They do and they don't. They will both bolt right on, but it gets a little more complicated after that. The head change requires some coolant holes to be blocked, and the intake change requires a modification to the engine breathing system. The 59A's and 8BA's breath in opposite directions. The best solution is a modern PCV system. If using earlier heads on an 8BA block, there is an additional problem of mounting the distributor.
Whose mill? Damnit man! Did you go and buy another engine? I have a perfectly "known" good engine sitting in my shop. I guess I will list it on Marketplace and see if someone there may want it. I need my shop floor real estate back! Getting enough out of that engine to buy some wide whites is reasonable....I might even trade it for a set of wide whites, no questions asked!
Ohhh nice!!! I guess I'm going to have another shop to store "MY" spare engines and RPUs in! Fantastic news!
I've got a set of WW's here in just the size you need, you'll ship that engine to Australia for the deal yeah? So generous of him wasn't it!
Hey now, let's not do anything we'll both regret, I think I can figure out some tires for that car... and if you need anywhere to keep that Essex out of the rain I think I know a spot...
It's all good bro!! Just come bust me out of this damn hospital so we can get on to building some cars!.... I'm bored AF laying up in here waiting to get cut on some more.....
I have an 8BA with early Canadian heads. The combustion chambers in the heads needed some massaging because the machinist said the valves in the two engines are at different angles. As far as the distributor, I used an 8BA timing cover with a collar machined to lock the distributor in place. there are passages that need to be blocked off, the info is out there.
@RMONTY Hope they are making you lighter, stronger, faster! From the news, you don't want to be outside or driving right now anyway. At least you have access to this craziness, otherwise, you would have only the in-house entertainment. Maybe you can figure out the wiring and hoses needed to get that flatty in the A and running. @trevorsworth needs help, he's got a house, car projects and now is jumping into a construction project. Hope he's keeping it in his pants, a kid too would be overwhelming!
Trevor will lie to you and tell you he doesn't understand wiring and he will tell you that he will be f'ing up the wiring that he does. He just doesn't like parts of projects that don't include the pedal on the right. Middle pedal he says? There is a middle pedal? What does that one do he says.
Picked up the '49 open drive from Jody today! This transmission checks out healthy, I will clean it up and replace the throwout before mating it to the engine. I think I have the right bellhousing on the 8RT already so the only thing I have to figure out is the clutch. The shift tower I got with the car is the same as this and the clutch linkage matches, so I'm betting this is what Sid was running in the car. The only question is I don't see a provision for a trans crossmember...
Too damn cold to paint so I'm just cleaning stuff up. The tranny is in good shape and I threw Sid's shifter in it after cleaning it up. Feels great! I think I'm gonna paint the engine & trans red. I'll candy stripe the shift lever red/white to match the rollbar and top it off with the World's Fair V8 shift knob I bought years ago.
Heat it up with a heat gun and mist it with some metal etch primer, dry it with the heat gun and fog it with some flat black Weber grille paint.
If you’re putting 59A heads on an 8BA block, you’ll need to block some coolant holes. Also, the 59A and 8BA breathe in different directions, so you'll have to modify the intake or use a modern PCV system. Plus, if you’re swapping heads, you'll have to figure out how to mount the distributor properly.
The rears are reverse steelies that Sid made... they were silver at one time... I may have them and the fronts chromed. I don't think he was running these on this car, but they look good. I have had a chrome 32 headlight bar sitting around for a while. Since the car is all white I think the chrome bar and chrome steelies would look great... I like white and chrome together.
As for chromed vintage reverse wheels you get the same answer from me that I gave on the red flathead idea lol
I ordered a clutch kit that matches the transmission. The engine & trans are both 1949. I think I will also need a regular 8BA flywheel and pressure plate - I'm assuming the truck stuff is different?
What are the odds oreilly just has the clutch, pressure plate & pilot on the shelf? The kit also included a throwout bearing but it is wrong. I was able to get the bearing from autozone. Not bad for $180 & in my hands today. I think that means all I need is a 10" flywheel. I don't know if the bellhousing is right either... Kinda stuck with this 'til I can get the engine over here, so the next updates will mostly be about the body. But first I have to put a transmission in my modern truck.
Out of time today, so here's what we got done. The paint didn't stick too well on the shift lever. Gonna have to redo that & scuff some more... and the case needs another coat of red, and the bearing retainer needs a couple coats of white... but it's starting to shape up. Need to order some chrome bolts.
The Jalopy Journal
