A v8 swap in one of those cars is a LOT of work, parts sourcing and fabrication. A 235 swap will be really easy.
I would agree. It only seems harder because you're dealing with stuff you haven't work with before. If you read carefully, you'll find that nearly everything invovled is factory stock parts. There is very little fabrication or aftermarket stuff needed to make it happen, regardless of what driveline setup you decide on. Good luck!
bingo! sorry to butt in, but that is the bit of info I have been waiting for. This resource never fails to impress me, thanks all of you.
nope. 53-54 powerglide cars had 3.55 gears and manual trans cars had 3.73 gears, but otherwise the same rear as the 49-52 cars. I'm not sure about the powerglide gears for 49-52 though, but I am about the 53-54 and know that the 53-54s are more desireable
Guys, 41-54 car rearend assemblies are interchangeable. Powerglide came out in 1950. All 50-54 Powerglide cars are 3:55. All 41-54 manual tranny cars are 4:11 except the 53-54 which are 3:70. 1940 cars can use the gears from a 50-54, since the splines are the same, but the driveshaft is shorter, so you can't just drop in the whole assembly. 37-39 cars are harder to do as the splines are different. I haven't tried it, but I believe that if you use the driveshaft from a '40 (which is only about a 1/4" longer than the 37-39), then you could again use the 3:55 gears from a 50-54. If you are doing a '41-48 and want to keep the 6 lug wheels, then just swap out the torque tube section.
There was a 3.73 gearset available from Chevrolet for the '37-'39 rears. A friend bought the contents of an old dealership and ended up with three N.O.S. sets---man, did they sell fast!
235 is the way to go. I had one in a '37 ford pickup with a tri carb setup and open zoomies with the stock three speed behind it and it ran awesome. Lotsa power and decent fuel mileage. I have always been a v-8 kinda guy but the 235 really impressed me.
Awww, you beat me to it. I was going to post that, but i wanted to check the numbers first. It looks like 37-39 Masters came with 3:73's. It also looks like '40 Masters did as well. So, it would appear that you could put 3:73's in a 41-54 car by getting them from a '40 Master, as well as getting 3;70's from a 53-54 manual tranny car. Also, '53 sedan deliveries were 4:11.
One day i will be as wise as u guys. I am going to change the 216 to 235 and keep everything else. The only thing i am not sure about is it says to change the water pump. Do i just get one for a 216 and bolt it on. The mounts are no problem and i am going to keep the 3 speed and keep the 6 volt starter. the pilot bushing needs to be for the 48 trans. corrrect. My wife is mad she wants horse power i want to cruise. I have a 36 and 35 dodge trucks i guess she is getting one of those tubbed and big blocked just stay away from my car. lol
Cool i am on it i tore the car apart today. I will get one the phone and order one. I realy appreciate the help i dont have anybody around here that dont just take your money. Like i said before i owe alot o people on here dinner. All the bread and complementry water when we all meet up.
Jeff, I think the 85's had the 3.70 gears and the master and Specials had the 4.11. I suppose you have one
Of coarse. I junked out a 32,000 mile car. Engine ran like a clock. I still have the body sitting on a rolling chasis. The fenders went on Dads '40. I like the straight ax up front, and the master 85 had the steel sill plates. The body was rusted through all over, from the inside out. A real mess. It was a grandma car so the rear end is good I'm sure. Jeff
You can buy a ready to go pump setup from Patricks, or you can buy an adapter plate off of Ebay that will allow you to use the older style pump, but you will need to drill and tap 2 holes in the engine to use it. Or you can get a WP pulley from a long pump SBC and press the hub down yourself. Chevy used the same old pilot bushing on just about everything. '48, '55.... whatever... its all the same...
you can get the same kit from Filling Station or Buffalo that you can get on ebay, but with some knowledge and warranties to back it up. You can also get a pump that's for your engine and press the shaft in and cut off teh excess, but you'll need a different pulley You can also use the longer pump that's for your engine, and just push the radiator out 0.5-1" That's what we did in my wife's '51. It worked great, didn't cause any clearance problems and only cost me a few washers. Then again, we didn't have a radiator support, so if you do, that might require some more fiddling, but it will work. Then again... that was a 51, but I think that will work in your 48
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