I hope it is for me anyway. I'm onto my third engine & tranny choice for my Model A project, before I've even gotten it mocked up. I wonder how many of you guys have done this, or worse. 1st Time: Was a 289 SBF with a 3 speed manual from a '66 Mustang. It needed to be re-built, but with about 80,000 miles on it I figured there was plenty of meat left on the block. Time got away from me and I had to give it away just before I moved to New Mexico from Tennesee in the fall of '07. I found it impossible to have it moved out here. I paid 500 bucks for this one. 2nd Time: Dumb Ass (that would be me) bought a '62 F-100 on ebay which was in New Mexico, before I made the move. I paid $800 for the truck and $300 to have it towed from Northern to Southern New Mexico. So $1,200 later (once I moved out here) I got to see my "driver" F-100. A driver it was not, but it had a running 223 in-line six in it with a three speed manual. A buddy of mine helped me pull the motor and tranny and I gave him the hulk for his efforts. 3rd Time: This was yesterday. Another buddy of mine has a very nice '60 F-100, which has a 289 SBF and AOD tranny in it. He's pulling the motor tranny and replacing it with a 351 Windsor and a five speed. This motor has 30,000 miles on it and runs great. So for $400 I'm now the happy papa of a 289 SBF again. So for $2,100, I've finally (I think) landed the final answer. I drove the truck it's in now and it hauls ass. This will be a "plug and play" engine and tranny install, so I'm very excited. Is anyone else as dumb as me about this? Oh yeah, I just sold (on ebay) a beautiful pair of Cal Custom finned valve covers which I bought for my first 289 SBF. Like I said........DUMB ASS!
I have picked up motors and transmissions for projects and had to rebuild them but I haven't had to spend that much [OUCH] figuring out what I was going to use........I only use sb fords unless I could find a cheap HEMI...yea right like that will ever happen..........Good luck with your Model A....
No, same here, but I didn't spend that much on engines.. For my '50 F1: First: First started with a 8BA flathead, with a 4 speed Second: Now building a Buick 248 Straight 8 (almost complete), planning to use a 3 speed Third: Just "found" a Zephyr flathead V12, with a 4 speed..may have to put that one in.
I bought a doner car for parts... I would have been better off buing the parts one at a time... Ended up replacing things I thought I could use with new stuff... got screwd in the end when it was hauled to the scrap plill (by someone else) befor I could finninsh parting it out. I lost about $500. Maybe $800... Pay to play around here...
Don't feel bad. My buddy started his A with the intentions of making it black with bias ply tires and a period SBC. Well 8 years later it was red with flames, BBC with zoomies and 18" wide Sportsman tires on Weld Drag Stars. Poor guy sold it a couple years ago due to some hardships for about a third of what he had into it (and it still wasn't finished).
I think I'll hang onto the in-line six for another project. Maybe a modified roadster, cause I'm keeping the roof on my model A. Besides, that way I've only blown it this bad on "paper".
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