I have put a 351W in a '46 Ford and have the usual problem of not enough room for the radiator. Does anyone have a simple fix to move the radiator forward a couple of inches? Thanks for any help .
Yes there is a different radiator set up for the 6 cylinder cars and it gains you a couple inches. Post some photos of what you have and we might have some ideas
yes, need pics - been a while but, believe that I used a '67 Mustang radiator in my '47 with a 302, which is thinner than a stock radiator also, check speewaymotors.com for their shortie waterpump kit for 302-351
try a Modine #397 … trapaziodal top tank that is center fill... pre-'70 ford and sbc ports … fits in a '28-'29 grill after removing most of the good size mounting flanges on each side... think it came from a '67 ford 6 cyl. pick up truck... both ports are slightly smaller... a mechanic buddy runs them in everything he builds … cools his sbc's... brass … $125 for him... $152 for me...
Yes....SBF Have DIFFERENT length "snouts" on their water pumps. Don't axe how I figgered this out!!!! 6sally6
I have a 351w in my 47, walker radiator fits in stock location.. a little over 2” from water pump flange to back of radiator. Using a pusher fan for cooling.
Cheap and easy stock parts to make it as short as possible. Get the aftermarket timing cover Speedway sells. Very nice copy of a 1971 timing cover. Put a '69 water pump for a Galaxie on it. That gets you a right hand outlet so you can use a Chevy radiator (cheaper). If you already have a Ford outlet radiator go to a '71 water pump. Use the Speedway chrome cheapo pulleys. If you have a 3 bolt balancer it's no problem, if you have a 4 bolt balancer you will need to swap to a ProProducts balancer with the correct imbalance (Speedway also has them). They have both 3 and 4 bolt patterns in them. I also use the Speedway cheapo chrome alternator mount kit and it tucks the alternator in tight on the right side. Works best on a 302/5.0 but is easily modified to work on the taller Windsor. You can use any of the 3 timing sets marked on the Pro Products balancer. I like to use a straight stud with a point ground on it screwed into the timing cover hole about 2:00 as you look at it from the front. Easy to see. SPark
Those are great tips. I’ve run the drivers side lower hose on mine for years but when I added power steering and subsequent pump to it this spring, I had issues getting hose to fit as the belt runs very close to it. The narrower radiator makes for a quick turn back from the engine, rather than the wider radiator used in the 70’s. If you’re planning on power steering, look into lm14 s suggestions and pictures above.
And on an older suggestion up above...if you remove the piece of tin that forms a lid over the area between standard V8 radiator and the hood latch, you will be able to see the groove and bolt holes for the mounts of the 6 cylinder radiator. They give a considerable amount of extra room. But all in all, late model Ford engines are just plain a poor fit and ugly as sin in Flathead era Fords. Sorry, no way around that! Chevy engines seem to have been designed as replacements for flatheads.
Thread I posted long ago see post #5 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/sbf-short-water-pump-pulleys.303600/
A little late to the party...but in my '47 with a 440 in it, I noticed that the inner fenders had a flat spot where the top of the rad mounts to them. I drilled two more mounting holes for the heads of the carriage bolts could be pushed through the inner fenders and then dropped down into slots which I had filed to match the original style of hole. That brought the rad forward to the pinch point between the inner fenders . You will need to make a front upper shroud to seal off the upper rad. I was using an original rad frame with a custom 4 core, a 19" viscose fan and a custom rear shroud. @ 97 f. /45 min./192 degrees on a 180 stat.! Never nervous again !
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