Got my '30 coupe on the road and rather disappointed in the mildly modified stock engine; twin carbs with a header, head, and 5 speed. It vibrates like crazy and the way people drive, i'm gonna get run off the road. I know this has been covered before, but what would be an acceptable repalcement 4 cyl to use without killing the theme of the car. I really hate to rebuild the whole front half of the drivetrain and pedals etc, but i can't see putting heavy money into another A or b engine to get the extra power and dependability. Thanks...Greg
I used a 4 cylinder Mercruiser Marine engine in my '32. It is basically a 181 cubic inch industrial engine currently available from GM. There was a recent posting asking if the person should buy a basically new one for $200 which was a great deal. They (and the smaller 153 inch) version show up occasionally (want ad?). The nice thing is that they have the same bolt pattern as a SBC and you can get an inexpensive adapter to an early Ford transmission (do I hear '39 trans?). Now you have something that will bolt to a stock Model A rear end. If the rear end is in good shape it should work fine with the 181 cubic inch engine. You should be able to use the kit from Dennis Cling at clingsaftermarket.com, (480) 777-1202 that is intended for use when a early V8 transmission is used behind a Model A engine. A lot of people use the Pinto but this engine is larger displacement and looks more like and early engine. I am running a generator from a ’62 to about ’62 4 or 6 cylinder. A nice thing is that you don’t have to cut anything and can put the Model A engine back into the car if you change your mind later. Search the archives for a ton of information on these engines. Charlie Stephens
high compression head does a lot for the engine. also a stipe cam would add enough umph to get out of everyone's way. duel carb is a waste without more squeeze. $500-$600 and you have a very reliable banger and a motor swap is going to cost more than that tk
Greg, The previous post makes a good point but it sounds like you have a lot of the stuff already. The next question might be is the engine producing all of the power it should or is there something wrong that is stealing your horsepower. Have you driven other, hopefully with the same add on equipment, Model A's? Charlie Stephens
Those 4cyl 'chevy' motors were used for years in boats by Mercruiser, OMC, & many others, so a good source for either cu-in motor would be a marine salvage yard, or try any boat shop's engine pile for a rebuildable core : they are fairly inexpensive to build, & with careful search, many standard/normal Chevy parts are interchangeable. (The 153's were used in Midgets for a long time, so there's a lot of performance info out there as well.)
Thanks for the reply; it shakes the rearview mirror so bad i can't see out of it. I am into 3rd gear across an intersection. At 2000 rpm(about 45 mph or so) you have to get into 5th gear to keep your sanity. The lower end is in spec; the only thing left would be the flywheel out of balnace or maybe it "is what it is". I haven't driven an A in 40 years but did have a B tudor many years ago and i don't remember it shaking that bad. I know some guys use a 2.3 Lima Fords. I have spent 2 years rebuilding this car which was a banger rod in the 60's . i will post a pix of the car later. thanks again. Greg
Some dumb questions... do you have a buddy with similar mods? How does that car run? Any possibility of a misplaced plug wire, intermittent or dead plug / ignition wires, or points / distributor problem? Gary
X2 : unless you missed something on the build, it sure sounds like a MAJOR miss of some kind, or an unbolted, or broken, motor mount, as they just don't vibrate like you describe!
A vibration that bad normally is from the crankshaft is this a engine you built or something or you just bolted carbs and header too either way check the bearings and crank
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