Hey Gang, I recently aquired an old ford 1949 f6 dually dump bed, with an original flathead engine, i wanted to know if there is a modern ford engine that would bolt up to the 1949 manual transmission? Thanks i am an old chevy guy with no knowledge of fords.
By modern engine, do you mean newer than 1960 but older than '95? If so, then yes, with an adapter. But adapters are expensive enough that an engine-plus-transmission swap could yield a better result. Both financially and practically. And since you are Chevy savvy, an adapter would also allow a SBC to nestle there.
Yes I thought that maybe like a 351 cleveland would bolt in with no adapter for the stock three?speed trans,i did find the adapter from speedway for the chevy, just wanting to take the easiest route to get her running!Thanks Ravenwood
That F6 transmission was not user friendly when it was new. A good truck engine would be a 460 with the modern five speed truck transmission, but I dont know if the newer trans has a place for the PTO.
Not enough info to make a recommendation. What flathead? V8 or 254 six? The big 6 was usually mated to a synchro'd 4 spd (T98) Is the flathead dead? 6 or 8, they're torque-y engines and would do the job for you.
The stock trans in my 49 Ford F-6 COE was a huge beast and I believe 4-speed if my memory is right. It was behind a flathead V8, but I never drove it - truck purchased without the engine. I have heard that it was a non-synchro unit, but it became s****. I did keep the bellhousing (sometimes called a hogshead) and trans input sleeve/retainer, since they are used by people swapping the later 39-up Ford 3 speeds into earlier engines; made somw swap meet money selling them. Since you have open drive, just swap a complete engine and trans ***embly from a newer (your choice and definition) into the truck, it will fit.
It looks like I'm the ***** who said it. I have seven vehicles with Ford engines, three more Ford engines sitting in the shop. (Four flatheads total). I bleed Ford blue. I have one Chevy and it's in a Vette. But, if a Chevy engine is more practical for some given reason (this gentleman said he is Chevy proficient) then, what's the harm? I share the Smokey Yunick theory. When asked which engine can deliver the most power, Chevy or Ford, he answered, "the engine doesn't know what name is on the valve cover". An engine is mostly cast iron, steel and aluminum, regardless of the name. If the crankshaft spins and power and dependability are acceptable to the owner... where's the cause for despair?
IIRC the 49-53 setup is kind of an oddball, but either a Y-block or FE/FT fits in that engine compartment very well. Too bad you're not closer, I have a complete FT with bell/flywheel/clutch that would let you use any of the common later medium truck trannies. If it's just gonna be a putter, a regular pickup granny 4-speed setup should be pretty easy with an FE. The '52 F1 I just bought has a stock Y-block in it, and you'd swear it came that way, fits so sweet
I am big on the idea of the 460, I have a 460 in my O/T Dually, and it has the 5 speed behind it. I am certain there are options, as I believe this is the same transmission in a lot of the tow trucks around here. FOr whatever reason, the Tow truck industry and the ambulance industry are Ford dominant around this neck of the woods. They also put a 5 speed similar to mine behind the diesel engines, but not sure if the bell housing is different.
If the flathead is running, just drive the old truck and enjoy it. If the motor is dead and you want to make a fast and easy swap, drop in another flathead. You can find adapters on here and the auction site to swap in all kinds of motors to the old flathead vehicles and you can find mounts too. I had an old '66 D300 dodge truck and everyone said to pull that old poly 318 and go with a modern motor like a newer 318 or 360, got the poly running and drove that truck for 10 years with the old motor in there and it ran great, sold it still running so it can be done, just my .02 cents and boring *** story. Cliff Ramsdell
thanks guys lookslike i have some fodder with which to fight . the engine is a flathead 8 which is free but not running at this stage of the game ill try to get her rolling,if not ive got a 454 in the shed.Thanks for all the great input, i really appreciate it!!
I had a 371 Olds on a 49 truck transmission once when I was a kid. The adapter was about as simple as they get. Just a ring that bolted to the engine and the ****** bolted to that.
Never seen a 460 in one, it's physically bigger than an FE, and I've also never seen any valve covers and such that "fit" for that era. The Y-block and FE have been done many times and fit pretty well, and look right in there- you can use older round-top VC's on the FE. A Chebbie just doesn't belong in there
The ZF-5 used behind the 7.3 IDI diesels (pre-powerstroke) is close but not the same. The bellhousing pattern is not the same as 460, but appears close. I have an IDI diesel and the ZF-5 is a nice trans.
I just traded a '49 F-4 that had a 351W and T-98 4 speed in it. The guy that did the swap was going to use a 429 with the same trans but ran into steeringbox to exhaust manifold clearance issues. A side note, mid '60's Dodge 5 lug motorhome wheels are a direct bolt on.
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