Projects Straight 6 in 1928 full fender rod

My son has given up on his 28 Tudor project after many years. I am taking over the project. He originally planned on a sbc. I think a ford 300 straight six would be more unique. The plan is to make a full fendered 60 - 70 street cruiser. Has anyone tried this combination and what is the best year for and engine & automatic transmission package to salvage. Picked up car over the holiday so so pictures yet, as car still in trailer. Thanks in advance. GDG

 

THE OLDER THE 300 THE BETTER THE ENGINE

 

Will the length of the 300 fit with a mechanical fan?

 

No. Not without a drastic firewall setback. That engine will be so far into the cab there will be no room for your legs, unless you are 4 foot something.

 

i had a 250 Chevy 6 heavily modified in a 29 roadster on 32 rails that worked very well....if i remember right it had about a 4 in setback, but could have been less with electric fans.

 

It is just me and my wife so I can move the firewall and seats back. Since I plan on hood, so fans should not be a problem if needed.

 

Have you considered a 223 instead of a 300?

 

My collection includes a
'33 Willys 300 / C6
'48 Anglia 300 / C4
'49 Anglia 240 / C4
two '23T altereds 300 / Powerglide
and this 11-second '30 roadster pickup 300 / Powerglide



All of the firewalls required setback. No big deal. Your car WILL draw attention with a six.
I would use the C4 trans and convert to an open driveshaft w/ a 9" rear end. An 8" would work fine but the niner is so prevalent it is usually just as cheap to build a 9-inch.

 

Okay, my avatar is a 300 Ford straight 6, C4, & 8in. in a 1927 model T coupe. It is the original model T frame with the body moved back 6 in. & the firewall removed. the engine is roughly 37 in. long from the front of the water pump pulley to the bell housing face. I am running the stock mechanical fan for the 300 & a radiator up front. The rear two cylinders are under the cowl & I will be making my own recessed firewall. And my best piece of advice is to listen to anything FTF tells you^^^^.

 

I'm 6'6"

Six.
Foot.
Six.
Inches.

 

Wouldn't it be more traditional to put a SBC in it instead of a Ford? Ha Ha

 

...yawn...

 

Hey George!!! why do you want to make more work for yourself??? Heed the advice from the quote above..
Otherwise it will look loke socks on a rooster

 

I have to cut the firewall to clear the SBC anyway so what is a few more inches. The distributer is under the cowl of the SBC so that seams to be a pain, where the six is in the middle. one less problem to address. It also look like the six is narrower, to give room between the frame rails for accessories.

Most everyone has gone the SBC way and I would like something different. There are speed parts for both - so no big deal in that area. What I am trying to find out is what it takes to be different and is it worth it. If someone tells me it cant be done or way expensive I may change my mind.

I am a chevy guy, so going to a ford power plant is something that I do not take lightly, but should be fun. I am looking for the expertise of this group for help in deciding which direction to take.

 

I have a little experience trying to fit a 300 into a Model A frame. It's not a peach but can be done.

I was going to do a Modified with a T body behind the 300, so I just moved the body back.

You're going to need to put a different crossmember in the center and remove the stock one if that's not done already, to even mock up the engine with the trans by the way.

 

George
If that's what you want, go for it. Move the front axle forward a couple inches, stretch the frame a little, there are lots of ways to make things work, two hrs of thought for every hr of work will make it fit.

 

The frame should not be a problem, as it is a box tube frame with SBC mounting brackets / X frame. I can cut these out and fab new since I believe they will not match the ford mounting anyway.

 

Do you have any pictures you can show us?

I'd leave the mounts in until you KNOW they will not work and why. You may find them beneficial as a point of reference to help figure out what's needed.

I had a lot of trouble deciding how to mount my 300 before I decided to switch directions and run a flathead on my build.

There are Bronco mounts that appear flat as well (they are not flat, they have a few degrees of angle to them) but they are somewhat hard to find. Making your own is an option but it's a little work. These would be options for using a flathead type frame side mount. Most stock 300 engine side mounts are angled about 45º.

Here's a design I was working on to make a set with some heavy angle iron. It's incomplete as there are some relief cuts needed to clear things on the block and I'm not sure if I had the holes for the biscuits dialed in or not.

 

Sorry for no pictures for now. Frame, body, spare parts, other stuff just packed into the cargo trailer. Hope to fight/work my way into the trailer this weekend and get some pictures.

I was going to start with a flat head V8 but seems heavy, difficult to find and I want to keep everything inside of the hood for cleanliness while driving and then open up the hood to show off something different. If weather closes in while driving, pain to clean for showing, since this is going to be a driver.

 

Exactly^^^^^ I owned a '68 in an F 150 that I liked real well. As for tranny a C4 if you want an automatic. Small, light, and a bolt on.

The 6 will fit but it may take a little jockeying action like this only with 6 instead of 8 cylinders.

 

Well my cheat sheet says a sbc with a short water pump is 27 inches from front of water pump fan mount surface to back of block. The 300 being ten inches longer is going to take ten more inches out of your interior plus you have to figure out how you would get the valve cover off without pulling the engine if needed or pull the engine if you have to take it off.
Race cars are one thing when it comes to a few extra steps to work on the engine and usually the body is removable but if you are going to put that car on the road do you want it set up so you have to do something simple like replace a valve cover gasket on the road? Possibly you could set it up so the top of the cowl could be removed in a few minutes and be good there though.
You already have it figured out that you are going to be sitting back pretty close to where the back seat would be in true gasser style so that isn't that much of an issue. Unless it makes it too hard for you and the wife to get in and out of the seats and a wife that has a hard time getting in and out of the hot rod isn't a happy wife.

 

Where my engine sets now it is 4" in front of the windshield and 15" to the radiator. Take 5" for pump and that makes you about 10" to the radiator. The cowl top comes off easy enough but its also 15" high point on the block to the top of the cowl. The inline is taller but I doubt that it is that much taller and engine could be set deeper in the chassis to lend a little more room. Adjusting valves will be a bugger though.

I have seen late 20s roadsters with a divot cut into the cowl to allow for 6 cylinder maintenance. They have a shorter cowl than an A as a rule. That may be an option.

Just a thought.

 

okay, since I've done this swap I'm going to tell you what I learned figuring it out. There will be an engine set back & a recessed firewall but if you are removing the stock gas tank anyway, the rear of the engine sits in the same space. I have a 1941 GMC truck dash cut down & fit into mine & there is still 4 to 6 inches clearance between the back of the dash & the engine. The height of the engine is roughly 24 in. from bottom of the oil pan to the top of the valve cover. With 6 in. of clearance between the pan & the street there is still an inch to 1 1/2 inches of space below the cowl to valve cover & that's with a almost 4 in channel. with a full fendered rod set up as a hi-boy you shouldn't have a problem. Because the engines so skinny there is plenty of room for steering, a firewall mounted master cylinder if desired, & with the intake & exhaust on the passenger side you don't have to fight to get to things on the drivers side. Power to weight as far as the engine is concerned is very good. For roughly 1500 dollars you can build a 250- 300 hp motor 350 ftlbs. that weighs 470 lbs. ( My stock 302 small block I had in it before made only 100 hp. & it was fun to drive!) And all you will have to do is change the oil & the filters! Ford made these engines for 30 years & stock replacement parts are at every parts store. Me & my wife both sit inside comfortably with standard bucket seats. I think its a good swap. thanks

 

Any Model A could stand to have the wheelbase lengthened 3" (maybe 4) in order to balance the proportions (examples: late '20s 6 cylinder cars like Plymouth, Dodge Brothers, Chevrolet). The 300 Ford is a torquey engine and respond beautifully to mods like street cam, 4bbl, and headers (which splits the front 3 cylinders from the back 3). You will receive lots of comments (as if that's so important) both positive and negative. Build it to suit yourself. Build it safely.

 

With all that is required to put a 300 straight 6 engine in a model A with the low performance, WHAT's THE POINT?

 

To be 'different'. That's why they put flatheads in Corvettes!

 

...I'm waiting to see the build,...I like the idea, should be cool.

 

'Cool' is defined in wide parameters, especially on this board.
I have some respect for inline sixes, but the band is narrow...

I had a '34 Ford roadster with a 302 GMC six: aluminum pistons, McGurk cam, ported head, and a 5 two barrel intake, (3 hooked up) Tube headers...I traded a Buick powered '53 Corvette for it.
A friend had an older guy's '32 Ford roadster with a 270 GMC, also built up.
Both cars were fast, and 'unique'. Real torque monsters. But both made that 'noise' that just made me wince! Unmuffled 'truck' voice, "Whooooze!" 6-in-a-row. Unmistakable.
They sounded 'cool' at the drags, (uncorked) but that exhaust note just sounded like a 'super example' of all the noisy old Chevy sixes in town then.

 

Thanks chessterd5. That is what I was looking for. It looks like it is doable and since I am not planning to channel, there should be a lot of room to work the system into my car. I guess that I will have to get the car out of the trailer and start looking for a mockup engine and transmission this weekend. I will get my tape measure and pencil out to get the project ready to start. When I get my stuff together I will try and get a build thread started.

This group is very helpful and hopefully when I get started I will not be nusience asking questions.

 

How about a Ford flathead 6? Hummmmmm....