Ignore the (self)righteous indignation from the Cheepie-Sheepie crowd, and build something interesting , and be proud to run without a hood- if you build it, they will look
I suggest YOU do what YOU want to YOUR car and fuck everyone elses opinions including even mine, end all be all, its your car and you will have to be the one it satisfies, end of story. I will leave you with this neat tid bit about the SBC..all of them no matter small C.I. or large C.I. displacements all fit in the same hole under the hood (or hoodless)..(another really kick ass trait of the SBC) many combinations to be built.( the numbers of combinations are probably endless< -- another cool deal) Once you build it with the 305, and find a really nice 383 stroker Or what ever combo you like..you can stick it in that hole right where your 305 was, in probably 1 afternoon( thats a big plus) Now on the 4 banger...once you set up the car for the 4 banger, it would take a bit more to convert it to any size SBC if you find out later on, thats what you should have really done from the begining If you are a logical thinker, its hard to ignore this reality Anyways , sounds like a nice project either choice, Please, Show it to us
You WILL second guess the V8 after you run the Pinto. You WON'T second guess the Pinto after you run the V8. Go Big! It's your american right.
you will never get a "wow thats a sbc" from another hot rodder but you will always get the "wow thats a 4-banger"
If there is a bow tie on the grille run a GM, other wise be different and run brand motor or crazy shit. Anything but a fuck'in Chevy 350.
Leave it to a newbie with 11 posts to cut through the crap and give a reasonable answer! You will go far, Grasshopper!
In the 29 I am doing, I set up the chassis using Donut Style mounts and positioned them so that if the next guy down the road some day want's to use a Small Block Ford, both the Motor Mounts and Tranny mounts are in the correct position to do so. I'm sure you could do so with a SBC as well, but in our case we'd rather have a Ford if we felt the need for a Bent 8 Motor so that's the way I built it! A 260/289/302/351 will bolt right in.
Right on..It comes down to engineering the car with some forethought. I can see where the ford V-8's would be able to do the same, would it work out to be able to do a 4 to 8 swap? I guess it depends on if brand loyalty is an issue for him or not, I guess you run with what you have, or know. Either way I'd like to see how it comes together. Ive toyed with the idea of a hot little 4 banger very light low speedster, maybe someday
Don't get me wrong, I don't think you're gonna blow the doors off a built SBC, but the flattie is a hell of a lot cooler than a sub 350 sbc. And saying a flattie is the new belly button versus an sbc is the pot calling the kettle black. ### Kustom Falcon Build Thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=734282
I'm not sure I'd put it that way, but I can appreciate the sentiment. ### Kustom Falcon Build Thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=734282
i would like to officially withdraw from the thread as i don't feel i'm qualified or experienced enough to give a useful opinion.
While the flattie was not in the list of options I am going to put my neck out there and say you would not blow the doors off of it with the flattie if it has the pinto engine. I am not against the Flathead at all, they have their place but if you are after going fast they are not the engine of choice. As far as cool the average HAMB person looking at a 283 and a 400 equally dressed is not going to know the difference. Hell I have even passed off my aluminum headed 355 as a 283 with one year only aluminum corvette heads (1960) to more than one of the "experts".
As too many have already mentioned, it's all personal choice as the owner builder will have to live with the end results, as it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I'm personally for the old boring, as many think, SBC, for all the same reasons you see so many of them at any event. I also agree, the 305 would not be my choice, but it's what you have which was the original point to this. As was already mentioned, setting it all up for the SBC would give you the option of an easy swap for something better down the road. I'm sure the pinto motor would be cool and fun, but for me, it's just too new and high tech. Enough said, only my opinion which ain't worth much. Still need to come up with a catchy phrase for my post...... Jim
Hey Crminal, how could anyone say running a ford in a ford is not cool? I personally run Chevy's cuz it's what I grew up with and know.
Hell, as many point out, a Chevy has a multitude of advantages and if I had one built and ready to go, I'd use it. But Henry will be happy that I'm giving his creation a Ford engine.
Ya know I have been pondering this dilemma for a while and while I have made several comments that sounded like I am in favor of the Pinto motor I am afraid that it comes down to this one thing. What color are the engines, if you put in an engine that is the wrong color it will totally ruin the entire vibe of the car.
I know a couple guys with 2.3's in the "A"'s. They'er not very happy with the performance. Yes, with the right stuff and a bucket of bucks you can get a lot of juice out a 2.3 but stock they put out about 115 HP. The deal is the Pinto and the Model A both weigh about the the same 2200 pounds. So if you want a hot rod that performs like a stock Pinto then the 2.3 is a way to go. I never drove an "A" with a Pinto motor but I've driven stock Pintos. One of the worst cars I ever drove.
The wife and I still think a '64 Impala is a late model car. I suppose that a 44 year old engine would not be a late model engine if you were only 26. But if you are 60 a 44 year old engine would be late model for sure.
Stock that motor varied from 88 to about 120 HP, not including the Turbo versions. The one that is going in the 29 RPU I am building makes a little over 250 HP and I have about $3600 in it with a fresh rebuilt bottom end, Aluminum D Port Cylinder head, New Cam, Hydraulic followers, Dual Weber Carbs and a custom header (by Me). The cheapest Chevy Crate motors I have seen, complete with Distributor, manifold and carb etc, ready to run are about $3995.00 PLUS Headers and those motors make about 300-330HP. So I have to disagree with your comment of "Bucket Of Bucks to get a lot of Juice", especially in comparison. Now I can hear it already, the guys that are going to come on and say they made 5 zillion HP for two grand, but that's just BS. If you really figure what it costs to rebuild a SBC Properly (pistons, rebuilt heads, cam etc) you know that $4,000 is about average for a COMPLETE motor. And truthfully, we could have pulled more out of the 2.3 with more compression and a bigger cam, but the guy I am building it for is 73, wants an automatic, and I didn't want it to be high Strung or finicky.
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