What engine to put in my 30 Ford Sedan?

I see all kinds of people with 350 sbc in their cars. And they are easy to get a hold of. But what are some real cool engines that don't cost a fortune to get parts for. I can get a 455 buick/olds. I think I can get a 500 Caddy. I can easily get a 350 sbc. Flat heads are awesome. BUt they aren't too cheap. And I need to go a reasonable route on this build. Looking for opinions!

 

SBC is the only one that won't cost a fortune, and has been around for 50+ years. Others are cooler, but cost more $ per HP. Do ya wanna look cool and go fast for a reasonable amount of $, or just look cool? Flat head probably looks coolest, close second - Hemi. Both expensive, flat head - slow.

 

well I'm puttin a 425 nailhead in mine but damn it's a long engine had I not got it in trade somtin shorter would have prolly gone in.

 

I am running a building a 30 sedan with a 425 caddy and TH400 trans, got both for $125. They are not to bad to rebuild either, ALOT OF POWER there for the buck. TORQUE. I would say go with the 455 you mentioned or the 500....those things rock stock are tough, and a **** load of power for a basic, stripped down A.

 

not everyone settles for a small block chevy because the can't afford anything else. i like them because i like to say "mouse motor in my rat rod"..... the reason some people use them is because they fit and there is a **** load of performace parts. if you build it right it will rev to 8500 or 9000. in a light car its not always how many horses you have, another reason is in an A model if you stick a big heavy motor up front on a car that doesnt weigh anything good luck hooking up.

 

i believe in trying to keep a hot rod light weight, cause there's not much too them.

that said, i think the Caddy 500 is a great motor. It's actually lighter than the 390 Caddy (625lbs versus over 700lbs) and almost as light as the SBC (I think those are a tad under 600lbs.)

There's quite a lot you can do with the 500cid also.

Therefore, i'd vote either Ford Flathead or Cadillac 500. If it was mine, i'd also put a 5 speed stick behind the Caddy 500.

-scott noteboom

 

500 Caddy is 60 lbs more than a SBC.

 

If money is an issue I'd go for the sbc. You can get some neat goodies to dress up a sbc any way you want.

 

my 29 sedan is getting a buick 455. with a 4 speed. i think the peak torque is around 500 lbs at like 2700 rpm..and close to 375 hp at 5000 rpm...the say its only 60 lbs heavier then a sbc, so weight is really much different...the bottom end on these motors are apparently weak, and the oiling system is the ****s, but thats ok, i don't plan to rev the motor higher then 5500. it fits into the car quite nicely. i trimmed the bottom of the firewall a bit to clear the motor but nothing major. i did get to leave the gas tank alone because the distributor is in the front so it's not in the way of the gas tank...

as for rebuilding the motor i made around 2500 to have EVERYTHING machined on the motor. from hontanking and pressure testing to new pistons and fitting the cam bearings in...not cheap, but not bad..

i like it because when i get it on the road, im sure a lot of people will be scratching there heads trying to fiqure out what motor it is...

as for performance parts you can buy anything from TA performance or Poston buick....no 3x2 intakes though...oh well, you can't have everything...

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b73/len_m/?action=view&current=poop016.jpg&refPage=20&imgAnch=imgAnch33

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b73/len_m/?action=view&current=poop017.jpg&refPage=20&imgAnch=imgAnch34

 

The cadillac 500 would be fun in a car like that!

 

we'll be running a 460! If you want it cheap I wouldn't go for anything but the big three, man I've built an Olds and it ain't cheap. Also easy to find parts anywhere for the big 3, well actually the big 2, Ford and Chevy.

 

I like sbc. but, with the gas prices, a 4.3 v6 ain't bad either

 

Cl***ic Pontiac V8.

 

Nothing wrong with a Buick 350 either. Usually can be found cheap and they put out a lot of torque. Not many options for intakes, but they can be built strong.

 

I guess there's alot of ways you can go but if you can get a early 70's 500 caddy in running condition I'd go that way.Gobs of HP and torque.I've got a 69 472 caddy for my 55 chevy and putting a muncie m-22 behind it and I have heard here on the HAMB that the caddy will break the ears off the trans if the car hooks up hard.The turbo 400 came with those motors and proved to hold up well.Also the Caddy usually doesn't get run hard and it's not unusual to go well over 100k miles on them and still be good on the bottom side of the motor.All that said stick with the Caddy. Good Luck

 

390 Cadillac with 2x4

 

If more people ever discover the unsung small block (or "LA") Mopar engine, hot rodding will be stood on it's ear as the small block Chevy gets pushed aside!!

Ha Ha...seriously, though...273,318,340 and 360 Mopar engines are as bulletproof as they come, plentifull, powerfull and cool to look at! The 318 being the bread & ****er member of the Chrysler small block family, it is extremely easy to find (often dirt cheap or free) and will survive all the abuse you could ever possibly throw at it without a hiccup!

Aftermarket parts are fairly easy to come by if you want to hop these engines up, and even cool (but pricey these days!) factory stuff like "six pack" induction systems are floating around out there for small block Mopars!

The only minor 'drawbacks' are that small block Mopars are still kinda heavy, and ****** choices are usually limited to the 904 or 727 automatics, or the A-883 four speeds. A cool, much more modern alternative is to run a five speed from a Dodge Dakota 2wd pickup.

If I were building a ground-up hot rod, I wouldn't seriously consider any other engine, actually...for power, reliability and an oddball "cool factor", they're just plain tough to beat!!

 

Ok. So here's the deal. I can get a 71 Cadillac Eldorado tConvert that the guy says needs a new coil. So the motor doesn't run. But the guy claims thats all it needs. I can get it for $500 dollars. Complete car. Its got a 500 cu. in. So. It would be a fun engine. But I dont know how easy it is to get parts etc? 79k miles on the car.

 

I vote for the Caddy 500 with 525lb/ft of torque stock!,but then I'm a bit biased toward the 500,By the way the caddy will be the same weight as a SBC with an Edelbrock intake instead of the original iron one.
There is also 3X2 intake in the works that will fit the cad 500 motor

 

How much money are you willing to invest in a complete engine package? I'm talking air cleaners to headers here, can you fabricate headers????? There is a lot to consider here..... my Coupe has a 301 SB Chevy...my Sedan is getting a 401 Nailhead...and it's very pricey to build a Nailhead, AND I built my own headers.
I say to you, think about ALL of the items, not JUST the engine...it will make YOU go HMmmmmmmmmm.

When I do my next beater, I'm back to Chevy's ..... WAY more cost effective.....like it or not.

 

Ok. So here's the deal. I can get a 71 Cadillac Eldorado tConvert that the guy says needs a new coil. So the motor doesn't run. But the guy claims thats all it needs. I can get it for $500 dollars. Complete car. Its got a 500 cu. in. So. It would be a fun engine. But I dont know how easy it is to get parts etc? 79k miles on the car. Any one in the Milwaukee area want to help on getting a car running?

 

I am building a 33 ford highboy, going bbc with at least 4 gears

 

Believe it or not, a stock Model A 4 banger wieghs 50 pounds more than the Small Block Ford V8...

It's all about thin wall castings....

Remember, when you get one of these monster motors inside the rails of a Model A, you'll usually have to butcher the firewall to get it inside the hood.

A's are pretty chummy, and there's not a lot of interior room. We're also built a lot taller/larger than our Grand parents/great-grand parents....

Consider stretching the front of the framework to accomodate the later mill without getting into the firewall.

My next Model A will have a Ford V6 of some sort and a lock-up type auto transmission and a high rear end gear....with this $3+ a gallon regular gas...

13 year old son Dan is going to use a 1979 Ford 2.3 and a C4 banger setup in his early 30 Coupe...

Yes, it'll go up in price at the pump after the elections....

 

Go buy a new coil and plug it in and see if she'll run. Also, do some research on how much an engine build kit will set you back for this model engine.

if it does, get it and drive it home.... if not, walk away with your new coil in your pocket and figure that you didn't get a great running engine for a bargain price...it's more major than jsut a new coil.....

the Mileage....79k is probably 179k, or maybe even 279k...1971 was when I was in the 11th grade, I had all of my hair and all of my teeth then.......35 years ago....do the math, that's a long time ago and a lot of time to add up all those miles....

....pull a valve cover off and see how much grunge is attached to it. Have yoru mechanic put it up on the hoist and give it a good looking over...

$500 is junk car price....they bring $200 on the scale at the junkyard..so your engine ***embly is a $300 deal...once you s**** the body.

 

Ok when I say budget. I am not worried about gas prices. 30mpg or 15mpg does not matter to me. If at the end of the year I have paid 3k more in gas and I was able to drive a car that I love I am not worried. I have set aside 2k for drivetrain. And thats rearend, trans, and engine. Running. So Maybe I Can sell a few key parts on this beast. S**** the rest of it for 2 bills. And I paid 100 bucks for an engine. I am going to hit napa up tomorrow see if they have a coil. Slap that guy in there. Splash in some gas and see if I can start it up. Jumper cables too. IF she goes. Its mine.

 

Spoke to the guy tonight going to go look at the car. No way am I paying 500 bucks for this car. He said the engine doesn't run which I am going to try and give that a go tomorrow with a new coil and a bit of gas. But he also said the linkage to the trans is stuck. So its stuck in neutral. Makes me a bit nervous on that too. I just need to get a drivetrain for the ride. I have a 4 speed 70s camaro to look at too tomorrow. I wish this caddy ran.

 

the caddy would look cool but the sbc would be the best bet $$$ wise parts wise talk about old school we used sbc since the came out in 55 good luck with it

 

Damn you guys get $200 dollars for s**** cars up there in michigan. I just hauled a pretty complete 80's caprice - motor and trans and all I got was $67 dollars for it. down here s**** steel is $3.00 a hundred. I need to haul my s**** up there.

I hear people tell me all the time how high s**** prices are but when I haul stuff I don't get that much.

The other day someone told my s**** #1 copper was bring 5 bucks a pound but when I went to the s**** yard it was only $2.00 a pound for #1.

I'd go with the small block chevy but I like them my self or you could go with a 250 straight six. That would be different.

 

Hey Im runnin a 52 merc trk in my 31 cpe no blast of HP but look's cool & get's me where I wanna go . so go for what ya want

 

I'm running a 460 in my A sedan.....by far not the most inexpensive engine i've ever built.....but making 600 horse in any motor isnt cheap.
Keep in mind when your talking about big blocks is the rest of your driveline needs to be upgraded to handle the torque and and you'll need a pretty efficient cooling system. None of these are cheap upgrades.