You have a simple choice, build a A sedan a Hemi or Flatty, both there at your disposal, you choose which route?
Wow, night and day choice IMO. Both, ofcourse can be traditional, just different eras. What else are you doing to the car? Split bones or hairpins? Channeled and chopped or highboy? Shiny or primered? Whitewalls or black? Wheels?
I know its night and day, thats why I made it a poll, see which way the board would go, ofcourse, each powerplant brings with it some other stylistic features that would be appropriate with one and not the other, but screw the details for now.... HEMI OR FLATTY, come on....H E M I or F L A T T Y
Hmmm, I can't decide. I like both and the cars draw very different images in my mind when I think of them. I guess all I can say is make sure the rest of the build matches whatever powerplant you end up choosing.
Both, i was in your exact situation and i decided to build the flatty powered car first, to kind of play around with for a while. But i'm still going to keep my eyes peeled for killer hemi stuff so that later on i can build up an awesome little hami rod. Check out this link: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88981
My feeling has always been that you build to a time period and try to keep that flow through the whole car. The term "Period Correct" gets thrown around alot these days but is a valid concept. So many times I see cars that are very well crafted other than the mis-match of styles. They look like an incomplete thought, or make you wonder if the project changed hands in the middle and went another direction under the new custodian who didn't bother to go back and match what was already done to his new vision. My coupe was put together with the idea that it could have been built between '58 and '62. It has an early Hemi and lot's of like parts. The AV-8 Roadster project in the shop is headed in the "just post WWII" direction and will be running the Flathead. Pick what ya like but keep the flow from bumper to bumper. If yer runnin' bumpers that is. Johnnie.
SBC aint better , just cheaper...... I was gonna go with a hemi, but choose the flattie. Thought it would be cheaper. HA! See what I got for thinkin!
Hemi - get a nice little running Dodge, clean it up and throw it in. The unknowing will think you hav a 426 street Hemi and it will be a lot cheaper.
Thing is if you look at original photos from some of the old ******** hotrodders of the day you will find mis-matched styles.This is because they were upgrading parts all the time to become lighter and faster.I have seen many photos of 40's period style cars with later engines,you built the best you could with what you could get.A forties style car with a Hemi or a flattie would be totally period correct for mid 50's but not mid 40's.Although there were people who got hold of both caddy and hemi engines in late 49 they must have had someone in the know but it did happen.But for the man on the street with money caddy or hemi in the early 50's was possible..............Marq........p.s i vote hemi
Hemi=12" deep pockets Flathead=9" deep pockets SBF=6" deep pockets SBC=4" deep pockets Whatca' got in the kitty?
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