO, supported by the marketing of Ford products from both the OEM and aftermarket. The funny thing is those same avid Ford in a Ford folks will wanna give a good tug to the builder who used a vintage Hemi or Nailhead, and today the same "honor" extends to those early Olds and Caddy powerplants. Do a traditional SBC and you become a pariah to that sect. To be blunt, the masses are largely ignorant of the many things that shape what building a hot rod is today. People see something, they like it, don't know why, then get told how "wrong" this or that is and follow along. Generally speaking, the loudest usually have no car but helped their friend's neighbor's brother's cousin push an old hot rod on to a trailer once about 10yrs ago. It used to be the same with Harleys. "A Sporster is a girls bike" was the indicator of an ignorant parrot. Today there's a Sporster that just might be more suitable for women, but not back in the day. Just enjoy this shit the best you can. Try to enjoy the bullshit too because most times you couldn't make the shit up if you tried or by a ticket to such off the hook entertainment.

 

They just fit better.

 

it was "one man's thinking aloud on the subject". I'm glad he did think aloud about it----if you do the numbers, the SBC is more a traditional hotrod motor than the flathead. But, if you lift the hood on my 40 you'll see the distributor up front, so don't listen to me.

 

that,s a good way to put it i,m so tried of this oh sbc,s are boreing the most boreing is the people who say that and we must put a ford in a ford and a chevy in a chevy what makes a real hot rodder is a guy who puts a motor they like in a body they like and make it work if both are the same make that,s cool and if both are not that,s cool too that,s why some build inlines and other,s v-8,s i have a sbc in my 50 chevy and a y-block in my 58 ford cause that,s what i like not cause it,s cheap or better or makes better h.p. so build what you have or like and enjoy and drive the shit out of it pass the boreing people who say your car has a boreing sbc they problemly drive a honda

 

60 years after the last flathead was made, and over a decade after the last smallblock chev, and some guys are still argueing? The guys who used to argue about whether a Stutz was better than a Mercer are all long dead, and most of the guys who argued about whether a Harlery was better than an Indian are gone too, so this debate will likely rage long after we're dead.

My personal belief is that those most vehemently disparaging what they don't like, or defending what's more traditional are people doing so because they think it's cool to do so, and wouldn't have an opinion unless they thought it made them one of the enlightened few.

I have more important things to worry about than what anyone thinks about what engine I put in what. It doesn't matter.

Brian

 

This is a pretty interesting read. Some popular chevy and ford comparisons from the 60's and 70's. Seems like the inferior designed fords cant compare to a chevy.
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_1001_muscle_car_engine_shootout/viewall.html

 

Ed Cole's and Zora A. Duntov's faces should be on the thousand dollar bill !!! Chris

 

heh!..............i used up 3 fords going to buy chevy replacement parts........bahahah

 

Plain and simple, people got tired of havin' their ass handed to them by a 283 powerglide!!!

 

X2. That's what I like about hot rodding: no rules. A chance to be creative if you want to. Build a belly button car or dare to be different, it's all good, all personal preference. The SBC is the best engine ever made IMO too, but I also really like to see someone using something else, just because it is something else.
What's boring to me is the restoration to absolutely OEM original cars. No options - it's either right or wrong. The only variable then is the quality of work. Some great skills involved, but hotrods are original art, not prints.

 

In my case I have always raced Small Block Chevy's therefore I have a nice selection of Chevy cores and race parts. Flatheads look cool as hell but the drag racer in me would never be happy with an all out engine capable of 200 horsepower.

I also think Model T's and A's look better than Chevy's of that era. Being a novice fabricator, the Chevy being put together with wood kinda scared me off.

Sooooooo, my T Coupe will have a 400 horsepower SBC for motivation.

 

I know a old guy that has a model a coupe with a 283. He said he put it in the car in 1957. I would call that traditional. I think one reason for the sbc being used so much. Is a lot of the country you can't find a person that will work on a flathead. And to me a 302 is ugly. They are good motors. But they just look ugly to me.

 

I like all kinds of engines in all kinds of cars. Some things are worth taking a stand over. This ain't one of them.

 

So people won't look twice at the engine when they walk by. You can get Olds look alike valve covers to make it more intersting.

 

Because they want to get home! Just kidding, although have you ever had to buy parts on a distant trip for another old school engine, good luck finding parts for a 50's or 60's engine out in the world. We all have our hinden sources around the house, not so when you get miles from home on a road trip.....

 

Why don't you ask them?

 

On of my favorite lines from "Home Improvement" was when Tim's brother said while looking at Tim's 33 roadster "isn't it a felony in Michigan to put a Chevy engine in a Ford?" Thankfully it is not! We have been fortunate in this country to have the freedom to mix and match brands if we choose or hold to a one brand only theme if we choose. Build what you want!

 

Some say this is beating a dead horse, but is it? Lots of people still seem to have opinions both ways. I can appreciate those who feel the sbc is "the best engine ever made." After building the same engine for 40 yrs they should be able to eventually get it right. Why not put that sbc in a 30s or 40s Chevy? Some have said the Ford had a better looking body, but I've seen numerous beautiful builds using old Chevys. Is it because there are more vintage Fords to be found? If that's the case, where did all of the Chevys go? Did the Fords run longer thus keeping the bodies around to be built? Thing is, people are pulling Fords out of the ground "literally" to build, why not the old Chevys or Mopars? I can truly respect a nice vehicle no matter the name plate.

 

If it is truly about doing what one wants, or building a car with the parts I had laying around. So, would it be equally ok for a person to put a Ford engine in a 30s Chevy or maybe a Ford engine in a 55 Chevy 2 door post? Most of y'all would shit yourself over the thought of seeing this! Be honest...

 

I can appreciate that, Jeff.

 

If your building a car its your choice of what to put in it. The guys that puts sbc's in their cars actually help me out. I can just admire their bodywork & paint job and not have to bother looking at the engine. They all seem to look the same. I guess they want to be different like everyone else.

 

no. Chevrolets with Ford motors are stupid. if you don't understand why, there is no sense in explaining.

I always get a kick out of the people who say SBC's are boring. they can't even come up with a reason for not liking them, but they know all the cool guys say they are boring, so they say it too.

SBC's are boring. look at me I'm a rebel.

 

LMAO-and it's funny cause it's true!

 

because i like the chevy motors...put a 350 in my jeep cj7 ,one in my 53 ford gasser and putting one in my henry j.... i dont like the way ford and mopars look..other than the cammers and the hemi of course..

 

I try to be true to a certain extent, that is why I resurect old chevy bodies instead of fords or others. I am not saying I would not build another brand because I would if the situation would arise, and if the proper engine is available for any of these builds I would most likely use it, but a chevy smal block is what grew up with and I know first hand the quality of them, so my first choice would be what I know. I am not and will not be swayed by what a small or large majority might think proper in a build . It just doesn't matter. Be true to what you love, and quit trying to convince or bully others.

 

I'm asking & I have built several cars from the 30s, 40s, 50s, & 60s. Like I said before, I understand why people did it back in the 50s or 60s. That's why the title of this thread is, "Why do they STILL build..." I've heard people say that a Chevy is easier to work on...seriously? Every one of these engines whether it's a sbc, sbf, bbc, bbf, mopar, flathead, etc... They ALL require 3 things air, fuel, spark...period.