Hey I got a 49 shoebox with the flathead 6 and 3 speed with OD. My question is how is this setup going to do for summer daily driver? How will it do on the highway? Will it handel 65/70 mph say to hot rod reunion (6 hour drive) motor runs like a top just haven't really driven the car. I've been thinking about a different tranny. Been told you can do the s10 tranny on the 6's with the V8 flathead adapter. But also been told you can't. A little info here? I just don't have the time or money right now to do a V8 swap right now. Any info or links to info would be great. Thanks Derrick
Yes, with the magic of OD it should cruise at OK at those speeds if the engine and all are in good shape.
Why do so many people think old cars won't drive everyday? That's what they were made for! As long as you do the usual maintenance before you hit the road you'll be fine. Usual maintenance: Check and rebuild or adjust brakes, especially the 3 rubber hoses. I always replace them unless they look like they were installed yesterday. Clean and check cooling system, replace all hoses if any are iffy looking. New fanbelt. Check all tie rod ends, steering components. Grease the chassis. Check the rear end grease and transmission lubricant. Change engine oil and filter, if any. Be sure your tires are good, check valve stems if tube-type or tubeless. Little or no cracking, checking etc. Don't forget the spare, good tire and air pressure. Check fuel filter and all line connections. Check fuel pump for signs of leakage, weep hole dripping or discoloration. The car, since it is an OD unit, may well be able to maintain a 65-70 MPH, but don't it push it that hard for the first hour or two so you can get an idea of what a normal 55 MPH is like. Remember, you're not in a race, the difference in time for a 500 mile trip between 50 and 55MPH is just under 1 hour, between 55 and 60MPH is only 46 minutes, between 60 and 65MPH is 38 minutes, between 65 and 70MPH is 36 minutes. So between 55 and 70MPH is 2 hours, big whoop! VERY IMPORTANT: Maintain your distance between you and the car ahead because the drum brakes, even when NEW, don't have the OOMPH that modern discs do! Other than that, the main concern would be turn signals (Most now drivers don't even know what hand signals are or mean!). It wouldn't hurt to have at least one outside rearview mirror in addition to the inside one, but R and L would be better. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, install lap belts for yourself and everyone who rides with you!
I would think he has cable that says "Overdrive" sticking out from the dash I would assume. Yes this combo will do freeway traffic all day long. I had a 49 with the same combo you have and drove it from Ventura to L.A. every day for 6 months in the blazing heat of Summer while I was building a new engine for my daly. It did fine. Never overheated and ran like a top 'till the day I sold it.
Also, I could cruise at around 70-75 mph all day long, but listen to PasadenaHotRodder and take it slow until you and the car become more comfy with one another. This is in no way a gurantee, your milage may vary.
I own and drive the flathead Ford 6 powered chopped 31 A coupe that has been in MAG-NETO and a couple of other mags over the years,the motor is great.the speeds you want are easily reached without strain.Headers,dual intake make the motor positivelycome alive.Good luck."Inline Charlie".
Thank you guys. Deffently most of what I was looking for. Anyone wanna chime in on s10 tranny swap. Deffently not my first old car. Just my first flatty powered one. Never messed with them. Never hear too many people talking about the flathead 6's. Thanks again guys
Nothing wrong with the six. It will run down the road just like all cars did then when they were stock. I would ck the overdrive and make sure it is working. I am sure it is 4-11 rear end so is geared a little low if it can't run in OD. Whatever you do DON'T try to modify the 6. There is allready too many of us Ford Flathead 6 guys on here looking for the hard to find speed stuff.
shit no one wants to talk about that engine. i have three 226 i made one good one for my shoebox. it sounds really good just havent driven it out of the garage yet got a leaky fuel pump and carb needs rebuilding. i have a couple of tranys all three speed but dont know if any are with the o/d?
If you pick one of those trannys up and its real heavy and has a bunch of weird stuff sticking out of it , thats an overdrive one. All the reg speed stuff was made for the 226's, finned heads ,2 & 3 carb manifols. headers. cams, Mallory distributor. Even an OHV head.Tthe stuff is really hard to find however.
And expensive. I found a 1 guy in N.Y. that had a 3x1 Knudson intake and head...wanted $2500 for em' and would only sell as a package deal. Cheapest intake I found was an old Edmunds for 600 and cheapest head I found (the car kind, not the back alley kind) was 800.
My old 51 had the 226 in it and with out the OD it would run out to 90mph! With the OD it would cruse nice at freeway speeds all day long, one of my buddys made his own split Ex and two carb intake, not that hard and gives it some poop, my carb of choise, the Holly 1904 with the glass flote bowl, DO NOT USE THE STOCK CARB! they are junk and crap out in the corners........................Roach.
Somewhere, I've got a 1950 Mechanics Illustrated with a comparison between a '50 Ford six and a '50 V8. The six outran the V8 from 0-70; the V8 didn't nose ahead of the six until 80 mph.
There are a bunch of calculators where you plug in your tire diameter, and gear and tire info. It will do the math and tell you what your rpm is at given speeds. The rule of thumb for long stroke motors is to cruise at no more the 80/85% of the RPM where HP is rated. Yours is rated at 95 hp at 3300 rpm, so if you figure 85 percent you would be at 2800 RPM give ot take. So if you run a 28.5 inch tall tire with a 4.11 rear end in 1 to 1 3rd gear you be running 59 MPH or 76 in a .70 OD. or the other way 70mph in od is 2300 rpm. Very Doable and comfortable for the engine. I run a Plymouth flathead 6, the hp rpm is 3600. I run a 29.25 inch rear tire. It has no od and a 4.11 rear end. At 65, it turns 3060 RPM. which is right at the 85%. I have run it from central NY to Vermont, Detroit, Virginia, and N Carolina. It does sound busy but it seems to have a lot of reserve, and has suffered no ill effects. It has about 8000 on a rebuild. So go enjoy, have a good time. And when you get out int he country get off the interstate, and travel the highway the Interstates replaced. And wink wink, nod nod there are a couple dual carb manifolds for Ford 6's on epay right now. A simple and easy way to wake up you engine a bit is to mill the head. If they are anything like the Plymouth, you gan take up to .070 off and still run regular gas. And the extra compression is the most bang for the buck you can do. the other thing to do is get one of those carb adapters and put a 2 bbl on it. Plymouth and Dodge had a 2bbl option in 56 and 57 for a 2bbl which added 8 or 9 HP. So a 2bbl and head work might give you 10 to 15 hp.
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