I don't think you're home free with the clutch yet, I have been following this thread on and off, and I just skimmed it again, and I couldn't find a picture of the engine you are actually using. You do say it is a '49; if so it has to be an 8BA. You are correct that you have to use an 8BA style flywheel and a Merc or Ford truck bellhousing ('48-'52 truck or '49-early '51 merc) to actually bolt up the transmission you show here to an 8BA. Ford changed the transmission input shaft size between the earlier transmissions and the 8BA clutches. The classic way of doing this was to use a early Merc clutch assembly to get by this problem. The word on the street is that the early Merc clutches are no longer available in the automotive aftermarket. They are available from specialty vendors (I have heard Centerforce and Speedway Motors. Try to avoid the 11" truck clutches, as they are very stiff and will make your life miserable. Plus they won't fit in the Merc bellhousing, just the truck unit. Also, when you get the bellhousing, make sure it comes with the matching starter plate.
The engine is a '49 8RT from an F6, currently bolted to a 4spd truck trans. My understanding is that the 8RT is basically an 8BA but with an 11" flywheel for the big truck clutch and maybe lower compression heads. I acquired this engine about five years ago... it was my introduction to both this forum & the hobby but I haven't posted it in here as I wanted to get it running again, cleaned up and painted before I did. I was told that this transmission is out of a '49 F1 and was bolted to an 8BA. I am unclear on if the 8RT bellhousing will accept this transmission - the engine is at @RMONTY's place and I haven't looked at it in a while - but I know I will need to change the flywheel out to be compatible with this 10" clutch and pressure plate. I vaguely recall after buying the flathead that I spent a while looking for a Mercury bellhousing but I can't remember why...
An 8RT is basically an 8BA with different heads, carburettor, water pumps, and distributor; same everything else. I will admit my knowledge of big trucks is a little weak, but if it's an F6, it most assuredly had the big truck 4 speed. IIRC, they don't even have bellhousing like the smaller trucks, and uses something called a "Hogshead". Hopefully someone with knowledge of big trucks will step in here. IF the engine really is out of an F6, there is a chance that is the big Lincoln 337 flathead which is a whole other ball game. You better make sure what you have.
I am confident it isn't a 337. Here it is, five years ago, as we were building the run stand for it... I can tell from this picture the bellhousing/hogshead is not going to accept my transmission. So, the hunt begins...
OK, that's definitive. It is an 8BA/8RT. I think there are still going to be clutch compatibility problems. I will bow out now, since my knowledge of big truck transmissions is almost non-existent. There are guys here and on "The Ford Barn" that are experts on this stuff.
That looks like the right truck bellhousing, but I don't see the starter plate. For some reason, when people dismantled the old cars, they almost invariably kept the bellhousing and tossed the starter plate. Also, any old starter plate won't do; you need the one that matches the bell. I bought a Merc bell real cheap, and it took me several years to find the starter plate for a decent price.
To me you have the needed cast haft bell in place now, no need to chase a merc pressed piece. I think your red trans will be a plug and play. You shouldn't have to change any of the clutch stuff if you don't want to. They should both be 1 1/8 10 spline inputs. After that I do recall there was some thicker cast haft bells. I have several of both cast and pressed here and get a deepth (thickness) for you if you need it. It was late when I wrote that, but I'm pretty sure it should be 1 3/8 10 spline inputs.
I think you might be right. I panned through all the pictures I had of the engine and it does look like the correct bolt pattern after all. I think I need to be getting more sleep. Anyway, there's one way to know for sure - I really need to get this engine over to where the car's at so I can figure this out. Putting a transmission in my Dodge today so I can make the drive...
Chrome or stainless, put something on the threads! Either anti-seize or a light thread locker. Also, no zip gun on chrome, hand tools only and no cranking.
Then open drive transmissions usually have a 29 tooth cluster gear which gives you a very short gear, great for pulling a load but raps up quicker you might want to find a different gear set for it.
luckily replacement parts for those are easy to get. or you could run a 1967 mustang master, bolt in replacement and upgrades to dual system, for t birds and other mid/late 50s fords anyway...
Flywheel on the way- super glad @IronTrap had one for a good price... which means I need to get that engine to the shop sooner rather than later... and get Robin fixed up with his tires... That should be all I need to mate the engine/trans and get it stabbed into the car!!! Still need to figure out what's up with the way the rear end is sitting in the car but damn we have been so busy at the shop... soon!!!
Busy just means you can spray down all the bolts in the area and give them another day to free up. Beats having to drill out stuck/broken ones! Spray the hinges, body to chassis, anything you think you might turn over the next 6 months! Future you will thank past you.
Future you will thank past you My future me sits and looks at my past me and thinks, what the hell were you thinking!?!
I also have this cool chrome headlight bar with a V in it in storage... had it in my head that it was a 32 bar but seems like it's for an A. Probably gonna run this on the car.
The Jalopy Journal
