Customs Repowering a 47 Frazer

I recently came into possession of a very solid bodied 1947 Frazer.All the trim is there all the gl*** is good with the exception of the driver side windshield.The interior is rough to say the least and the motor and transmission are missing.The former owner was trying to fit a 305 Chevy with a Th400 and it was just not working out for him.The exhaust ports were about two inches from the steering gear .My plan is to put a slant six into it that I already have out in the garage.Just looks like it should fit better and the Leaning Tower of Power is looking for a new home and me not knowing the condition of the 305 or the transmission.Has anybody else done a similar swap and have any pointers or advise.I am not doing a restoration.Just making it into a driver that I can jump and take a trip every once in a while.

 

This is it as of today.

 

Sounds like the slant six is a good option. Either that or a 49-53 ford six with overdrive. I learned to drive in a 48 Frazer which is almost identical with what you have. It had a six and overdrive (uses the Borg Warner OD) same as the Fords. Good luck on your swap.

 

Thank you Flathead4d.The other option I considered for the repower was a Ford 300 I6.

 

Original engine was a Continental six similar to that used in Graham cars prewar. Frazer actually took over the old Graham car company, early Kaisers and Frazers were labelled Graham on the firewall ID plate.

Same Continental engine was used in Jeep station wagons, pickups, until 1961. So they are not impossible to find. And I think Kaiser and Frazer have a good owner's club support.

The steering interference problem is common to cars that came with sixes and no V8 option like Plymouth and Dodge of the forties and early fifties. One solution is to offset the engine to the right an inch or 2.

Check the length of the slant six compared to the old engine. I know this can be a problem in Plymouth swaps, the old flatheads were quite short. Other than that the slant six should make a good swap. The Frazer was rather light for its size and the slant six won't overpower the brakes and suspension, you should even be able to use the original rear axle with no problems.

 

I don't have the old engine to be able to check the length.

 

I'm going to where I have it stored today to take some engine compartment measurements and also figure out what rear end it has.The drive shaft that I was given with it doesn't have universal joints as I know them.Looks kind of like an impact gun flex joint if that makes any sense.

 

Your drive shaft probably has the 'ball and trunion' style of joint, commonly used by Mopar pre-62. Most folks replace them with 'normal' ***emblies in swap situations. If your rear axle has a 4-bolt flange then any good driveshaft repair shop has all the conversion parts that you will need.

For the engine, you might also look at the AMC 258 or the newer Jeep 4.0L. Both very good engines.

 

Yes that is the type of drive shaft it has.I just did not know the name of it.Thank you for providing the name.The old 258/4.2L/4.0L engines were excellent.I ran a sand drag Jeep for a few years that was powered by a 258.

 

The last time I tried to swap a slant 6 into a truck, the head interfered with the heater box. I bet your firewall has the indent in the center, the slant 6 needs the indent in the p***enger side to clear the head. On most cars this is major work as that is where the heater is on most cars and trucks. We ended up using an AMC 232/258 straight 6 as was suggested in an earlier post. It fit the indent in the firewall perfectly. Clifford makes a 4bbl manifold for the 232/258 engines, really wakes them up.

 

Using a 232/258 sure would make it tempting to put an axle under the front end.

 

I guess that I need to poke my head up under the dash and figure out where exactly the heater is.It does not protrude out in the engine bay.In fact the hoses go through the firewall on the driver side .

 

The Ford I6 is a very good option. It has seven main bearings and a twelve port head and if you want go fast items the Aussies have some pretty wicked Ford 250 I6 engines with 12 port cross flow heads. It's rumored someone is gearing up to make a 12 port cross flow for the 300.

 

I was thinking of a later Ford 300 and automatic, they were abundant in bigger vans. With the OD automatic and the right rear it would be a blast to drive.

 

Speaking of Fords the old 302 is quite narrow, being originally designed to fit into the engine compartment of a Falcon which was designed for a six.

Also, there are mini starters that give more room in the steering box area when swapping in a Chevy.

 

There is another far out possibility. For a short time in the early sixties Jeep station wagons and pickups were powered by an overhead cam six. This was a redesign of the flathead with an OHC head, by Italian engineer 'Sammy' Sampietro. They were a 230 cu in, 140HP engine and gave great gas mileage, they had the lowest specific fuel consumption of any American engine of the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Tornado_engine

If you could find one it would make a wild swap. It should fit pretty easily and keep your Kaiser all Kaiser, as Jeep was still a Kaiser product at that time.

They were used in Jeep products from 1962 to 65, until 1969 in military Jeeps and until 1973 in South America. So, rare but not impossible to find. I saw one in a local junk yard just last year.

If you told everyone it was a factory experimental engine you wouldn't even be exaggerating that much. I think it would be a scream.

 

ohc six would be cool looking but they are not that great of an engine.

 

A 250 or 292 Chev would let you keep the TH400.

 

I’m a diehard Chevy guy, but the 300 Ford is one hell of a great engine and they made a ton of them. The salvage yards are full of F-150s and if you find a fuel injected one, it will have a factory split manifold. An Offy intake and Small cam and there you go!


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I want to try and stick with something that I can walk into any auto parts store and buy parts.

 

Your original idea of the slant six may be the best. Do some measurements and see if it will fit. At least it should avoid the problem of steering interference.

 

There ya go..my first thought. If we weren't on the HAMB, I'd suggest the engine, trans , EFI ,and factory computer.
Just keep the hood closed here .

 

I am so anti EFI and computers.That junk creates more problems than it solves.

 

The 300 Ford is a great engine I own several, but they are a BIG S.O.B.......likely much bigger than the stock 6 was. Measure carefully if you go that route. Rear sump pans are availible for them.

 

The Continental 226 had an OHV version by around 1961 that was used in Checker cabs through around 1965. There should still be some out there.
The 300 is basically the same as the 240 used in Ford full sized cars in the 60's except for a longer stroke.

 

The tornado six was my first thought, it's a overhead cam head on a Nash flat head block

 

Junkman, welcome to the Hamb and congratulations on your "new" car. I'm in Yale, Mi. I looked at the ad for that car for a while. Even considered buying it cuz it's so solid.
Sounds like these guys have you covered on engine choices. Good luck with your project!

 

Really? So you like electric chokes or mechanical cables, pumping the **** out of the gas pedal when it's cold? Gas stains all over the intake. and all THAT junk? Okay then..

 

I did a compression check, with the prospective new owner of my Jeep present.

The readings on all 6 of the 4.0H.O. were 148-152psi. It had 168,000 miles on it.

Worth looking at.

 

Yes I do.