I recently inheirited a 31 Model A Ford from my fathers estate. It had a 53 merc. flathead with a 3 speed. The flathead is seized up and I want to put a small block chev. motor with a 4 speed into it. The frame and body are stock and in good condition, any ideas as to where I have to modify? I am new to the model A world and any ideas or help would be appreciated.
The flathead has a broken piston, it was seized up and when I pulled the pan I found pieces of the piston. The car has sat for 40 years.
maybe if you would post some detailed pictures of the car showing what has been done to it so far. we would have a better idea of what needs to be done to put in the SBC has the frame been boxed? crossmembers modified? you will probably need to recess the firewall
A flathead rebuild can cost you but in my opinion I would do it, the 53 merc is a nice engine and its in a model A.. But it all depends on your finances and what you want as an engine. We have all heard the arguments about SBC and the flathead. But ultimately we don't know your situation. But the flathead rings true for me and its such a great engine with alot if guts, style form and function. But hey good luck with the build
Bring it over here to my place, and I'll fix the engine. You can trade me a cool flathead-powered Model A for the work. Your dad or somebody did a lot of good work to modify the car in order to install the flathead engine. I would second the motion that you fix the flathead.
Find another running flathead. Keep the 53 merc motor till you can rebuild it or use the crank and other parts in another motor. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
You all make a compelling argument for the flathead, it is just that I know nothing about the engine, I am new to the Ford/Model A scene. I will post some pictures soon. Thanks for the replies. There is alot of experience on this site, I am glad I joined.
All of us were new at this at one time,,the beauty of the hamb is there are many years of combined knowledge. You have a real interesting car with history,,don't ruin it. HRP
My first bike was a 1938 Harley flathead bought in 1963... it was seized with a blown piston... I had the head shaved, the cylinder reamed, put in a new piston and rings, and drove it !! Take your time, save your money, and get your father's car back on the road.
Rebuild the flathead and its done, add sm block Chev--box the frame, make new motor mounts, add new trans crossmember, add new clutch linkage, new shifter, possibly redo the brake setup,.....alot more work
I personally have seen this car and there is quite a bit of work that needs to be done. I am in no way being rude here but the way the motor was put in is very scary. Lots of booger welds and unsafe brackets/mounts. The car needs a complete makeover and it needs to be built properly. Again, I do not mean to be rude, I just want you to behind the wheel of something safe.
None of us new about engines when we first started, it a learning experience "grab the books ". I agree with the rest keep the flattie, i've always owned chevys but get sick of seeing them at shows in everything my 31A will never have one in it as long as i own it, good luck with your build will be watching for progress
You need to post some pictures of what you have. If it was nicely done, you could get an adapter plate and a hurst style front mount and bolt a small block chevy to the trans you have. You'd have to cut the firewall for distributor clearance. Otherwise, you should pull the body from the frame, box it, set up an open drive rear and so forth.
Anything can be repaired and done to today's standards and cutting out poorly executed work is a common part of getting a old hot rod back on the road ,changing to a sbc isn't the only way to rebuild a old hot rod. HRP
If you can , stick with the flathead. You can still get engines here and there. I got a 53 merc for my A ( needs pistons ) then i found a 239 with low miles. Rattle can rebuild and driving while I put together enough parts for the merc. A ton of interchangability ( block etc). Keep in mind I am a technician at a GM dealer, and not using a small block chevy.
I agree with you. Was just saying that fixing the engine is not the only thing that needs to be done with this car, it needs everything re-done. I am partial to flatheads myself.
i'm curious; your Dad built the car, and you're completely unfamiliar with it at all? i can remember every car my Dad had, and several of those that belonged to family members as i was growing up. i can recall my Mother complaining about driving my Great-GrandDad's '47 Dodge, and the Mustang my Dad rebuilt from a total-loss wreck in 1968 in the backyard, as well as his Model A's in the shed.....
The truth is a lot of old rods were thrown together back in the day. And hey; most were early learning experiances. I would be very skeptical of everything until you have someone with experiance look the thing over. Brakes, steering, engine mounting etc. But I too think you should go with the flathead. I have a SBC powered coupe and a flatty roadster....Which one do you think I enjoy more?
So it needs welds redone, and some dodgy engineering rectified. This will need to be done regardless of which engine you run. The SBC and 4 speed will require a change of rear end and the ***ociated locating system, so ultimately is as much or more work than sticking with the flattie. And not nearly as cool. A flathead is only matched for coolness by a hemi. Flatheads are simple engines and very satisfying to get running. A broken piston is quite possibly a simple fix, flatheads are quite forgiving compared to modern engines. I guess you can see where I'm going with this.....
another option is to build another frame [fabricate, buy or box an original] and keep dear old dads ch***is for a later swop/sell. win win.
To switch to Chevy motor and trans would be a lot of welding (changing motor mounts, trans mounts etc), then having to have a rear end and drive shaft to take the power of the 350, then upgrading your brakes to be able to safely stop the car because of a powerful 350. Then, having to possibly update wiring, cooling, suspension Etc etc etc etc etc etc These guys are not lying, have the flathead rebuilt. Or even rebuilt and hopped up so you can get some speed out of it. 350 swap isn't just a motor swap. It's a lot more updating than u realize
imo...keep it as your dad built it.geez,every time you drive it,youll have your pop along with you...no brainer..
I agree with most everyone by saying to keep it Flathead powered.. so much cooler than the run of the mill small block chevy swap... plus like what was said several times before, it's how your dad built it....
the original poster still hasn't posted any detailed pictures of the car so we can see his father's modifications and to help us figure out what all needs to be done to put in a SBC until he does it is all speculation i and many on here have much experience in rodding an A with a chevy power , so i ***ume by his lack of pictures he is no longer interested in our help
Have never understand the thing with sticking a 350 in every Ford hotrod, on this matter(not because i dont like 350ths) its Flathead. If you want a 350 buy a 1970 Firebird insted...
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