Projects 1941 Ford Special Sedan field car direction comments wanted.

I'm musing while sitting here enjoying the quiet time on the farm at the end of the work week. My other posts show the '41 Ford Special Sedan that I pulled out of a pasture in Nebraska where it has been since around 1955-1958. My original plan was to do the bare minimum to get it running and driving and leave it there to preserve the rich Nebraska farm life it once had. But since the engine was stuck, rod bearings shattered, and it had been farm fixed numerous times, I'm thinking of what other ways can I go.

The flathead block has been at the machine shop for 2 months waiting to be hot tanked and magnafluxed, so that delay annoyance is adding to my car ADD. I love g***ers and 8000rpm shifting, so I'm starting to lean in that direction as a fall back depending on how the block turns out. That adds money but a slapped together SBC, SBF, Nailhead (not 8000rpm) is much cheaper than a flathead rebuild with some go fast parts. I'm not a build guy, just a "don't get it right, just get it running" for this one. I'll enjoy it much more if it is in that shape vs fully redone 15 years from now.

No real direction here, but what say you? North Alabama doesn't have much of a hot rod culture, there are cool cars but they stay garaged all year minus 1 or two shows. I want a driver, the roads here are 65mph limits but most all I drive are 55 so it would be a 60-70's style driving, few police officers, no traffic, with wide open 2 and 4 lanes.

 

How bout an early Oldsmobile
Only s couple hours south

 

Olds would be cool too, rebuild cost would be similar to a flathead but a 303 is a good engine. Was that on a generator or pump with the LP setup or whatever that contraption is?

 

Disregard that, I didn't realize that was the carburetor used on those engines!

 

I vote make it a hot rod

 

Thats the direction I’m learning hard into.

 

Both Olds engines turns.
The 303 is unknown condition
The larger one was pulled running was told had a noise.
Not sure what that was. Has adjustable pushrods. The story was both belonged to a local rodder/racer hydromatic guru.

was told the one with the chrome covers is a 394.

as far as $$$$$ these are not very cheap to do full builds. Old school overhauls aren’t too bad.
Machine work is usually machine work.
Then ya gotta hook up a trans.

 

Its going hotrod. The block is good and I had them line hone the mains and fix the valve seats, so I’ll eat that $500 and put it up for another day. I originally said I would never do a small block Chevy, but I sat down and had a serious conversation with the eight-year-old version of me and asked him what would be the cool thing to do. He said burnouts with a four speed so I’ll be finding a combination that I can do that as cheap as possible with the most fun. Might even get a Pontiac engine.

 

When the rubber starts burnin' you kinda forget what engine is under the hood. Just keep it old school and make it GO!

 

Have a SBC to flathead trans adapter on the way. Now I’m on the hunt for a ‘57 265 or early 283.

 

Just think, years from now you will be thinking,
" I could have had an Olds ROCKET under the hood! But I went with a belly ****on SBC. I really ****ed up."

 

I’m doing the same.
That belly ****on drops in the same hole a flathead occupied like it was made for it

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/1B8dzQeDxr/?mibextid=wwXIfr

 

This. Then pick an appropriate power plant.

 

Still can't believe you left the Model T truck behind, hell, even the doors are there.

 

I don’t have enough trailer to bring it all home!

 

Good thing about motors you can unload them and take them out and put different ones in! I know myself and if I wait to have the perfect combination, it’ll be 30 years from now and I’ll never get to enjoy it so this will get it on the road do some burnouts until I break something and then improve it as I drive it.

 

How many spare transmissions and rear ends do ya have

 

I plan on blowing out the rear end first, swapping in a 9”, then the transmission. I’ll go with a saginaw 3 speed because they are cheap then move up to a 4 speed one day. I wasn’t around then, but I see this playing out as if I was a 19 year old in 1962 and swapping in parts as I could afford them.

 

My neighbor keeps a lot of transmissions in stock
3 and 4 speed
Saginaw, Muncie and t-10s
Partial inventory

 

So, that’s where all the extra ******s went.^

 

Found a few 283’s close by and 2 265’s. A 327 would be cool too but I’m not paying 2-3x the price of a 283 for one.

 

If you know you will destroy a gearbox & diff, why not fix the problem now instead of 2 weeks after the first drive?

 

Because if I don’t get it on the road first it will live in the shop forever due to”might as well” and the good idea fairy. I finally myself well enough to get project moving.

 

I’ve got the casting number for the needed flywheel for the adapter.
Might have a couple extra in the shop somewhere.
But mine came from a 64 c10 with a 6cyl.
I don’t have any pressure plates. Those are getting scarce.

 

With this adapter, I’ll use a 168 tooth flywheel the mercury pressure plate and the Ford disc. The pressure plate may be the long pole in the tent

 

Yep. There’s a couple different PP bolt patterns for gm
Needs the Borg and Beck bolt pattern.

 

Ok…..
I’m getting a wandering zero vibe.

Press the easy ****on.

Either go all 1941 Flathead or nothing 1941 Flathead.

I do not recommend the Chevy to Flathead adapter stuff. Some stuff is getting impossible to find.
That’s for swapping an engine into a flathead car with a bad engine to a good drivetrain. Your car has been sitting for what? 70 years? Who knows what shape your transmission is in.

My recommendation….
A 1948-1972 F1/F100 rear axle is mighty close. 1957 to 1972 is 9”Ford.

Hang some parallel springs.

Consider an Automatic, namely a 1960s aluminum Powerglide, of course there’s always the TH350.

Often a 283 PG combo can be found pretty cheap and often running.(goldchainers doing LS swaps)

The F100 rear will match the front bolt pattern.
Consider F1 backing plates and drums for the front. You can use the ‘41 master. To convert to more modern Bendix drums brakes.

Manual Transmission????

Consider the Ansen style pedals. The original style uses 1960s Chevy truck brake and hydro clutch masters.
There is an Ansen style pedal set that uses other masters for brakes and clutch.
I do believe there is an Ansen bases set for just a single pedal.

 

I’m bolting up 283 to a ford flathead trans and had zero problems finding parts. **** some of em were free.
No driveshaft to cut, the stock rear gearing is great
No linkage to build
The adapter was $50
Flywheel was free
$15 crank adapter bushing
Free PP and disc rebuilt for $105
Free exhaust manifolds