Ok so heres the deal....have a 42 ford truck...i plan on building my own frame..yadda yadda....i have a 61' 394 olds motor roto-matic and rear end for it......but then other day..buddy offered me a fresh 351 windsor and ford 9" rear end.....do i go with the olds or put the newer 351 in it???
no substitute for cubic inches...and I just like big Olds V8s - they look a lot more 'right' in a hot rod
Your buddy offered you a fresh 351 and a nine inch. You didn't mention the condition of the 394 olds motor/roto-matic/ear end. Your '42 will scoot right along with the 351 and the Olds, while bigger, will take a pickup bed full of money to make it right if it needs work.
Yeah the olds needs some work....along with trans....but my fear is it wont have the right look with the windsor...but less money to get it on road
Cool vs cost, that is your trade-off. Olds is a great engine choice, put a modern trans behind it and use the Olds rear - perfect traditional choice. Windsor and 9-inch, lower cost and good hot rod choice. Either can be a good driver. Olds will get the wow factor, Windsor will get the ho-hum factor.
I'll put the same type of build in an Olds 324(iron heads and a little cam)... Let alone a 394 up against that Ford any day. Don't under estimate the power and torque of the Olds.
its your truck, you shouldnt be asking what you should run in it!! although a 5.8 would look AWESOME and at home in the truck...
Gimmie the 351W. Forget the olds, they are boat anchors, and no matter what you do, it will still be slow. I think this is a no brainer !!
If it's a streetrod go with the Ford if it's a hotrod go with the Olds. Circa 1964 394 Olds with a hydramatic. He claimed that 409s were never a problem for his stick shift 61 Holiday coupe but a highly modified 327 caused him to give up on the street racing. 351s are great engines but boring. JMHO
I want to thank you all for th input....laying in bed last night and thinking non stop about this build..i have decided to go with the olds....that olds has my soul..it come out of my daily driver for two years..my beloved dynamic 88... So again..thank..i will post pic of build as i progress....this will be my first one like this..building a frame and all.....wish me luck
If you "laying" in bed did you have eggs this morning??? You made the right choice going "olds" school.
The Olds motors are great but that trans sucks and probably hard to find someone who can rebuild it right,if you want to use the olds find a 57 to 60 jetaway or the earlier hydramatic.
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