ok, preface, I am very well aquinted with old cars. They have their limitations and breakdowns and failures are gonna happen as well as being high maintenance. I want to build a 30/31 coupe with a severe chop (I'm short) no lowering and a v8. I have a 50 merc flatty to build or a 64-67 327 Sbc. I would like to be able to drive this car to work in the summer. 60 miles one way at 70-75 mph. If I go with the flatty or the sbc I'm thinking T5 trans. Now, will the merc handle that kind of driving. I will build it mildly to run two strombergs. New ones. And can the original banjo rear end handle those speeds and live for very long. I'd love to keep the running gear pretty stock. Save for juice brakes. I love the looks of u split wish bones and the banjo. I'm not familiar with a flathead ford but I know sbc's like the back of my hand and would build it some what period for the early 60's with 3 two's ram horns and front mount. Thanks in advance for any advice Dustin.
- a well built car wont fail, brake down, or be high maintenance like you're thinking. -plenty of guys on here put 10,000 plus miles a year on there cars with just general maintenance - a heavy chop with no drop will look funny IMO - both motors can be built reliable to handle that much driveing. the flathead will cost about double the money what the small block will to build though - sorry cant answer the banjo question im not familiar
SBC with good brakes auto transmission and modern rear end. It'll run 75 all day and stop with safety. I would also run radial tires with the driving distances you are planning . Post pictures as you go.
I'd go with the SBC as well. I believe if you build it correctly you will not have the breakdowns, failures or high maintenance you mentioned. Most well built hot rods are very dependable, even if they're driven daily.
Wow thanks for the fast replys. I'm going for this type of look and build but finished out more. I was hoping to be able to keep the banjo but maybe a 9" would be better. Have the original wishbones been made to fit on later rear ends? Or will I need to go with something else? I will definately be staying with the buggy springs.
Smallblock chevys are the solution to all the flathead problems. The Ford flathead dominated because thats all there was until the sbc came along
At the very least, I'd go with a 39 or later banjo. The stock A won't last with the added HP. They make weld on brackets to mount split wishbones & stock spring over axle setups for almost any popular rear end.
I have a line on a later open drive banjo. Going to look for F1 stuff to convert the front steering and brakes.
When the modern engine has an issue on the road, water pump, no problem. Break down with the flattie and good luck getting that water pump at NAPA. Just keep that in mind if you want to drive it that hard everyday.
I love a flatty. Used to drive one in my 39 Fords to work often. Difference is I worked an odd shift. Not many others on the road and work was only 15 miles one way. I'd go SBC and later rear. No one will know with a hood unless you tell them. Have fun.
I like the Sbc idea for easy maintance. An 8 inch rear will fit good. But man you have to do something about the high water stance.
Yea I was sad to hear about serets coupe. It's exactly what I'm going for. And yea problems like a water pump or stuff like that will me much easier with the sbc. That's the direction I will go. Thanks for the advice guys.
Your plan is very do-able, but be sure to do a LOT of research before you start buying parts and cutting metal. Talk to the guys who have built and drive A's on a daily basis, not the squirrels who talk like experts but don't know squat from experience. If you're going to drive in traffic you'd better invest in modern brakes, an automatic overdrive transmission and a premium cooling system...and BIG flippin' tail lights! And, plan your drivetrain from the radiator back, not from the firewall forward. This may sound too simple, but a lot of people run out of fan and radiator hose room when they mount their SBC without cutting the firewall...and end up having to push the radiator forward which ruins the proportions of the car. A Snow White water pump riser will make your life sooooooo much easier, especially in Texas in traffic, because it allows you to run a big mechanical fan and centers it on the radiator core for best efficiency. A lotta guys short cut this issue with an electric fan, but the noise will make you crazy in a very short time. You'll get a lot of static from the so-called "experts" about cutting the firewall, but it's got to be done to fit a SBC into a Model A in such a way as to have cooling fan room up front and service the distributor in the back. With a coupe (or a coupester) you can move the seat to the rear to regain the foot room you'll lose when you move the engine back to where it's gotta be to give you enough room up front. If you go with a nice, modern rear axle you get nice, modern brakes AND a wide choice of axle ratios which you do not get with the early banjo. To drive your car 150 miles per day you're going to want both. Same for the exhaust system. Cast iron manifolds and quiet glasspacks running under the car and out the back are your friends. I'd go with either a Corvair or a Monza steering system, a dropped axle, split 'bones and disc brakes in the front to make the car safe and easy to drive. The parts are all available from a number of suppliers and will make a night and day difference in a daily driver. Great plan. Good luck with it.
I just had my very first experience with an old 292 Y-block, and I hated it!!! I'll NEVER and I do mean NEVER have an old Ford with and old ford motor in it!!!! As a matter fact I decided today to quit messing with this y-block and send it to a metal recycler and put a GOOD OL Chevy in my 59 Rancho. Unless you enjoy constant head aches and absolutely no oil to the top end of your engine. STICK WITH THE DEPENDABILITY OF AN CHEVY!!
Yea that's my thoughts on the rear. Maybe a GM 10 bolt to go with the chevy running gear. Find one with some high 3's gearing and coupled with tall bias plys get good high way gearing. I know the bias plys will road walk and the straight front axle makes it worse but I hate radials on an A. Even though I'm going modern-ish drive train I want the kind of traditional look and feel. I know the tall stance with a big chop is not for every one but I dig it. Looks early drag race to me and that's my thing. Oh and drum brakes all around. No discs.
Been a lot of advice offered here, and you can take your pick. But I would go sbc/T5/9" Ford rear. With the 9" rear you've got a broad range of ratios available by juist changing the pumpkin, not having to pull the whole rear and go thru all the BS to change ratios. My '40 coupe is very happy with a 3.73/T5 although it is a sbf 302. Nobody else has mentioned this: Don't depend on the old Ford wishbones to hold any rear axle that isn't torque tube drive. The OEM wishbones were meant to hold the axle square, and the torque tube supplied the pushing to move the car forward. Do some research here on HAMB and elsewhere on reversing the stock firewall for engine room.
I know you said you are short. but I had a 46 Studebaker pu that was chopped 4" it looked cool as hell but was really uncomfortable to drive and I am only 5ft6 now having said all that plan on bomber seats or a custombuilt seat flat on the floor . my vote is sbc . and I have been around since ol school was elementary Tom
That's definately my thoughts with a T5 and 9". I love the look of unsplit wishbones but I may have to save that for a banger roadster or something. And yea ive seen the firewall reverse trick. Will definately try that.
I hate to say it but for a Model A to do what you want it to do - 120 miles per day, 5 days a week, 70 -75 mph in commuter traffic - you are going to have to build a street rod, not a traditional hot rod. If you try to put traditional parts together for this purpose you are going to spend an awful lot of time sitting by the side of the road...and eventually prying yourself off the back end of a mini-van. To be successful, form must follow function, not the other way around. It's nice to dream, but driving a traditional hot rod as a commuter car just isn't going to happen...at least not for long. I still like your idea and hope you'll follow through on it, just in a more realistic fashion.
Either engine in good shape and geared properly will handle highway speeds for 120 miles a day. You rear end doesn't care how fast you go it cares how much torque you throw it and then it is mainly only a real issue if you get traction. Again it needs to be up in shape and not already rode hard and put up wet. Oh and 3 deuces by the 60s were on there way out in favor of two fours. Not to say that you didn't still see that setup, just that two fours was the hot setup. Anyway have a good time and if it stops being fun stop doing it.
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