Projects Which makes more sense? SBC or Flathead

I have a stock '46 Mercury 4 door sitting in my garage waiting for me to make up my mind. It currently has a running 59AB, a good stock 3 speed, the stock rear end and, new gas tank and new radiator. The body has zero rust, needs a few pieces of glass, needs paint, needs a new interior, new brakes and lines and a complete re-wire. It's never going to be a show car but, if I can get it done before I become physically unable, it will be a daily driver.

I have a stock (other than the .040 overbore) newly re-built '62 model 283, 12" flywheel, aluminum
5-hole bell housing, early '70's full synchro 3 speed and a 9" rear end that is already the right width to keep the tires inside the fenders. If I go this route, I'll need a new radiator. Chassis Engineering has a front motor mount kit, X-frame motor mount with holes for splitting the wishbones and a parallel leaf spring kit.

From the purist's point of view, I can see leaving it completely stock. On the other hand, I can see the reliability of the 283 and later drivetrain. Whichever route I take, after the build, I have parts to get rid of. I don't intend to let more stuff sit around collecting dust until my family has to decide what to do with it all.

I'd like opinions from anyone interested enough to respond, please.

 

Have the same issue here-undecided. Had a nice little 40 2 dr sedan with stock running gear and a 283 with a 2 bbl. Sweet driving little car.

 

Get the car on the road with the flathead. If, when you drive it, you find that the flathead and closed driveline are too troublesome, then do the Chevy conversion. The option which you did not list is to couple the 283 to the early Ford driveline. That is a pretty simple swap but leaves you with a fragile transmission.

 

Until I read the description fully I'd have said install the SBC, now......not so much. I've only had one flat head car (49 Ford) and although I don't remember lots of love for it there is a certain nostalgia. My opinion, and it has limited value is to stay with the flat motor, sounds like a neat old car just the way it is.

 

I think this really about taste.

are SBC's more practical?

sure but so is a Prius...

I think the real thing to ask is

what do you have access to?

whats your budget?

what era car are you wanting to build?

what is your mechanical aptitude?

Ive put 30k on a flathead in 3 years and Ive driven a 265 powered small block all the way to bonneville.

I found both of them to work great.

 

Yes, I'd thought about that since I have an adapter but decided against it because of the trans.

 

I've got another 59AB in the '27 T I'm building and another one under the bench. If I pull the one in the Mercury, I'll have two under the bench collecting dust.

 

One more thought, for the time you are going to spend doing the conversion to the 283", would you rather
be driving your '46 Mercury instead? Flatheads are cool, especially when they are they way they came from
the factory.

 

I think that's sound advice!!

 

I'd say it depends on how soon you want to be driving it and how much longer you feel working on a project is viable for you. Since it sounds like you basically have a car that will be driving once the wiring is replaced, I'd consider that as a good option for you...........

 

the trans is fine as long as youre not riding around in 2nd gear all day and or doing hole shots. the 265 thats in my 32 made it all the way to Bonneville with a 39 toploader.

 

You don’t give your age but mention “physically able”. What does “running” mean when stating the condition of the original engine? Paint, interior, glass, wiring, add suspension and brakes. If your self motivated and can do all those things yourself that’s fine if not you have a lot of expenses looking ahead.
I know quite a few older gentlemen now with nice “restored looking” late 40’s cars and all of them have stock SBC’s with automatics many are 4 doors. They enjoy and use them; over the years they have add AC as a convenience. None are show stoppers but they are great drivers.
Tennessee is not known to be flat I’d up grade and keep it simple.

 

Drive the flathead (until or if) you get tired of it.
I’ve always followed the idea “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it”
Sounds like you already have parts for the SB changeover. At least labor will be more of an issue than money.
Good luck on your choice.

 

I would say hop up the flathead in the Mercury a little and use those other drivetrain parts for another project sense it's going to be expensive and time consuming to do the conversion to an open driveline.

 

I'd never pull a good running engine out to swap it with something else. Getting a good engine in the car and running is the hardest part of a build for me. I'd just do the glass, brakes and rewire and drive the thing.

It's unfortunate, but a fact that a '46 Mercury 4 door is worth very little money. Unless it's already in bare metal or something, I don't think I'd even repaint it. Just do whatever is necessary to make it a basic driver and then focus on your T roadster project. If you get the T all the way done, then you can think about making paint and engine upgrades on the big Merc.

 

I'm about to be 78 and get around fairly well. I do have arthritis in my shoulders and lower back making it uncomfortable to downright difficult to do a lot of crawling under and climbing back out and up. My wife is 4 years older than I am and in terrible physical condition. I look at her and wonder how I'm going to react when I reach her age.

In regard to the running flathead; it is a smooth-running engine that is carrying 105/110 pounds compression. As far as the other repairs, glass, wiring, suspension and brakes, I can still handle them. It just takes me a little longer than it used to, partially because of my age and condition and mostly because I'm my wife's caregiver. I got two days in a row in my garage putting the 283 together and it was like a breath of fresh air. If it comes to the point that I have to pay someone else to do things for me, I'll have to take up knitting.

 

I agree, the Merc will never be worth a lot. It sat in covered storage from 1960 until about 5 years ago when I saw a video of it running. It spent it's entire life in the Ft. Worth, TX area and at some time before it was stored, someone painted it with house paint and a brush. The fellow who got it out of storage shot a coat of clear on it and I bought it from him not long after. Brakes and wiring are the two biggies that I can see and I doubt the original seats will go back in.

 

Hey A,
Great attitude toward your build. "Whichever route I take, after the build, I have parts to get rid of. I don't intend to let more stuff sit around collecting dust until my family has to decide what to do with it all." Even if you decide to go ahead, my choice (from experience) would be the SBC motor and set up you are planning. It is all laid out for you. Despite what purists say, it is not their car. Tennessee does have some mountains and curvy roads. The SBC will have all the power to climb and power through those hilly curving roads. By yourself or with the full family aboard, you won't think twice about lack of power.

The attitude for the "purists" is that from the outside, it is traditional or as some say stock looking. But, for a daily driver that definitely needs reliability for everyday use and road trips, take out your flathead. Although, a Flathead can be made to be reliable and also have more horsepower than the stock 80.

My flathead 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery gave me well over thousands of happy miles without any repairs or getting stuck along the coastal highways all over So Cal. So, despite the disliking of lack of power going up those steep hills in 2nd or even first, it did give me teenage reliability adventures. We did not worry about anything, just start it, point it to our coastal destination and sooner/later, we were there, admiring the choice we made as the great waves came through for us, again.

Jnaki

But, in these days and times, our choice would be the SBC motor and what driveline you have selected. Plus, your idea of getting rid of the parts not being used will have a big market from the Flathead group, everywhere. Keep the costs low and the parts will be gone in a flash. YRMV

 

My vote would be, because it seems close to...put enough wiring, plumbing and steering in the car to make it drivable. Drive it for a while and make sure it's really what you want and decide from there the next step. There have been a lot of cars done or almost done and the guy says "nope not for me". If it was a roller, my thoughts would be different. Gene.

 

Here's a straight-forward answer to your question.....
Pull the flat head and install the Shivel-lay running gear and DON'T waste time doing it!! You may be a "healthy/active" 78 year old but.......let's face it, you're running outta time to be healthy/active!! (I'm 4 years behind you so trust me)
THEN......sell the flatheads.... ALL of them.... and use the $$ to pay for the swap you just done.
It's just common sense the Chevy is gonna give more trouble free performance than the flattie because its 'newer & better designed' for today's use.
Sure...the flat heads are "cool & a piece of the era we came from' but... you said daily driver soooo....
Spends the rest of the $$ on your wife and enjoying the golden years you have left.
6sally6

 

A friend of mine, just over 80 years old now, has a 40 Ford Coupe with a "real deal" 301 SBC and the original 3-speed and banjo rearend. He's had the car probably close to 45 or 50 years. It's really cool in that it even has the column shifter. I don't think anyone would look down on his car because it has "just another" SBC instead of a flathead. I don't recall him ever really beating on the car, but he didn't baby it either.

A 40 Ford Tudor I had many years ago (and wish I still had it) had a 389 Pontiac and the Ford 3-speed with the banjo rearend. Everything was fine until the rearend tore up because the dumb 20-something owner (me) never checked the rearend lube. Oops! I ended up putting a Chevy 10-bolt in it with parallel leafs and used a Ford pickup transmission that had the open driveshaft instead of the torque tube. I never did have a desire to do burnouts or dump the clutch, and it all held together quite nicely.

That said, I'd lean toward the 283 in a New York minute.

Lynn

 

I have had several cars with flatheads, some were better than others, I have also had a couple of 283 sbc engines with adapters in 2940 Fords and they are nothing but reliable.

I love a flathead engine but the sbc engines are almost bullet proof as far as engine swaps go. HRP

 

Do the simplest and quickest thing to get the car on the road. Make it drivable and comfortable for You .

 

Yup,as long as the flathead V8 runs well,have fun with it ,tell it dose not,an get parts for SBC stored up. So it EZ to put in when time comes. That's what I'd do. If I had a Merc.

 

Im a purist, i like keeping things with the motor they came with, but i wouldn't be apposed to hopping up a flathead... a 4 door with a hot flattie sounds cool to me.

 

I'm all about engine swaps but if the flathead runs well then I wouldn't take it out either. They're good engines, perfectly reliable, have a huge aftermarket, and even though they are more expensive than the Chevy, still are on the less expensive spectrum of obsolete engines. They're not Cadillac or Olds expensive.

There is something to be said for a setup that just works and gets you there and back. And all the horsepower in the world means nothing if it's not in a running car.

 

In your post you mentioned something that may be the X factor. You said, "if I can get it done before I become physically unable". You didn't mention your age but being a senior citizen myself I can relate to this. Family takes most of my spare time, time to build my roadster is tough to come by as of late. Personally, as long as the current drivetrain remains reliable keep it. Use your time to fix the other things you mentioned, drive and enjoy it right now. At the same time, collect the other parts needed to do the drivetrain upgrade. Then, when you are ready, have the time and have everything you need make the change do it. Besides, the fathead engine was all over Tennessee doing just fine before most of us were born. Just an opinion.

 

I picked up an adapter for an sbc to early ford trans.
Seemed like a very simple solution to get a ride I had back on the road.
Sold the truck before the swap.

Adapting the 283 to the ford trans would probably the most economical solution.
After the flathead dies.


PS. I’ll trade ya on the adapter. I’ll be headed thru Cleveland Tn this fall