So im yarding the 283 outta my 41' Nash coupe in favor of a 454 chevy. With this come more weight, and more power. Iv recently been working on the car again, mainly because im not happy with the work i did on the car, and feel that i now have the skills to bring it up to the next level. Heres the kicker. One thing im not happy with is the frame. Its a 41' chevy frame with a badly clipped 68 camaro clip. One frame rail is an inch longer than the other, plus it was twisted all to hell. I got it close and have racked up lots of miles on the car, but i just have never liked knowing some things were wrong. So heres my thought. Im going to build a new frame from 2x3x.125 wall tubing, parallel leafs in back. Up front im thinking of going with a straight axle, but not street freak high. just fit the wheel in the arch well. I have a model A axle and spring with hairpins, but whats everyones though on somthing like this with a big block for power? I know the leaf pack would need to be heavier, but after looking at the price tag on the Speedway kit for the g***er axle, im alomst leaning toward monoleaf. Thoughts? suggestions? Insults? I wanna change my car up
Will parallel leafs fit in front too? Get the front axle and springs and stuff from a 41-46 chevy truck, add 51-59 truck brakes and 51-54 car hubs. You'd have to have a kickup at the front of the frame.
What do you plan to do with the car? Drag race, show car? 41 Nash with a 454 and Model A axle, I hope you don't plan on driving it? Because you won't, for a lot of reasons that should be obvious. In other words, if you think it's F**ed up now, just wait.
in my opiniuon 2 x 3 tubing is waaaay too small for a frame for a car like you are decribing.......2 x 4 would be a minimum, i think, and with a wall thickness greater than an 1/8" .............a Model A axle serves best under a Model A or light hot rod. Squirrel has a good recommendation if straight axle is what you want. Ray p.s...has $4.00 a gallon gas not yet arrived in the PNW??
Lately I have been looking into using Jaguar front and rear suspension in a similar project. I am impressed with the way both are self contained units, a**** other things. Would be much easier to build into a new frame than what you are describing. Very strong and capable of handling the big block power. Excellent ride, handling and braking qualities. Not expensive if you shop for a broken one, or find the right junkyard. Might be worth considering.
Dynaflash, I have to agree with squerrel too. Model"A" axle to light. and a single leaf buggy sprung style would handle evilly.
Just my 2 cents, but I'd forget the "A" axle, and if you have your heart set on a straight axle I'd go with what Squirrel said, but I'd add power steering to help with the extra weight. If your going to build your own frame, go with bigger tubing then 2x3----------and a Mustang front end (I KNOW ITS NOT TRADITIONAL) but just a thought.
I will repeat what everyone else has said. front cross leaf in a nose heavy 3200-3500lb car will be evil, and not in a good way. Parallel leafs are a must if you are putting an axle in this car.
Consider this. I've done some research on the big fella, and depending on who you ask, the big motor weighs anywhere from 76 to 110 pounds over the mouse. Having said that, weight isn't as much an issue as torque. The big motor is going to put forces on your ch***is it hasn't seen yet. Add to that the fact that you will need better brakes than you can mount on a typical A axle, and it's starting to look like an IFS may be the best idea in the long run. Buggy sprung front ends are adequate at best in cars over 2,000 pounds.
We need more information. What do you want the car to do once the work is done? In any case, 2x3x.125 tube is too small for a car as big as your Nash. If it were mine, I'd put the 283 back in so I could drive the car while scratch building a properly kick*** ch***is to run the BBC.
I'm with the 283, cool old engine... As to the weight issues, I running a 33-36 Ford axle with a 32 spring to a model A frame with a 59ab flathead- kinda stiff ride... it weighs a ton, the big block can't be much more... Light car, I think big blocks are for looks, each to his own Karl
I would start out with a totally new frame . The torque that 454 is going to put out will twist that frame in two ! Then have you considered a new rear as well ? That will have to also be addressed along with the trans . You are making a huge jump in the torque over the 283 . With the cost of gas going through the roof , why don't you build the 283 up some . Keeping that SBC will cost you a ton less than changing to a BBC engine . Best to sit down and make a list of everything you are going to have to change and up grade just to do an engine swap . Basically everything but the body will need to be changed ! Just something to consider ! Retro Jim
You might look at what years Chevy used that frame and see if you can find a good stock frame to rework. Most '41 cars were the same cars made in '46 to '48 even '49 or later. If your looking to go with a nice front-end look at the old Pacer front-end it unbolts and has disc brakes and R&P steering. All you would have to do to it to handle the weight is have a spring place make new coils.
It's not the weight of the engine. It is the weight of the engine, plus the trans, plus the larger rad, battery, etc. Then it is the extra HP and torque twisting the frame up and requiring stronger frame, trans, rear axle, front suspension etc. All this road hugging weight + power requires bigger brakes, tires, not to mention bigger gas tank. Every car maker knew this. Big block engines came with HD steering, brakes, trans, rear axle, radiator, etc sometimes even a reinforced frame or unibody. This is why most big block cars are so unpleasant to drive compared to a well built small block. Unless it was a big heavy car to start with like a Caprice or full size station wagon. Let's not even talk about the gas mileage @ $4 a gallon soon to be $5 a gallon.
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