Hey guys! me and my son are looking to putting a Iron Duke 2.5 liter into a 1929 ford model a fordor. We are putting a T4 manual 4 speed behind it. We were wondering on what rear end to go with? Any thoughts? Also would the iron duke fit okay in the engine bay? thanks!
I have been following the comments on fordbarn. Most of them are not very nice but they do provide valuable information. The valuable information is that you shouldn't plan on too much acceptance from the stock Model A crowd. I am going to post here what I posted there since you probably have given up reading that site by now. I have been down the path you are about to embark on. In 1985 I was almost finished restoring my 1932 Ford roadster and decided to change course with a later engine. I wanted an engine that could be reliably built by a modern speed shop. I wasn't happy about what I was hearing about the shops that rebuilt the Model A/B engines (which based on current posts hasn't changed much) I wanted a little more horsepower and reliability but not a cookie cutter hot rod with a small block Chevy. My desire was to change as little as possible so the car could be restored easily in the future. I elected to go with the 181 cubic inch Mercruiser Marine engine. Although few of the parts are interchangeable this engine is close to the Iron Duke in size (yes, in answer to your question the Iron Duke will fit fine into your engine compartment) and displacement. There are a lot of fortunate coincidences that make this engine a good choice for a 1932 and only slightly more work for a Model A. The Mercruiser is a next generation of the 153 cubic inch Chevy II p***enger car engine. It never made it into a car but was used in Mercruiser Marine installations and as an industrial engine by GM. Almost everything on the engine except the block, crank and cam was common to the other GM engines making it relatively inexpensive to build. The bolt pattern at the back of the engine was the same as a small block Chevy engine which made it easy to adapt an early Ford transmission, which is a bolt in for a 1932. Be sure to check the bolt pattern on the back of the Iron Duke, I think I heard the rear wheel drive engines were the same as a small block Chevy but the engines from front wheel drive cars was different. The brake pedals and front wishbone attach to the center cross member in the 1932, a problem that needs to be addressed in the Model A that can probably best be solved with aftermarket brackets intended to install an early Ford V8 transmission in a Model A. The stock frame, rear end and steering was very compatible with the engine. I elected to find a generator instead of going with an alternator (the same bracket might work on an Iron Duke). The engine fit very well in the engine compartment (which is the same size as a Model A). I actually needed a long spacer to get the fan close enough to the radiator. A coat of Ford engine green paint made the engine almost look like it belonged there. From a practical standpoint the conversion was a great success. And now for the down sides of the conversion. The main problem came with the lack of acceptance from the restorer crowd. You have been given a firsthand example of this with the responses to your post. Some people bemoaned to lack of acceptance in the posts but I feel it may have given you an important insight about what you will be dealing with in the future. From the outside my car looks stock with Brewster Green body, black fenders and apple green wheels. This doesn't fit very well with the hot rod crowd. Maybe a little speed equipment would have helped me get accepted by that crowd. I built the car to keep and still have it. If I was forced to sell I would take a loss due to this choice of an engine. As I have gotten older and more conservative I am seriously considering putting an original engine back into the car. That is my next project. I am sure glad that part of the criteria in selecting this engine was that I could restore the car at a later date if I decided to do so. In closing my advice would be to add a little speed equipment to the stock Model A engine and convert to hydraulic brakes. Charlie Stephens <!-- / message --><!-- edit note -->
Great piece of info Charlie. Yah, there will always be some neigh-sayers but i think it's a great idea. As far a s rear end there are a lot of choices. V6 S10 Chevy rear will work. Several ratios to choose from. As for me, I'd pop for a T5 instead of a T4 for the overdrive.
As you can tell I am not the right person to ask about a rear end choice. Isn't there a Ford Bronco rear that is about the right width and would give him 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern so he could run original wheels or bent spoke Kelsey's? This brings up an interesting question, what is the overall car going to look like when it is finished? Charlie Stephens
Yes, Bronco has 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern and is the right width. You have to watch the gear ratio. They run from 3:00 to 4:09. 4:09 would wind that four a bit too much. You will still need an adapter disk for either the stock wheels or the KH spokes. As far as looks, the "A" body can look as stock as you want it to look. Paint the engine stock green and tell everyone it is a Miller High Speed /Schofield/ or a Cragar overhead conversion.
wow thanks alot guys! Yea charlie i really wasn't expecting the reaction i got on fordbarn, not much of a car guy and wasn't sure how important originality was to them. but yea do you guys think that changing the rear axle is absolute necessary? our main reason was for better brakes.
And charlie we considered keeping the original engine and just jackin her up a bit, though we wanted an engine that would fire right up everyday, and be as reliable as something like the iron duke. Would that be possible with the original 4 cylinder in the car? We kept the interior original, and the body. Shes gonna be gunmetal grey, black vinyl leatherback, black fenders, gunmetal rims with white rings.
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