I found a 46 Ford pickup with a 6 banger yesterday. It had a minor wreck and needs one corner fixed. I have never ran one, just wondering how it would be for a cruiser. On freeway? Gas consumption? I don't have **** just setting around for occasional use, if I have to license it I want to make it a daily driver, at least for around town.
If it runs , it'll drive about like any pickup did in it's day. The 6 in-a-row motor was an excellent piece and would run with or ahead of the typical stock Ford V-8 at the time. Being in a truck, it's probably geared 4.11 or 3.92 : 1 which means it'll be a 50 m.p.h. cruiser at best. (It'll run faster than that but not comfortably). A slight improvement would be a 3.78 ge****t (your banjo rearend is essentialy the same as p***enger cars of the time-the difference being the truck has an open drive shaft;the cars had torque tubes. )
I have one in my '51 F-1. As stated, they were essentially the equal of the V-8's, about the same HP, might have had a bit less torque. Of course, not quite the soup up potential, but out of the box about the same. I couldn't live on the difference between it and the stock eight in my '46. Speed equipment for it is rare and pricey, tho.
Check the ratio before you take it apart. I have a '46 truck rearend in my model A and it is already 3.78. I have a built ( 2 carbs, cam, dual exhaust, aluminum head) flathead six in my '51 car. It will p*** a stock V8 in a hurry.
Available ratios in aproximate order of popularity were 3.78, 4.11, 3.54. Gears do not interchange with p***enger closed rears because pinion snout is machined differently. New gears are pretty much extinct.
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