Opinion poll/bench racing session

.......I like the olds............they were so cool in the sixties........I have 4 fords,all with ford motors

 

Don
I guess when I left it open for you to decide I never expected the whole air conditioned power steering thing. See I knew you guys had imagination.

 

or maybe I'm just lazy

 

which one's closest to the engine crane?

 

I voted because it was my favorite and it would look out of place in any mid-fifty car and the only place i'd use the ford or a jeep

 

I went for the olds for the torque and traditional look. You didn't say it would be a daily driver so streetability didn't matter in my cars version, and you weren't lookin for competetive racer, just bad*** street car. Olds wins all for me...

 

This is a kind of interesting exercise.....

I went with the Ford motor, because I'm a Ford guy. I don't have anything more sophisticated than that. Any of these choices would work fine, but in the end it is one of those personal choices that make this endeavor so interesting.

 

Well first off I hate the damn sbc bottom line ! It is used and stuck in everything ever made with the cheap crate engine set ups that you can buy now . Of course all those engines blocks are not new but a re-bore of one that sat in a salvage yard . If you ever look in a salvage yard the Chevy is the most you will see besides the damn imports .
The Olds would be a kool looking engine to have under the hood of a light weight roadster just because i's different but no big power house by any means . Still a kool engine to use in a hotrod !
Now with all this said , I am also a Ford guy and I have blue blood in my veins ! With that said I would take the raw torque and HP that nothing but a big block will ever give you . There is nothing like a big block and never will . They were build to give you nothing but raw power . With that said I will take that Fe and stick a 4 speed behind it and challenge anyone with it .

The biggest problem I see here is , we still don't know what you are sticking one of these engines into . So what are you building if it's suppose to be a traditional hotrod ? Well maybe you have nothing and the engines are just dreams . I don't know but sure would be nice to let us all know what the hell you are building !

So let us know so we all can make an honest decision .

Retro Jim

 

Actually Jim it really is a hypothetical question.

As for what I am currently building I have a Lowey and have already made an engine choice for it. I do have all three engine choices in my stable but I made my engine choice for the Stude about 4 or 5 years ago. I am not screwing the project together that way most of them get done but more on that later when I actually start to make some real progress.

The criteria for body in the poll is just because I tend to move toward mid '50s coupes myself and many of the board don't seem to have that motivation. I wanted everyone to think a little bit I suppose. I threw the go fast custom out there just because I didn't want the custom guys to be left out but with the power on tap for any of the mentioned engines the go fast part was a must.

Anyway its all in fun like I said.

 

Ok, then. I think Lowey Studes are ugly!! Actually I love em but you asked

Hey I'm feelin what you're sayin. However, I've been a part of several change overs. By the standard of that mindset I spoke of, I shoulda helped convince Dad to put a 318 in our 38 Dodge instead of the 429 Caddy. Shoulda begged him to use a 460 or a 428 in that 62 Ford Short bed Unibody instead of the 63 390 Caddy. I should put a SBC, BBC, or "W" motor in my AD truck instead of the Nailhead I ****ged for it. Why a Nailhead in an AD Chev PU? It'll go with the other couple of Buick parts I'm using and it's moving toward a period kustom vs a hotrod. Figuring out mounts and brackets, accys, exhaust, **** man I thought that was 1/2 the juice. I'll go out an a limb here and say that most of that "Ford in a Ford" thing is directed at the intelligent and traditional use of a SBC in the popular Ford hot rod styles. Much less to do with correct than to do with popularity. Yet when a Deuce roadster shows up with an early Hemi, an early Caddy, Olds, or Nailhead, the guy gets blown for his engine choice. There's where the "Serta matress" comment comes from.


I'ma stick with the Olds choice '******. Closest thing to what was the swap of choice for those too

 

You didn't say we couldn't pick the car, so I will. Let's imagine a mid '50s GM. Done mild custom style. I'd take some cam out of the Olds and rebuild it more streetable. Few engines are prettier than a Kettering Olds. I am not allowed to detune that Olds, then the SBC is the obvious choice, because it so darned easy.

 

Detune?? I'll make an exception for you buddy. And you are right about the looks fo the olds mill. They are site to behold under the hood of about anything.

The only reason they used a Cad was because they were a bolt in.

its a funny thing but I have an older friend (not on the HAMB) that owns a Starliner with a pretty hot SCJ in it. He says no one uses an FE because they are ugly, but he loves showing off his 428. Go figure.

 

I'd go Olds.....
There were some *****in' FED with 394's....and for a street car, it 's rule.

There's just sumptin' about Olds'...........