I yanked this 337 out of a junk 48 Ford F7 to use in a future project. I have heard lots of rumors as to their weight, anywhere from 700 - 1200 pounds. Since my buddys scales where over at my place, I decided to weigh this thing and see for myself just how portly they actually are. I figured it was best to weigh it bare of any assesories, since lots of guys would be adding their own lighter versions of that stuff. The stock flywheel was 47#, the bellhousing was about 50, the 5 speed syncro trans weighed 240, I left all that off as well as the exhaust manifolds, oil filter, dist, carb, fan, generator and starter. It still has the crank pulley and water pumps on it. 700 pounds even. With a set of aluminum heads and an aluminum intake, it dropped to #635. Not the best power to weight ratio in town, but not as fat as I thought it would be. It should make a great hot rod motor.
I can see weighing it without the transmission and even the exhaust manifolds (readily replaced with headers) but I think you should have weighed it "ready to use" with the bell housing, flywheel. carb, and distributor still in place. The bell housing isn't readily replaced on a 337 which means you have to work around it along with the flywheel. Now, having said that, where in the world did you score the heads and intake? Those pieces are like hen's teeth. I know because I paid a bunch for mine and that was 15 years ago. That's a great engine in spite of what a lot of people (who have no personal experience with them) have to say. Loads of low end torque, looks like a Ford flathead, sounds like a Ford Flathead but will effortlessly outperform all but the wildest Ford Flatheads. With your heads and manifold and a set of headers, there is no significant weight disadvantage-unless you compare to an SBC/SBF but who would want to do that?
Wow, 700# bare, 850# complete. And to think people give me rations of shit about the '56 374" Packard V8 305hp being a heavy lump at 700# ready to run. jack vines
It looks like you have an 8EQ truck engine, that's a good one, solid lifters. It will be tough to get the truck engine lower oil pan to work on a street car, I ran the car oil pan it is shorter and you wont have to mount the engine in the sky.
I love your quote!!! They have no clue what these engines can do. They deliver a lot of torque and HP at low RPMs. They sound amazing and it's not a SBC. I am not against SBC's to each his own. I did some reading before I ran my Lincoln in my roadster. They were a hit in the Muntz Jet and they had good results at El Mirage.
HudsonJoe: My first exposure was when a "well off" neighbor brought home a new '50 (or '51-I can't recall which) Lincoln with Edmunds heads and 2 X 2 manifold. I assume the Edmunds equipment was dealer installed. I was either 12 or 13 at the time. That car and engine made an indelible impression on me. I reinforced it when I acquired a '51 Lincoln in 1961. I used it as daily transportation for about 4 years. In about '83, I shopped for and found a 337 with an O.D. which I installed in my '53 F-100 which I still drive. I don't think I've enjoyed any car/motor more than my ELs. The one in the F-100 has been rebuilt with a slight overbore but with the Edmunds stuff on it. Seat of the pants tells me it has more "grunt" than the big (291") Merc in my '32 5 wdw.
It's great to see all the interest in those old beasts! Nice car Hudson Joe, I bet it is a blast to drive! Dale, I do have the weights and the bell on the flywheel separate because I don't know if they are any lighter on a passenger car vs. this heavey truck stuff. Same with the distributor, it looks like a goofy big truck thing with 3 vacuum lines and all cast iron. My thinking is adapt a better distributor onto it, that should be some simple machine work, and maybe see if I can fab or adapt a lighter flywheel, bellhousing, and mini-starter. When your starting with a block this heavy, it should be worth the effort to save pounds on the bolt ons. I know nothing about these tea pot carbs. I only have the one that came on the truck, but the Edmunds intake is sized for 2 of them. Some research is needed to find out if any better carbs will bolt on, or if the teapot is the way to go. Help in that regard would be much appreciated! The kid of the previous owner pushed the truck outside to rot 12 years ago when his dad passed away, but he claimed the engine was rebuilt. After cleaning off the grime, I found a +.030/ -.010/-.010 rebuild tag on it from Dealers Manufacturing, I know they are a good outfit, and there is no ridge on the bores, so I think the rebuild is fairly fresh. The tag proves he was honest. The whole reason I bought the truck was to get the engine, and the whole reason I wanted the engine was because I have the speed parts. Howd I get the speed parts? Long story. Back in the 70's my dad did a ton of junkyard scrounging, and he seems to have a photographic memory for all of it. About 15 years ago, I needed an upper vent window pivot for my 49 Plymouth convert, and those are beyond scarce. Well, dad to the rescue! He remembered an old junkyard that had a '50 convert, and that ought to have the part I need. This junkyard was in a different state, but he gave me very good directions on how to find it. My brotherin-law and I were planning a road trip to pick up an old Ford truck, so we incorperated a stop at this old yard into our plans. Well, when we got there, there was no yard. It was supposed to be on the edge of this small town, but we drove back and forth about 10 times, and couldn't see any old cars, just empty land and a couple old abandoned buildings. When we got out of the truck and started snooping around, there was just enough remnents of scrap on the ground for us to realize that the place had been crushed out. Then this old timer comes flying up in and old caprice, and starts hollering at us about trespassing, private property, nothing here to see, etc. He was all riled up and threatening to call the sheriff. My bro- in law noticed the guy was wearing a cap that said something about the Marines, and asked the old guy about it. He tells the guy that he had served in the marines as well, and in a matter of minutes they were old pals, exchanging war stories. Before guy drove off, he told us that the place wasn't his, but he was responsible to the out of town owner to watch the place. He said that anything we dug up, or anything that was in the buildings, we could help ourselves to. He gave us his name and address, and said that if anyone questioned us, tell them to go see him. One of the buildings was completely empty, and the other had the roof partially collapsed. That is the one that contained the buried treasure! (all of it under the collapsed area, of course) It was a horrendous, filthy mess, with wet, rotted plaster, attic insulation, and wood over evrything. For our own safety, we propped up roof with whatever dunnage we could gather, and loaded a whole pickup load of cool old junk. I thought these were regular ford flatty parts at first, and just stashed them on the shelf . When I figured out that weren't, I had no clue what they fit. Now, thanks to the internet, I found out about the 337.
cool speed parts, wish i could find some of that stuff just laying around. i have a 51 lincoln i am in the process of redoing and from what i have read about the teapot carbs on the 337's is you can replace it with a 2 bbl chevy carb. just turn the carb so the linkage is on the passenger side. i dug up a carb off an old 307 that i had laying around, havent put it on the lincoln yet but everything looks like it should work out real nice.
There is a cool one running around here in NZ with Fuel injection. Looks and sounds great. Should never have sold the one out of my Lincoln.
Call me ignorant, but i didn't know these existed! Great stories, :-D Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Hemi Joel: The Holley 885s which were used on the 337s were almost identical to the carbs on the '49-'51 Mercuries. The unique feature was the rearward facing choke housing/air horn. These weren't generally referred to as "teapots"-that term was usually applied to the later '52-'56 Holleys which had no top over the chokes. They had a flange for the air cleaner to seat on but the "guts of the carb sat above that flange which meant if there was an overflow, the gas tended to run out onto the engine. The Rochester 2 barrels are a readily available and reliable replacement. However, any non stock carburetor on a Ford engine of that era presents a new problem: Ford's goofy Loadamatic distributors depended on a unique ported vacuum source built into the carbs. Changing carbs means changing distributors. Fortunately, GMC Bubba in Speedway, IN (he posts regularly on here) can convert an existing distributor to a centrifugal advance style by grafting a Delco Remy From a Chevy to your existing housing and shaft. He's done it for me-I run a pair of Stromberg WWs (Buick & Dodge V-8). I know that truck bell housing is a brute but you might find it more readily adaptable to a later transmission than even a passenger car housing-if you could find one. Most of the Lincolns found in recent years seem to be the Hydramatic version which does not have a user friendly bell housing.
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