After all this, I think we need to hear a really good excuse as to why the caddy motor can't be redone now. Either that or we are all going to beat the **** out of each other about what someone else should do with their car. And yes, the cold up here has me stir crazy.
well, i've been thinking about this from his cost standpoint. some things that came to my mind were parts interchangability between his proposed 4 banger setup and the future caddy motor. for the banger he will need to put the factory fuel pump in the tank or buy a special ($$$$) intake to put a carb on it. his ****** will probably need an adapter (more $$) special clutch and pedal linkage that will differ from the caddy. different motor mounts, different cooling requirements, different engine placement in the car possibly requiring more modifications of the body to fit the bigger engine. I would think if he used hurst early ford type mounts with a small cube sbc with a q-jet carb (305?) he would better match the components the caddy motor will require later on. re-use the ******, with hurst mounts on the caddy it should bolt right in place of the chevy. Most wiring and components will stay the same. just makes sense from a dollar/effort perspective to use the cheap V8 option. doing that in my case. I have hurst mounts on my 283 with a 39 ******. the olds will bolt in place of the chevy when I get it rebuilt.
Chris, Is that a Zetec or Duratec Focus engine? The Zetec traces it's roots back to the early Cortina days and has an iron block. The Duratec (all aluminum) was conceived and designed by Cosworth when Ford owned them and later Ford put Mazda in charge of developing it to a prodution engine. It is now the standard 4 cyl engine in Ford's lineup. It is in the same role for Ford that the EcoTech is for GM. Now as far as Model A's and engine swaps. Has anyone in this thread talked about total vehicle balance? If they did I missed it. I'd lay money down that a Model A pickup with a healthy 4 banger would be a better performing vehicle in almost every way. Now I'm talking about the Model A as it stands from the factory. Remember we're talking skinny frame rails, and a high center of gravity. A lightweight engine like the one your buddy has would work well in this ch***is. Now of course ya'll could change everything and put a 9" out back, big old heavy Cad engine and trans and go about as quick as you could with the 'Banger. Oh, and with less fuel mileage to boot. Some of the commentary on here is a bit misleading, like a 4 cyl would be more stressed than a bigger engine and thus deliver poorer mileage. I don't know about that, a Model A p'up probably weighs what, 2000 lbs? Chrysler and GM use cylinder deactivation to make their land yachts fuel efficient at highway speeds. They go from 8 to 4 cyls when the loads are low. That's on 4000 to 6000 pound behemoths. The full displacement is used to accellerate that m***.
I know I'm running a Ford 4 banger in my 29 Sedan, just not sure which one yet. I work 36 miles from the house, and gas is $3 a gallon. If someone else thinks its gay, they can kiss my sweaty nut sac. And I probably won't run a hood either!
I'm glad I brought up the topic. I've learned a whole lot from it. Good to know some of you are enjoying it also.
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Henry Floored, I had a lil chat with him last night to tell him about the topic I started here on the HAMB (he's not a HAMBER, yet) and he was pretty stoked about it. Unfortunately I didn't get too many specifics about the engine. I didn't even think there were different types of engines for that car. I've always ***umed they were just the same economy ford engines. But, he did mention that it was an aluminum engine and that he already has a hop up kit for it. He plans to disguise the 4-banger as much as he could to make it fit the styling of the truck (eg: Military-esque). I asked him to take pictures, so I hope to be able to post something up soon. BTW, He has decided that he will save the Caddie for a future project. '51 Shoebox
He plans to disguise the 4-banger as much as he could to make it fit the styling of the truck (eg: Military-esque). I asked him to take pictures, so I hope to be able to post something up soon. Alternators can be made to look like generators, wiring can be routed neatly hidden, injectors can be concealed inside "carburetors", and billet can be thrown in the trash.
FWIW there is a little more on the '29 Model A at http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0803w_1929_model_a_touring_car/index.html and thanks for the original post, really enjoyed the slide show....
The Jalopy Journal
