Hi All, I was working on my 50 ford over the weekend. We rebuilt the engine a year or so ago and had just finished instaling new wheel cylinders, pads and brake lines and was moving on to upgradind to a dual master cylinder. In the process i noticed a small rusty spot on the bottom of the frame. No problem looks like it could be fixed....... NOT! After a little poking the entire length of the frame along the rockers is paper thin on both sides. I can't believe I was driving it. In short I need to determine what to do next. I've got a good flatty and trans and a 50 chevy I've been wanting to repower (kind of bored with what's in it). I've been wanting to down size on the number of projects anyway. In the years past (50's and 60's) did anyone put the flat head Ford in a Chevy? It would definitely be different...... I'm not sure about traditional? All the parts would be from the same year.... 1950. What do ya think?
Always wanted to do something like that to get back at all of the Chevy motored Ford guys. Go for it!!
I once saw pictures of a '57 Chevy with a Ford flathead in it. Even as a Ford guy, I didn't like it. But then again, it would be a conversation piece if that's what you want.
Why go through all of the trouble? Sell it to a Ford guy or trade the Chevy for a Ford needing a motor. In Northern Calif there is a '55 Chevy running a big block Ford. You car, your stuff do as you like.
I realize that, but it seems like lots of people think that there aren't any motors to use except Chevys. Hell, it don't seem to matter what the car is, they just grab a small block Chevy and think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Then some of them are embarr***ed about it and adapt Mopar or Ford valve covers to them to try and hide the fact.
Yeah, I hate when they do that. Then they try to justify it by saying the Chevy was easier or cheaper to build. Just don't lump those yahoos in with us Ford guys. j/k
I guess I just don't see the Return On Investment with sticking a Flat V8 in the place of a stovebolt. Lots of sweat with little payoff. I'd sell the motor and do something with the Chevy or vice-versa. If it was an earlier/lighter Chevy (like a 20s or early 30s model), I'd be all over it.
This is certainly not unprecedented--I think I just saw such a car in an early Hop-Up mag, with even some tech... BUT! My thoughts, which will probably draw deat threats from both Ford and Chevy fans... the '49-53 Chevy is an unworthy piece of **** unless you just want low and slow...mediocre everything performance wise, corners like a bowl of jello on flat tires, low-grade prewar ch***is hidden under semi-modern body. Far worse ch***is than either a '49-51 Ford or a '48 and back Ford. I've driven both flavors; Fords were meant to be rodded, early Chevies were meant to be driven to the Shriners' meeting, slowly. Sorry. That's the way it is. Find another shoebox with solid underside, and you have not only your engine but everything else that's good in your current car to transfer. Find an earlier Ford, and you need only a little work to transplant the late flatty. And on Ford swaps--I regard the SBC as the proper annointed successor to the flathead. Every parallel later Ford engine, Y or 289 type, is a lousy fit in early Fords and is going to produce less power for more money than a Chevy. There, now everyone hates me--oops, gotta find some way to offend the Mopar types.
No problem, Hank obviously opened a can of worms with this post, but sometimes it's just fun to build something different for the sake of pissin off the purists.
Hmmm... I've also driven both, and my experience was just the opposite. Go figure. Guess it all depends on everything else?
I'm more of a Ford guy. If this was going into a '30s Chevy coupe or something I would say "Cool, that is a traditional hot rod" But by the 50's I think it's a little odd. Yes, I know the SBC V8 didn't show up until a little later, but it was still not a very common swap. Was it done, yes. But most were probably swapped out in favor of the SBC a few short years later. What about buying a new frame for the Ford and keep it a Ford in a Ford?
Stoplight to stoplight, cornering really don't matter much. Had a couple of '50 Chevys back in the mid '60s and they weren't really that bad. Then again, I've had old Fords, a '48 Buick, a '55 Olds, and a couple of '63 Internationals and some other stuff. They are all fun, it's just in how you go about enjoying them.
Yes, those old chevy suspensions and front ends are by far the worst handling setup I have ever seen. I ran mine with the original rebuilt front end for three years until I could afford to change it. Bottom line... they were built for the farm on dirt roads and fields at 40 mph max. I think a Y-block-289 or such is also a great alternative for a Ford. Expense for the power??? Now if that were an issue here we wouldn't even know what flatheads were would we??
My brother in law had a 40 Chevy pick up witha Ford strajght six in it. It was a unique ride for sure. He traded it for a paint job on a 55 Ford victoria, that was a nice car. Rags
Almost forgot those front ends. That's why I had a '41 Merc front axle under the nose of my '57 Chevy wagon. Wasn't made for Nascar but worked real good in a straight line and kept the bumper from s****ing the pavement.
I saw pictures of a Corvette (post '68 coke bottle body style) with a flathead ford v8 in it in the last year.
I see the pot has been stirred..... As for the chevy being slow????? Nobody said it was stock.... I am just bored with it. The twin turbo'd small block has plenty of power... just loves to eat 93 octane and can be a bit finicky so it doesn't get driven as much as I would like. The point behind using the flatty was..... well I just happen to have one. The body on the 50 ford is pretty solid. I have thought about finding a good frame.... it's just a bigger iron in the fire than I wanted. Too many in the fire right now as it is. Thanks all for the replies. If anyone has some pictures of flatties in late model (50's for the HAMB) chevy's I'd like to see them.
Interesting thought. I've got one for you. I have a fresh, zero mile '48 flathead and the wife's '97 Eldorado w/Northstar V8 has about 200,000 miles on it. Now, could any of you give me some hints about what it would take to install the flatty with an adapted 2 spd '53 Dodge automatic and converting the whole thing to rear wheel drive. I've got an open weekend in a couple of weeks and if I can pull it off I think it would be a swell way to keep from having to buy her a new car for a few years. There's a NASCAR race on that Sunday afternoon but I figure with a little preplanning I could be done with the swap in plenty of time for the race. I'm sure many of you guys have done the same/similar swaps so give me some hints about what the sticking points are. Frank PS, I plan to leave the 2 bbl on the flathead so mileage should end up being about the same. Any thoughts?
I was thinkin of dropping the Ford small block out of my pick up into my 48 Chev, just to get thier goats
Where there's a will, there's a way... In fact, lemme' help with the offense: My Old Pig Ain't Running Well, gotta' go pull the 383 block out of the wife's car so I can go pick up a rear axle. -bILL
I remember this too. Typical warm flattie with heads and 2 carbs, in a '49-'52 of some sort. The article was pretty much about the engine; I'm not even sure there was a picture of the car's exterior. I think it was in a large-format magazine, rather than little pages -- could have been late Hop Up, Motor Life, Hot Rod.
What would it matter? Your looking to get your Chevy on the road with a little economy. During the 50's (when I was a kid) a guy would use what he had to get back on the road. I've seen a Nash in a Dodge, a 430 Lincoln in a Chevy pick-up, a Y-Block in a Crosley drag car, Buick stright 8s in dragsters, HEMIs in '57 Chevys and so on... I built a '36 Plymouth with a '56 Ford Y-Block-Merc-O-Matic, and a '40 Chevy P/U with a Ford 6 banger/C4.Go for it and build a real old school Hot Rod.
There was a guy from Oregon running at Bonneville one year with a flathead Ford powered 67 Camaro. Now that would have pissed of the chevy guys!
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