A while back I bought a 1931 Model A coupe... It's an all-original coupe, with mostly everything there. Along with it, I purchased the original banger motor and transmission (not currently in the car), and he threw in a bin full of assorted parts. The coupe has raised some questions for me, because there were v8 parts here and there in his shop, but he had no early ford v8s present. The coupe also has original v8 wheel covers and such. The only 8 cylinder motor he had was an original 292 Y-Block, still attached to the crate it was delivered in -- probably the late '60s or early '70s. The story is that it was purchased for an F-100 that the engine had seized in, and the truck was apparently towed away and they shitcanned the project all together. So it sat in his shop for years and years, never installed or even fired. The original owner died many years ago; I purchased these from his daughter and her husband. The tentative plan is to build a traditional hot rod w/ this Y-Block. Dressed-up Y-Blocks are pretty dreamy, so I'm pretty convinced this is the way to go. I also have a 302ci, currently in my '66 pickup (visible in one of the photos), which I've considered swapping out for the 292 and putting the 302 in the coupe... It's somewhat up in the air, but I think the 292 belongs in the coupe. I'll eventually make a build thread, I mostly just wanted to put this out here -- I'm a long-time lurker, trying to get into posting more.
I meant to put something in there about the condition of the car. Overall it's pretty solid -- the floors are rusted through in several places, but that's no big deal. The body is really straight. I plan to leave it a highboy, and chop it. I've gone back and forth with this, as I'm a huge fan of the eastcoast style of channeling and leaving the roofline as is. The chop will probably be around 4", and without actually ripping anyone off, I have taken a lot of inspiration from Bass' work on the coupes he's built. It will be fenderless. I don't plan to drive it every day so it won't be built for that... I've driven uncomfortable cars for years, every day -- so the occasional road trip (Lonestar Roundup!) and a to and from work once and again won't hurt. I've never built a car from the ground up. I'm not a welder by trade, though I have done it before with mediocre quality. I plan to do as much as possible by myself, only farming out what I absolutely can't do, such as dropping the axle. I'll be putting the motor on the engine stand soon and tearing it down -- something else I've never done. I regularly work extended hours and am also attending school, so progress will be slow.
Does anyone know the bolt size for the bellhousing on the block side? The engine was purchased without a bellhousing and I need to get it on the stand-- I've searched and can't find it. Thanks -BL Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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