Hey gang, I finally decided what direction I want to take my car towards. I know a lot of people will disagree, but I'm pulling out the original Flathead + 3sp trans + rear axle and installing a 302, C4 and Explorer rear axle. Resale or originality will never be an issue, because the car will NEVER be sold. I'm the 3rd generation owner since it was purchased new by my Grandpa and someday will be my son's car. The reason I'm doing this is because I want something that I can cruise cross-country and still be able to walk into any auto store and find replacement parts. So here's my questions: * What's a well running Flathead and drivetrain worth on the market? The engine burns a little oil, but always fires up instantly when you hit the ****on. ** Who sells good engine & trans. swap mounts at a reasonable price. I rather get bolt-in mounts for the C4 vs. chopping up the frame. *** Lastly, I'd like to hear from anyone who's installed a parallel leaf set-up in one of these cars. Thanks!
Ch***is Engineering may have kits for the engine, but definitely the parallel leaf rear. If CE doesn't have engine mount kits, check with Trans-Dapt for universal mounts. Otherwise, fabricating mounts should be pretty straight forward. Market value of the flatty is variable...hard to say.
I think you're robbing Peter to pay Paul. Stick with the flathead and look into open driveline conversions and overdrive transmissions. What can you really get at an auto parts store when you're broke down?
Keep all factory parts just in case your kid wants to build it back to factory. Times change and so do cars. i also like your olive drab color paint, nice car. looks like Flat Ernie answered your questions.
As much as I love flatheads, I applaud your direction. With your current setup, freshened, you could hope for 30,000 trouble free miles. With what you're going to, in top condition, you can expect 200,000. Yes, I've driven flatheads through the night with the pedal planted to the floor. And it was a hoot. But I have a 351W Bronco with 287,000 miles and the valve covers have never been off. It doesn't leak, or use, oil. The only repairs have been replacing the throttle position sensor and the fuel pump. I agree with Buck: If you have space, tuck the removal pieces in the garage and hang on to them.
t-5 uprade with open driveline would be decent upgrade. when you plan your trip see who has parts along the way you could obtain. plus the invaluable list of fellow hamb members.
Glideman88, I agree with the 302/auto and rear axle swap. First buy a rear sump oil pan, oil pump pickup and bolt (replaces one of the main cap bolts). This is needed to clear front crossmember. Both ch***is engineering and speedway have mounts and rear axle kits. These are off of the mounting area on the side of the 302. This lets you run stock fuel pump. You will need to cut a the top inch to inch and half for clearance for the pump. It is simple and I can send you pix of mine (would need your e-mail). Give me a shout if you need any other help. Dah, rear sump pan is early Bronce or mid to late 70s Econoline van. Tip, the vans had a C-6 that will bolt up to your 302 !
Atta Boy 41 Dave!! Where else can a dude get hooked up like this?? Yeah, on the H.A.M.B. What a cool deal, exact car, similar power train, experience that is invaluable. Hum Hum, just another hot rod miracle. ~Sololobo~
We installed that exact combo in my dad's 41 tudor. Fit really well. Ch***is Engineering has everything you need , and it fits perfectly. The c4 fits great, and will fit under original floor too if it is a cse fill version with small bellhousing, 8.8 rear is nice too. You can usually find them with lockers and good gears for decent prices. we scored ours for 150.00(1/2 off day)It has 3:73 gears, 31 spline axles, locker and disc brakes. Great to see your keeping it all FOMOCO. You might also be able to use a oilpan from a fowx body mustang, just be sure to get the main bolt and pick up tube too. Are you keeping the front end stock? Good luck with your build Matt
Thanks guys, for all the info! I'm trying to keep this FOMOCO as much as possible. The only major GM item I'm going to use is the 1 wire alternator. I plan to keep the front end mostly stock, but will probably have to make a decision quickly about the brakes. The 8.8 rear axle with 3:73's already has disc brakes AND a different bolt patteren, so maybe I'll have to save some more $$ to upgrade the front brakes at the same time. If I do that, then I'll have to also replace the wheels...more $$! Or maybe I'll just get wheel adapters for the rear so I can at least use the same rims for another year? Right now, I have a 302 from a '84 Lincoln with the rear sump. Is that the style oil pan that will work? Also the C4 is out out a '79 Fairmont.
With the C4 and 3.73 gears, your motor will be pretty busy at modern freeway speeds, even with a 30 inch rear tire (over 3000 at 75). The upside is that the C4 is a much better fit than the AOD, which forces substantial modification of the X member, and the little Ford motor is pretty happy at that speed, although it will need extra fuel. Good brakes are a requirement for modern traffic; you are very wise to get that done while you are working on the car. Small Ford pattern wheels are easy to find at reasonable prices. It doesn't make the paying any more fun, but should allow you to find something to work temporarily while you gather resources for the final "correct" answer. It sounds like a great project to keep your heirloom going strong into the foreseeable future. The better it drives, the more likely it is to be driven. Please keep us updated as you progress. By the way, the oil pan and transmission should work fine in this application.
Not traditional maybe, but the fuel injected rear sump HO roller motor, OAD, and 8.8 from a Fox Mustang (actually up to '95) or LSC Mark VII donor is a simple fool proof way to an economical and comfortable long distance cruiser with the '94-'95 Mustang and LSC Lincoln coming with disc brake rear end setups. Even better are the '99-2000 Exploders. That said, I've got a buddy considering a Lincoln four cam mod motor or Gen 3 Hemi for his '40 standard coupe.
So I'm still drawing up the major parts list for my project. It's kind of like a treasure hunt finding pre-existing parts that be adapted to fit the old Ford. I really want to get virtually everything stockpiled before I put the car up on jackstands. Here's what I've got so far: 1997 Explorer rear axle, leaf springs & driveshaft 1984 Lincoln 302 engine + 2 barrel carb 1979 Fairmont C4 trans. Going to use original radiator I already converted the car to 12 volt, so that part is ready. Also have the rest of the Explorer to rob any other small items I may need. Was looking at the Speedway catalog and see front disc brake kits. I can get rotors and brake calipers for free through a friend. Does anyone know what the wheel bearing and seal part # would be? If I know that, I would only have to buy the "basic kit" and save some $$. I trying not to sound so cheap, but my Harley must be jealous and suddenly decided it wants a top-end rebuild before riding season starts! That drastically depletes how much cash I have for the Ford project!!
Thanks, it's the original color Lochaven Green. The original paint was starting to fade, so my folks had repainted 40 years ago.
here is my '47 build thread. Similar vehicles http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=421572 I have also installed the C.I. frt and rear suspensions in this car
Looking forward to this build. A 302 C4 will go a long way and be a great ride for you. Thank god it's not a belly****on sbc
Glad to see your keeping it FOMOCO also. I don't believe you will be able to use the Explorer spring. I ran a salvage yard when I did mine and the closest spring I found was a Cherokee. I have the Ch***is Engineering kit in my car with the flatter springs. The kit is a direct bolt in except for the upper shock mounts.
Dang, I never expected such a wealth of information! Honestly, when I posted this thread, I thought I'd get a lot of grief for even thinking about pulling the Flathead! Do you think the Explorer springs are too long or short? The truck is buried in a snowbank right now so I can't get the exact measurements on the springs.
Don't remember the length issue just the fact that the arch was way to much for the ride I was going for. You can see from the picture that the springs are just about flat and most of the others I looked at had about 12" plus of rise to them. My avatar picture show how the car is sitting now with these springs in it and it still up in the air. Again these are the lowrider springs not the standard. You may want to think about going with a 9" as another option also for bolt pattern. The drum brakes should be fine for a modest HP engine. I believe the bolt pattern will stay the same this way.(I hope someone else will verify this) You can sell the Explorer rear to someone who needs disc brakes and pick up a 9" from the cl***ified on here or craigs list. Just a thought. Here is a better side shot to see how high it sits.
Actually, I'm starting to think along those lines too. The farther I get into the planning stage, the more the variables snowball. First thing is I really like the way my 8" wide "F-150" wheels look on the car. Also I just completely rebuilt the front drum brakes and replaced the master cylinder last year. If I use the Explorer axle, all that gets thrown out the window for matching parts! It would be nice to find an early Bronco axle, but they are getting scarce and real pricey! Wow, too much thinking...my head is starting to hurt.
I used the C.I. kit with the low ride springs---nice kit, easy install, rides great. I went with a 9 inch rear axle, as the one I found was the exact same width, and bolt pattern as the old Ford. 8 inch Ford axles are too narrow.
Well I gave the donor Explorer back to the friend who gave it to me. His teenage kid thinks he's going to turn it into a "mudder truck". So now, I'm on the prowl for a 9" axle.
Well didn't really do much to the car over the Summer other than have too much fun driving it around and attending a few shows with the "oil thirsty" Flathead still under the hood. Bought a 9" axle out of a '59 f100 last week that has both the correct width & bolt pattern. It has a 3.70 ratio, but I have a local guy building a 3.00 for me that will make the car pretty highway friendly. Still looking at rear suspension ideas and thinking a little outside the box...possibly coils or has anyone else used the tranverse spring with a 9" axle? I see Speedway offers a kit to do it.
I've got all the catalogs laying out and going to start ordering parts over the next few weeks. I know everyone says it, but I'm on a pretty tight budget and can't afford exotic racing parts. This car is not being rebuilt for a profit as it will never be for sale (It's been in the family since new). The 302 & C4 are almost ready. I'll be buying the mounts from Ch***is Engineering. And I'll have a local shop modify the original radiator for me. Any input on the rear suspension would be great! Here my two main questions: * Details on using my original transverse set-up with the 9" axle or * What is a good donor vehicle for parallel leaf springs? (I know there's bolt on kits, but they're pretty high priced!) On a side note: There's a guy who wants to buy the original drivetrain (motor, trans & banjo) from me once I have it pulled out. Another guy wants just the engine. They both want me to shoot a price but I have no clue what it's would be worth? I can use the proceeds to help fund this project. The motor burns oil, but runs like a top and the trans+axle are both smooth with no leaks.
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