Hey Fellas. I'm new to the banger world and I have some questions so i want to ask the guys in the know. I have the opportunity to buy an A chassis. The engine is a Model B diamond block but it has an A head, flywheel housing and trans. The owner says the engine is newly rebuilt by a local machine shop. The rest of the chassis is in ok cond. it was used in an apple orchard to haul produce around. He wants 3k and wont budge on the price. My question, is it worth 3k?? I appriciate the advise.
I have some pictures of the patterns and cores--I am waiting for some help to resize the pictures so that I may post them. The patterns and cores are quite complex and involved with many small pieces. The heads that I did cast were in aluminum and heat treated. Allowances must be made for shrinkage when working with aluminum. I could not have done it without the help of a very skilled foundry man. I will measure the valve angle.
Please check you're personal messages. Also, here is a link to a site that i use to resize pics. http://www.webresizer.com/ sometimes, if the pick is really large, you might have to resize it a couple of times. If anyone else has a better 'resizer site' please post it so we all can use it. Mike
you would certainly have to heat treat it machining would be a lot easier after heat treating but any good foundary could advise you on this as well as modern casting metals which are a lot better nowdays infact casting is not the big bogan everyone tends to think it is quite simple really[/QUOTE] Hi Russ Tee, I've been reading a lot of material about Home Casting and viewed a lot of the youtube videos on the subject also. There is a lot of info out there and some of it is done quite well. Steve Chasin (sp?) has several books on the Casting subject. I think i'm getting close to taking a shot at some smaller projects, like a water pump adapter, just to get that feel for it. If i feel good about that, then i might take the next step and try making the various parts to start making a mold and all the other related pieces. So far, the gov has not started taxing wishing and dreaming.LOL Mike
Unless the seller has some proof of the work done and when don't bother. If he shows you this then go talk to the shops owner or foreman and ask about what was done. If thety can remember don't buy it. There are a lot of A's around projects and otherwise. Make sure you getting value for $$$. Honest. I am sure whatever you buy a better one will appear as soon as you start building.... Whis is why I've so much stuff
That sounds like top dollar. Your sure it is a B? If the engine actually is a fresh rebuild by some one that knew what they were doing it might be a push. You can look in the oil filler hole and see what crank is in it, B or C. Lot of complete chassis around with all the running gear. Define OK. See some high prices but don't think they get the asking. Mostly street rodders that only wanted the body. A guy I knew held out for $1500 for a bare complete A chassis and he finally sold it at a discount after a couple of years Does he have the title? A lot of pigeons out there now just waiting to be plucked (rimes with another popular term) A good business deal is when the buyer is happy and the seller is happy. If you decode you have to have it go in cheap and wave some green at the guy, don't put it all in the same pocket so that you look honest case he goes for a lower price.
Thanks for the advise. Bluto, I asked the owner who built the motor and he was kinda fuzzy on what exactly what was done but he reassured me that he would dig up the paperwork. The engine looked like it had been installed for a while. I wish I had some pics to post. Bill, yeah i'm pretty sure it is a B engine. It had the large valve cover with no drain tube and a fuel pump boss. It had a diamond shaped casting next to the valve cover and it also had no serial number. I didn't know you could put an A flywheel housing on a B though. I will have to go back and inspect more closely. I would like to have a B motor for my project but I also dont wanna get burned.
You can run the A flywheels housing on the B block, but you have to modify the B pan by cutting off the rear section that covers the lower part of the flywheel. .
There is no reason to buy this ...... I'm not really a Ford Guy. I collect paint by numbers...... but only the good ones... Bill is..... if he or a few others on this thread told me to pass I would. You've been told ..... save your money. And honest a better cheaoer one will follow sooner. What are you planning to build?
Al is up state New York had a Fresh rebuilt A engine cheaper then that. He still might have it or I know he would be real happy to build you something new. I don't have his # on me. If you would like to call Al pm me and I will get you his info. Bill
Do you race against Keith Loomis? Does he still have the "T" engine in his car with the hpmemade head on it? Just curious~
Dont know how the judging was rigged at the Atlanta WOW but the banger got some recognition. it drove in and out to the trailers (and then proceeded to not go in gear) but it did drive.
Bluto, here is a picture of my current progress on my project. A frame, 40 rear axle w/3.78 gear, tardel k-member with 39 trans, 29 A engine, A pedals, dropped A axle with 41 brakes all around. I have a 26 T touring front half that I got in Iola ks. Still have a lot of fitting. BCCHOPIT, I am undecided on what to do with my motor. I am reading up as much as I can on A B motors to see what fits the project and is in my budget.
Loomis still has the car. It's very fast; but we've not been in any "head to head" running, in that my car is set up for paved road racing, his is for straight away and dirt oval racing. The one time we were on a track together was a the Willow Springs dirt oval, for "The Walt James Bash". Keith's car was orbiting much faster, in that he has a locked rearend and dirt tires. Lately he's been concentrating on his flathead V-8 sprint car. And, unfortunately, his back doesn't seem to be getting any better. JOHN
You should research the machine shop you use to make the required modifications to increase the power of your engine. You must be able to have confidence in the quality of the work they do. "B"'s are popular because of their "pressure" oiling system along with the larger bearings and a better crank. "A"'s require more work to set up a pressure oiling system. Gravity babbit dip and splash will work if you don't wind it too tight too often. The original dip and splash in the "A" is probably good for short runs hitting 3500 or less. Nothing will last long if you don't pay attention to detail. Ignition timing is critical. I prefer a "B" crank counter balanced and ground to "A" size on the mains or somewhere in between "A" and whatever fits. You can use the "B" rods. I would like to try one of the new"A" cranks. Trimetal inserts of the proper size for "A" rod journals are getting very hard to find. For the "A" the new "Skokie" rods or possibly a set of H&H rods would probably be a good idea. You should consider a dampener in your build.. You don't need an exotic ignition to start with. A good "B" will work fine if all of the components are good. Yes, the new electronic ignitions are almost fool proof but are getting pricey as are good "B" distributors. "B" blocks are thinner in the deck and are prone to cracking. I knew an oldtimer lakes guy that told me 1 7/8's was minimum intake valve size back in the, or anyway, his day. This was in "A" blocks. You have to be careful trying to go too large in the "B" block. Mags will impress the viewing public but are limited as to advance. You don't necessarily need an OHV to go fast. A well designed flathead might not look quite as radical but can be tuned to develop enough power to impress the gawkers for a lot less than the cost of the OHV. Of course for max bolt on power the OHV is the way to go. Another must is a good cam from a grinder you can discuss your needs with. I use cams from Jim Brierley. Told him that I wanted one faster than the last one and that is what I received. It is not a very radical grind bit works very well. In fact, all of the components are important. I'm currently using J&E pistons with the 1/16" compression rings. All of the little details add up. When you have a couple of hours I will tell you how I fit my manifolds. Just kidding but too many guys just bolt them on relying on the fact that the parts do fit together. Do you wonder why the holes are oversize in most of the bolt on accessories? Measure the manifold stud location end to end. Nough said for now.
Congrats polecat! Heard you and Speedsterinc got a chance to talk- take him up on his offer about helping you with your engine (he's great with sqeezing power out of 'em)!!!
Bill "Trimetal inserts of the proper size for "A" rod journals are getting very hard to find." Look at this months posts #123 and 124--in particular the later--Whizconsons parts should be around a while longer. Herb
Thats good information but try to find that particular insert. It is an obsolete Continental number, very hard to find. One thing about inserts is to make sure they are sized for your particular bearing journal diameter. The Wisconsin bearing referred to earlier is for a bearing journal diameter of 1.4975 to 1.4985. My crankshaft was ground for the Continental insert and measure 1.500. I think Ford used 1.499 as a reference. I prefer .0015 minimum to .002 clearance fresh. Details, Details, Details
The Jalopy Journal
