Trying to decide what engine to use for my 31 Sedan. I was going to use a 350 but am now thinking of going with a 302 ford. Is one easier to set up than the other or about the same? Just concerned with the distributor being in the rear for the SBC instead of the front like the SBF. What year engine is the best to get for either of these? Thanks for any advice, Kerwin
SBFs require a ton of extra room up front. SBCs dount require so much room. Shorter water pump I think. SBFs are easy to make gobbs of high revving horsepower. SBC are good all the way around. It's a tough choice. If you are cramped for space I'd go with the SBC
Not Pete has the right line on it. A lot of the older guys (older than me) say the SBC is easier to clean up bracket wise. Anyway its a matter of two very important things here: # 1 is what is your preference?And #2 when I'm building this one is always really important, what ya got?The C4 is the smallest and lightest slush box around if weight is a consideration and if I was going with an SBF I kinda like the early 302s.
you can use a sbf and get it the same length as a sbc . Find a 94 95 5.0 water pump its shorter then standard with the cover . They make a reverse (ccw) rotation water pump for the cover to run v belts . I am useing the whole serp belt drive but you could change to v belt if you want . here is a couple pics . Notice the shorter stub next to the standard in one of the pics . Opens up alot of room between the radiator. My engine was set before i found this out . Flexlite has the fan blade for this system so now i can move it forward closer to radiator .
Here is a couple pics with A/C bracket cut up to fit it all under the 31 hood . Alternator brkt fits nice right where it is . Still have to mod the idler but no big deal .
are you closing a hood over it personally tired of 350 crate motor fords you could also find something cool like a nailhead, or y block personally putting a 460 in a T but hell at the end of the day its your car and everybody can piss off
There are a lot of deals out there if you keep your eyes open. I found a '70 350 Olds (310 hp) today for $100 locally. Once people figure out to put them on ebay, the price goes WAY up.
For the sake of easy there is not one that is. It's all work. Ford changed things along the way not alot just enough.Chevy stay the same for the most part stayed the same for a long time. You can get parts for a Chevy almost anywhere. I guess I'm siding on the SBC side.
If this is your hot rod..........................you should choose! Work is part of building a car, and depending on what you want or expect out of this car should play the deciding factor. Also, are you going to run fenders or hood??????????? I am putting a flathead in mine mainly because I had never built one before...........SBC's are like belly ****ons......everyone has one. Yes, I know, they are dependable....so is almost everything else. A 401 nailhead, 303 Olds, Y block Ford, 348/409 Chevy or even a baby hemi would look terrific..............................or how about Model B 4cyd. I am a Ford guy, but truthfully SBC/SBF are dime a dozen.......................and everywhere. And if you don't want to be different then SBC/SBF would work great with minimal work to put it in. IMHO
There is no one "perfect" engine choice here, so you'll have to consider your own needs, wants and goals for this project and then make a decision based on what will best help you to build the car that YOU want. What is most important to YOU? Is it all-out performance? Is it price? Is it having something that stands out in a crowd? Is it going with an engine you already have (or can get easily) and making that one work? Or do you want something that will challenge your parts hunting, deal-making and car building skills a little bit? The answers to these questions will start to steer you in the right direction. For the ultimate power-making potential (budget-be-damned!) I like big block Chevy engines, but Cleveland Fords, big block Mopars, Hemi engines and high-zoot small block Chevys can all deliver a knockout punch, as can a properly built 302 Ford! When it comes to power-per-dollar, the ho-hum 350 Chevy is still about the best thing going, like it or not...BUT...if you want something that stands away from the rest of the cars at the local burger joint, then you might lean away from a small block Chevy and go with something a little less common. In a situation where you already have or can easily score a given engine, then you might want to take some measurements and formulate a plan to see how difficult it might be to get that motor into your car. (Although when it comes to a typical Model A ch***is, most V8s won't present a huge challenge to you...unless you wish to run a full hood or whatever). On the other hand, if you're not one to take the easy way out, and you'd like to push yourself to expand your abilities some, then you may want to tackle the creative challenges of engineering an unusual or more difficult swap and enjoy the experience of overcoming obstacles to make it all work in the end. The long and short of it, though, is that you could mull it over all day and into the night and only end up asking yourself more questions and exploring more and more options to the point where you find yourself overwhelmed and bewildered by it all (ask me how I know!). So...if you already have it narrowed down to two choices (and bless you if you do!), then concentrate on the pros and cons of each possible candidate. For my money? I like BOTH small block Chevy AND small block Ford motors. In TODAY'S world (the one we live, build and drive in), each can be bought and built on a reasonable budget and either one can deliver gobs of go-power. (You can thank the legions of 5.0 Mustang guys for the plethora of affordable aftermarket support available in the small block Ford realm...from blocks, cranks, pistons and rods to heads, induction, ignition and valvetrain components! Hell, you can even poke & stroke a Windsor based mill out to 460 cubes if you got the wallet to do so!) But, of course...the age-old Mouse Motor still rules the roost when it comes to power-building options...there's just SO many ways you can go with one! So, what would I run? If I wanted a more trad-looking, easy-to-build ride with an eye towards performance and ultimate resale value...I'd run a 350 Chev with a cool-looking, vintage induction and period dress-up items. If I wanted a more interesting driver that made good power and was less focused on following the herd or worrying about future value, I'd drop in a mild 302 Ford and put a buncha miles on it when it was done! (But of course, open up ALL the possible options and I'd spend the next five years tyrying to come to one final call...but in a 31 sedan? I'd hide a 2.8 Chevy V6 or a 2.3 Ford four popper under the hood and just drive it all over Creation...let everyone else argue over what V8 is best!!!)
Fat Hack<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_2875665", true); </SCRIPT> ...but in a 31 sedan? I'd hide a 2.8 Chevy V6 or a 2.3 Ford four popper under the hood and just drive it all over Creation...let everyone else argue over what V8 is best!!!) Now that has been rolling in my thoughts here lately . Damn Gas.
I was planning on running without a hood but now may have to rethink that as well. Appreciate all the replies, gives me more to think about. I want some power but not overboard so I can afford to dress up the engine some since the hood probably won't happen. Thanks for all the help, Kerwin
I am using a Ford 302... stretched the frame 3 - 4 inches up front and used a 4" recessed firewall and still have plenty of room inside the car... produces good power...
How about a pontiac 400 ??? 335 stock hp and 410 ft lbs torque. Just check the oil and the tires and go.
I'll bet a 289/302 with a C4 is more than 100 pounds lighter than an sbc with a Turbo 350. That's two 45 pound Olympic weight plates (the big ones) plus a 10. That's huge. In fact the "thinwall" Ford's kinda stole the aluminum 215 Buick's thunder back in the day because they were pretty close in weight. Ford did it with premium iron alloys, thoughtful design, and pre heated core boxes to reduce core shift and allow them to have thinner material cross sections. That's how everyone does it today but Ford was probably the first to accomplish this on such a grand scale. The SBF is also narrower and in an "A" that's helpful. The oil filter is easy either with a short or a 90 deg. adapter. The biggest drawback to the Fords is that mutifunction front cover. It's a bit long. The Ford solution is either to run the short V belt pump or the even shorter serp belt cover and pump as the previous poster explained.
As I've shouted before, Please! No more Small Block Chevrolets. The world has seen anuff of em! I have a hard time looking at my own. Their begging me to change their oil, but I can't seem to get around to it. Alright, if you must have a mill that you can get parts for at any NAPA, or Summit or Jegs, cool. But try a different direction. In the long run, I think you'll be glad you did. Nailhead, Rocket, Hemi, SBF, Cad, or Banger will surely make your Ride stand out. B
i,m tired of hereing the old sbc boreing line it,s a hot rod sbc, flatheads, olds,etc have all been used a hot rod is build with what you want in it and what you like
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