That was my plan at first.. But there is this sick wiring harnest in speedway that has everything labled and is very spacific (used it to wire my dads hotrod), and I want to stick with kind of original hotrod theme thing.. haha! But, I wanted a bigger, faster, more reliable motor, and I also liked the 3 speed. Haha! Rims and Tires also comin from speedway. Breaks..... Eh... Haha! That might need a parts car. or just grab some from a s**** yard But! I agree with you! That is a very good idea! That was my first idea untill I got informed I could do it this way. Thank you also for your input. Everything is appresiated!
When I read your post the first thought through my mind was why not a turbo 350 or 400. I'm glad to see many others agree with me, and as far as it goes I agree with lorodz, a donor car is the way to go. You'll be amazed at the amount of stuff you'll be able to strip off one. If you do try to use the existing ****** you will probably be able to pull tree stumps out but it'll be tough to do highway speeds. Mike
Yah, he is around, and he is a very good mechanic! I learned everything from him. Thats way kool, about the photo! I will deffinately look for it a good home!
Man it is good to see a young guy building a hot rod. When I was 13 my old uncle gave me a 53 ford panel it was an old dry cleaners van it had a flat head that was stuck we could not get it free. I lost interest and bought a nova wished we had finished it . My advise get a 350 combo disk brake kit and change the rear end get where you can drive it then you can do other parts as you have time P.S. girls will take a lot of your time !!and money !!
I have 2 turbo 350's of unknown condition in my shop. I picked them up from an estate so that they would not get s****ped, along with some other stuff. Again, I don't know if either, or both, are good. One is a short shaft (I think) and one very long, out of a van I believe. I have no use for them...and I would give you one or both if you are interested and can figure out a way to get them from WI to Kansas....Hamb relay for a kid, anyone?
Hotrod95 , I am really glad to see a young man taking on the old skool hotrod instead of the cookie cutter rice burners that most buy . Personally , I would highly consider not doing a trans adapter . They do work but with a 350 and I am sure will be cammed up at some point , I really think you should consider another route . Yes it will work but I really don't think you will be very happy with it . There are a lot of good 4 speed car trans out there and at some really decent prices . Muncie are costly but a Saginaw is a damn good trans and I know you will enjoy that much better that the truck trans you have now . With the 4 speed you still keeping that Old Skool build but very reliable . Instaed of spending your hard earned money on Speedway , take your time and consider other options as in making some things yourself with a welder . You can also search good old C/L for a donor . Just remember this , If they tell you it ran when pulled , the expect to rebuild that engine ! You are young and some people will take advantage of you so please be careful when buying a donor from someone . Take you Dad along to check it out for you . As for a wiring harness , give Glenn33 a PM and check out what he has . He has one of the best wiring harnesses I have seen and Glenn will help you with any problems you might run into with the rewire . His kits are also made in the USA ! I will tell you will not find a better deal from anyone . His prices are the best ! Good luck with your build and keep those picture as you build your Dream Truck ! Retro Jim
Wilcap adaptors are $500. you can find a good TH350 w/ torque converter for less...keep playing that kid card too. everyone likes a young motorhead. good luck.
Im not telling you how to build your truck, but i think a sbc and 350trans would last longer in the long run. My Dad did a 50 f-1 in the early 80's with a 390 ford and a c-6, out of a Ford torino. He said he used the radiator and pretty much everything else out of the torino. You could also do the same with a impala/camaro also. Just anather option.
Ha Ha! Now just how many did you break Mr Squirrel? My thought was with the original rear end having somewhere in the 3.90-4.10 gear range, that the 5 speed would get him more up to highway driving speed and help with the gas. If you do go this route, I would look for a world cl*** behind a v-8.
Weather you use the stock 3sp trans or a th350, th400, powerglide etc... they all run 1:1 final drive. If you want to lower the rpm at highway speed, you can run a taller tire in the rear, change the rear gearing, or run an overdrive trans. Using a th350-400 wll not change your engine speed (rpm) at highway speeds. A sbc should have no trouble with 4.10 gears at highway speeds. You should be able to fit 30 inch tall rear tires with no trouble which will reduce the effective gear ratio of te rear.
I've never owned one, but I've driven a few cars with them. Too damn many gears. It's like driving a fricken toyopet.
When I was younger I had a 49 ford F-1. It came to me with a 67 Mustang 289 V/8 and the mustang automatic transmission with the original ford pickup rear axle. It all worked great until I got out on the hiway. The old ford pickups like ours came with a low 4.27 rear gear ratio. That's LOW! It means your engine will be spinning really fast while the truck will be struggling to keep up with todays traffic speeds. For this reason, I'd lean towards using an overdrive transmission in your pickup. If you do, you can leave your stock rear axle in place and still be able to keep up with traffic without using a ton of gas and listening to the engine scream at high RPMs. A T-5 manual transmission [5th gear is an overdrive gear] would work for you or one of the fine overdrive automatics [chevy 2004-R or a 700R-4] will work. The automatics are a little easier to install becaause you don't have to figure out clutch linkage but I've always believed a hotrod pickup should have a manual trans.Just a personal choice of mine.
When I was a youngster in high school, a friend had a 48 F1 with a stock 283 in front of the original floor shift trans. He didn't seem to have any trouble with it, but the speed limit was 55 back then...not that it mattered, because he just drove it around town. He even took it to the drags one night, I think he ran low 17s?
I agree with the buying of a donor car school of thought. Get the SBC/****** all in one shot. While you're at it, measure the track width of your F1 and look for a car you can also use the rearend out of so you're not stuck with those 4.27:1 drag-pak gears.
Is there any way to find out if the ******s are any good? That would be sick! Thank you for helpin out man! If you can find out if either one of them work, I would be willing to just pay shipping for the freakin thing, haha! The Automatic transmissions just sound like a smarter idea for short and long term usage. Thank you VERY much.
The rear end under you truck is a rugged and hard to kill, but you don't have much selection of gear ratios ('49-'51 Mercurys used the same rear ends as F-1 pickups, but they weren't geared a whole lot higher). At Interstate speeds with your stock trans, you'd be turning RPM's like a Winston Cup stock car. Taller rear tires and an overdrive gear will help a lot, but a popular alternative is a rear end out of a '57-' 72 Ford F-100 pickup. These come in a wide variety of ratios. By the late 60's, a high percentage of pickups had automatic transmissions, so it's not too hard to find one with a good cruising ratio. Wheel bolt pattern is the same, so you can keep the stock wheels if you want it to be a sleeper. The F-1 front brakes are good as drum brakes go (hot rodders used to swap them onto older Fords). If you want a manual trans, I would go with the T-5 out of an S-10 pickup. The shifter location is a little further back than the original trans shifter, but still far enough toward the front to keep from hitting your seat. The Non-World Cl*** trans from an S-10, if it's in good condition, wil hold up fine in normal driving with a mild small block Chevy. I have a 307 and T-5 in Henrietta th3 '38 Ford pickup. I was 14 years old in 1966 when I acquired my truck for $15.00.
Yeah....I was hoping someone would know what they used in those trucks. I think it might be the 40. If so, it's a reasonably strong rearend, ***uming it's in good condition.
You have received excellant advice from here, as is the norm. Good luck with your project whichever direction you go.
When I had my 26' stude going, I had a 44 dana under it with 4.56's. I had a pretty snotty 350 in it (about 365 horse). The only thing I did with that car was burnouts, and never had any problem with it, but the car is only about 1200 pounds.... If your truck has anything over 4:11 gears, I would swap it out, if its going to be your everyday driver...DUB
I was thinking about your dilemna with the gears, and remembered that I put 4.56 gears in my 59 chevy pickup in 1980 (I was 19). I drove it that way for about 5 years. Wasn't too much of a big deal
I ran 456s with a 3500 stall on the street for about 10yrs. went from CT to Boston, Rhinebeck, Parsipanni several times each. Took them out because I started making more power and couldn't hook on the street.
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