Technical Ford Flathead Transmissions Behind Any Other Engine But A Flathead (Let's See Them)

The one transmission adapter that has been made for every vintage engine that you can think of attaches that engine to a Ford Flathead transmission. I've seen them for straight six Chevy engines even. What I want to see (and hear) are from you guys who are running (or have run) Ford Flathead trannies behind your favorite vintage overhead valve engines. I want to hear your experience, and I want to see pictures. Thank you.

 

I have one adapted to a 1956 324 Olds Rocket. Don't have a picture available.

 

Do you like it? Any problems?

 

Just picked this up today. A ‘59 Nailhead with a three speed and an Offy adapter.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

A blown small block and an early 3 speed? Looks good, but I hope you know how to "feather-foot" the clutch!.

 

Denny, I'll be 73 tomorrow. My days of racing and being stupid have been over for awhile. This whole setup is for my 41 pickup, but I do have a few spare trans, just in case.

 

Let’s take a transmission that’s barely strong enough for the flathead and put it behind a much more powerful engine.
Brilliant idea

 

There's always one... There is a huge misconception concerning vintage V8s. In the 1950s, a factory V8 engine from any American car company that was capable of 300 horses stock was unheard of. Most engines from the factory put out 180 stock horses. Keep in mind, people could get over 300 from a an engine with the right mods. Vic Edelbrock Jr. was able to get 300 horses out of a 283 Chevy with his X2 6x2 intake that he made famous in the late 1950s.

As long as a 1950s era overhead valve V8 is built to stock power and the person using it isn't driving it like they stole it (would you drive your daily this way?), then the Flathead Ford transmissions should provide no issues. Why else would they have made an adapter for practically every engine application from the 1950s to attach this transmission to? Not just that, but every speed shop was making them: Offenhauser, Cragar, etc. Common sense tells me nobody would have bought them then and guys would not still be buying them now if this 3 speed wasn't a decent transmission to use with the factory engines being produced in that day.

Most of the older guys who used them back then and are still running them now have done more for me in breaking the negative stereotypes concerning the old Flathead ******. If you're one of those old guys, thank you. Just my opinion...

 

Thank you, some guys just don't get it.

 

Boy, I know what you mean. I finished the restoration of my 327/350 Corvette 9 years ago. Since then, I have had this overwhelming desire to "dump the clutch" and do a burn-out, but I just can't physically bring myself to do it. I'm a few years older than you, and driveline problems have been a thing of the past for a loooong time.

 

Seems to work fine. No problems so far. Been close to 10 years.

 

But again it is stock and I just casually drive it. No burnouts or drag racing.

 

That's really cool man. You drive it the way it would have been driven in the 1950s. Its like what I've heard my whole life concerning 4x4s. How do you keep a 4x4 on the road? Don't take it to the river. Most people when this swap was first made popular didn't take them to the strip. Who wants to break what you've worked so hard to build? Seriously.