Well, the Roadster has been on hold for a while due to finances, and I'm finally getting back to working on her. I've been aiming to put a 59AB flattie in it backed by a 3 speed toploader, but that is proving to be quite expensive. I have a 292 Y Block sitting in waiting at my brother's house that ran when I pulled it out of my buddies Mercury Montclair, but it has a column shift transmission. I'm starting to lean really heavily towards putting the y block in it, but don't know if the toploader will fit. Now for some questions: Will the 3 speed top loader bolt up to the Y block? What other transmissions will bolt up to the Y block with the shifter on top? How well will the '41 banjo rear hold up against the Y block? Do I have to convert it to open drive? If so, where can I get the parts for the ****** to do the conversion if the old 3 speed is used? Will the '32 K member support this, or do I have to start over with the ****** mount? I've also got a whole gaggle of SBC's lying around, but I'm trying to avoid using them because that would be completely starting all over, and I've already got a SBC powered coupe. I want to do this one up differently. Attached are pics of the ****** I have. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
That top loader is best left to the flatty it came on. The Y block will go well with a five speed and an open rear in that car. They make a great combination. There are guys who use a top loader behind a more modern engine, but they are on borrowed time. Build it right, build it once.
Flathead. I put a '39 trans behind my '57 Corvette engine and know a ton of people with OHV engines using the same trans. It was the most common trans ran in the 40's and 50's so as long as it's used right it should hold up. However when ever you have a chance to use a flathead I would. They are just that cool.
y-blocks have more power and are cool looking i would go with the y-block flatheads are cool but like sbc,s are getting too much
The y block 3 spd bellhousing should be the same for all 64 and earlyer ford transmission (except HD truck trans). So you could stay with the ford 3 spd and get a floor shifter for it. Or... you can find a T-10 (a ford or studebaker one) and put it behind the y block (stronger and more fun). Or.... you could get a adapter that mates a Mustang T-5 to the y block bellhousing. Or... you can get the sam type of adaptor that adapts it to a chevy manual trans and you could use a camero or S-10 trans. If you are on a budget I would just use the stock for y block 3 spd and get a floor shifter for it. Then later up grade to a T-10 when you find one or a T-5. Leave the 39 box on the flathead or sell it to fund a better transmission. my 2 cents Im putting a flathead in my 31 coupe with a s-10 T-5. Since Im a y block guy its been hard to not put one in my coupe because there are a couple plusses like more power and better cooling that come with the Y block. But since there are plenty of y blocks in my family I had the need to go with the flathead. Not to mention the *****in sound!
Leave the 3sp toploader alone for us guys who think there's something unexplainably cool/retarded about putting a 3sp behind anything, just screams HOT ROD to me. Go with the 'T5' option all the closet street rodders are suggesting. T5's are like men wearing womens underwear, no one can see them.....but your still a ***
Hot rodding is improving the performance of your older vehicle with newer better performing parts. So whats the problem with improving the performance of your old flathead and y block with a better/stronger transmission with ratios that better suit modern day driving conditions. Yes a true histoically correct hot rod should have a 39 box in it but a traditional hot rod is a modern day machine built on the historical style of yesterday. Using a wire feed welder to build your hot rod makes you just as guilty of not having real hot rod.
I thought hot rodding was all about wearing the right clothes, talkin' the right lingo, building your car to fit in with the other hot rodders and calling everybody that doesn't do the same gay. At least that what some people seem to think.
Well lets not go the PT cruiser route thats just disgusting. Anyhow I got what you were talking about anyway. If he wants to do the flathead then sure use the 39 box, but if he is going to run the Yblock go with something else. Why would you want to put an old design transmission (39 box) behind a newer design motor. The reason they made those adaptors in the first place was so that you could put a "modern" V8 in your old ford so you didnt have to change out the whole closed drive line just to change the engine. They didnt make those adaptors so you could put a 39 box in a in a 56 Thunderbird, think about it... The thing that I think is "cool" about changing out to a modern transmission in any Rod or Custom is that you generally cant see it without really looking for it. Ive walked up to several hot rods that look like they were built back in 48 and nobody had changed anything on them, and only after some further looking was I able to notice that it had a T5. But what the hell thats just opinion.
I would use the Y block. Planning on using one in a car myself. I will be using a 80's ford truck 3 speed od. You have to modify them slightly. The 49-64 pattern is still on there. Just have to turn the bearing retainer down, change the bolts to allen cap screws. Drill the early bolt pattern the rest of the way through, (the old pattern was used for locating) except one will need a bung put in. and has to be bolted from the front. (hole goes into the case) terrence showed me this. We put one behind the 394 in my 54 olds. worked well.
There are plenty of old transmissions out there that fit the Y block and that's the way I would go but then I really like the old Y's and how they sound with the gl***packs. Y blocks are very dependable and will provide you with all the power you possibly need for cruising the streets or hiway
I say y block as well. I have one in my 54 with smithys gl***packs and it sounds great. Also have another y block waiting on a new project. Love them.
Hey guys, thanks for the input so far. Been out of touch working over time to keeping the mighty US NAVY Fleet running. I like the idea of putting a floor shifter on the transmission I have with the Y-Block, but the only shifter setups I've seen for these things involves 2 handles, and I just don't think I'm all that coordinated. Is there a shifter out there that adapts to the column shift transmissions to turn them in to floor shifters?
My 53 F100 is in need of an engine, The PO (Dad) got it in 86 with the original 6 cyl and it was almost done then. After a few years the block cracked and it gave up. He had it replaced with a used 351W from an 86 F150. Not rebuilt, just taken out of one vehicle and put into the other, so now in 2011 it is done too. I would really love a flattie, but asking it to move 5000 lbs of steel around is asking a lot, plus I think I can get a Y-Block rebuilt and into the truck cheaper and quicker. Doesn't really matter, I have no money, no place to work on it, and the grind of a job I have doesn't leave enough time. LOL
Why not run the y block with the 3 speed column shift that you have? Then use the Hot Rod Works or Speed Way Banjo open drive shaft conversion. Column shifts look cool plus you will have more room. But there is something cool about a top loader shifter sticking out. They just look cool. I have a 283 with a three speed in my 38 Ford and I have an old Ford Top Loader shifter that attaches to a Hurst three speed shifter linkage so I have the look of the top loader with the Chevy 3 speed. My brother gave me the shifter so I thought I would give it a shot.
Run the Y block. They make adapters for them to your old ****** or you could run the 3 speed behind the y block with wither a floor shift or the colum shift. If you must have a top loader and don't want to go the adapter route get yourself a granny 4 speed from a ford truck of the same era as your Y block. it is as good a ****** as the old top loader that you have. You can run the banjo if you don't put monster meats on it. Open drive cinversion kits are pretty cheap.
Y-Block no question. You get all the sound and feel no other engine can provide. Plus alot more fun with the overhead, and flatheads are everywhere. The Y-block is still pretty scarce relatively speaking. The guys who are saying ditch the three speed are mistaken. Build a solid three speed and it'll last for a looooong time. You just have to take the slack out before punching it. Ford gears are strong in compression but absolutely hate shock load. Or in short don't dump the clutch. The rear end is plenty strong for a Y-block. Just make sure the top end is getting oil and the Y-block will live forever too. I have used this very same combination and I drive the piss out of my cars. It was great and reliable and I sold the car the very same way and havn't heard of failure yet. I also know of several SBC to Toploader combos living long lives out there. The Ford gearbox is alot stronger than people give it credit for. After all it's the Idiot on the stick that kills them. Tim
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