so just got a new project my old man and i are getting ready to start. We got a totally barn fresh and beyond solid / straight 1930 5 window ford coupe. the goal is to make a 40/50 style hotrod. not a monster motor nor a show car. Just a fun unique cruiser. he has way to many model T's...we have done a 40 ford pick up few years back with a 49-53 flathead...i've done a few bikes and always helped with his T's. so here is the question....V8-60 flathead motors. i know they are not the normal motor and the are used/ were used in midget racers...but think it would get this little 30's coupe around ok with a 3 speed trany? if so any tips to muscle it up...or recommend another unique motor besides the 8B/A flatheads. like i stated...wanting something out of the norm...thanks all.
I think 60 H.P. is not enough to keep up with traffic. IMHO drivability would suffer and the car would stay in the garage to much. At least use a full size Flathead.
They are cute,they sound neat,they are a teriffic conversation piece,but the banger will get the car around faster.I had one that my dad and I rebuilt in 1957 for my 28 chevy 3 win.We got it in there andyeah it was neat lookin,but slower than the chevy banger we took out!Our next try was a 265 sb.
V8-60 not a good street motor. has been used in racing with special work done by Vic Edelbrock Sr, etc. look at a Cadillac, or others, flathead with a 5 speed.
136 Ci. 90 Lb. Ft. torque and 60 Hp. will hardly get your car away from a stop light and it will be spendy to build. Neat little engine for a light weight car.
The V8-60 is perfect for your Model A and will move the car around very well, their a lot of fun. I drove one for a few months with the V8-60 in a 1930 Ford coupe just like you have, then shipped to to my brother-in-law. The car had '40 juice brake's with Kelsey-Hayes wheels, tan-brown two tone paint job. The car look basically like a stock Model A. V-8 60's came in the 1937 Ford, so if it could pull a '37 sedan around it'll do just fine for you coupe. CRUISER
As far as physically small engines go I like the little British Daimler 2.5L hemi which is shorter than the stock model A banger and probably weighs less too....
That would be a Simca. I knew a Chrysler dealer that had a huge pile of Simca parts as late as the 90s, some flathead stuff. He sold them all for scrap value to a guy that made good mone selling them in Hemming's. I think the hemi heads were Brazil only, or something like that. A V-8 60 is an underpowered thing that belongs as far as I am concerned in a vintage midget and no where else. Like the trucks with 8N tractor engines they were very underpowered. The Simca motors were at least as good as Ford made ones, but a flathead of this displacement is what it is. I think Simca made big flatheads too. I think they are still common in France, although getting one from there means going over there and speaking French.
Years ago I met a retired Ford line mechanic from the '30s to '60s. We got to talking about flatheads and the V8 60. His only comment about the 60 was "It's the only engine that I could change spark plugs in while running and never notice a loss in power!" So judge for yourself.
They don't even make 60 HP. The HC motorcycle was dynoed at barely 30 HP at the back tire, and it had some upgrades that a stock engine didn't have. I would really question who thought they ever made 60 HP to begin with....Its disappointing on a 700 lb motorcycle, so im sure you will be moreso with one in a car.
I have a 60hp engine in my 1928 sedan. It IS a roadworthy car but you drive with your foot to the floor all the time. These engines did ok in an aerodynamic car but having all vertical surfaces makes the difference between cruising at 75 mph with a little to spare, and full throttle at 55-60mph Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone
40/50's style is pretty vague. If you were willing to shoot for mid 50's style a olds rocket would be pretty neat and period. Y blocks are cool motors and weren't overdone back in the day or now. If you want it styled post war 40's or early 50's you pretty much limit yourself to a banger(would be my choice) or a large flatty. A chevy or gmc inline six would be cool also...
Here's my buddy' Hank's V8 60 powered Crosley which would fit in the pickup bed of his Hudson - not even sure if the hopped up V8 60 is an upgrade over the stock Crosley engine....
That bike has a one speed transmission and will do over 100mph. Disappointing I'm sure but try it on a Panhead Harley and see how you like it.
Before I tore my Bantam apart this year I drove it for a couple of weeks to make sure the 60 was up to my needs. The truck weighed 1,500lbs., and with the original 3 speed and 4:11s it went better than I expected. It does have an old midget block that's been relieved and has a 97 carb but the cam and heads are stock (I have Edlebrock heads and 2x2 for future use). I've added a T5 and heavier rear end so probably pushed the weight up a couple hundred lbs., we'll see. I'm going for a daily around town driver, small size and good economy were major objectives. I have a 468 c.i. '66 Vette if I need a speeding ticket.
I know how the HC bike rides, i've ridden several of them. Even with just one gear, at no point in its operating range does it begin to impress you, even at 700 lbs. Just sayin' by our standards of comparison today with modern V8's or even some inlines, the V8-60 is probably going to disappoint anyone that builds one. I have seen an Ardun conversion locally on a V8-60 that would likely be a good alternative, but unlikely anyone could even luck up on the components to do one.
the "LIL"60s are neat, but as my granddad used to say, "WHY BOY A 60 HP FLAT HEAD WON'T MOVE A SICK WHORE OF THE POT...
As I said I've driven mine enough to know I'm not disappointed. I should have it running again in a month, I'll take it down the quarter and we'll see.
Those bikes would be okay if someone figured out at least a two, preferably three speed transmission for them that wasn't so long as to make it unridable. In Brazil they had a bike with a VW engine and trans, but it was very crudely built and it died out. I've noticed the FWD longwise Mopar late models have a very short transaxle. With welded or spool diff you could use it if you could figure out the gear changes without the computer....maybe.
Aren't you Toms kid? There's a member in the Long Beach T club named Duane, your dad knows him well, he has a T coupe that was built decades ago with a V8-60 and Columbia rear end. I'm sure if you ask him he'd let you take it for a ride. I know it's been at your dads shop many times.
I sorta inheirited my roadster with a 60 already in it. T5 tranny, 2 81 carbs, and Edelbrock heads. It had 2.79 gears in the rear. It wasn't any fun to drive at all. I put 4.11 gears in a few weeks ago and it is just fine for around the town driving. It will cruise fine at 60mph, but wouldn't want to try any more than that on a regular basis. If and when that engine gives up, I will put a later model 4 ohv in it. This is a very light car, being 3/4 scale.
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