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I was thinking before this winter hits me i would like to have my 48 & 51 F1 more mobile. I have been trying to start the flathead with no luck just some pops. The other has no motor or trans so I bought a small block ford to rebuild. I am now in the process of making motor mounts and such. The only transmission i could find is a C4 for a 4WD. Is there any reason this wouldn't work or that i should hold off and wait for something better? Does anyone have tips or specs where the engine should be and what height for clearances. Pics would be great so here is mine before the work begins.
What steering do you plan on running? If you are going to keep the stock steering I have some 302 engine mounts from chassis engineering that I was going to use that is a set up for running stock steering but if you decide to run a Toyota power steering box I would go with the saddle mount. Here is a picture of the mounts. The first two are of my truck and the last one is another members. I used the saddle mount because the headers hit the steering box and with the saddle mount I could move the engine over to the passenger side to make room for the header. Hope this helps
Great pics. I will run stock steering for now. My plan is to eventually change front ends and steering box but for now i am limited on space. I need to make them mobile to get them in and out of proximity of air tools and mig welder. I was worried about the oil pan clearance and pinion angle.
The C4 might need a different output shaft if it is from a 4x4. That means tearing it down completely. I would look for another one.
I wish i seen this 4 hours ago. I bought it and the transfer case and drives shafts for $100. he was telling me to put a explorer 4wd front differential on my frame because the 8.8 rear bolts right up the front cant be much different . Has anyone done this and how much work would be involved with steering and such.
If you are not going 4x4 I would see if you can get your money back or resell it all, normally to change a 4wd trans to 2wd the whole trans has to be torn down and of course you need the tail shaft parts from a 2wd trans as well.
I am not up on Ford stuff, I use GM drivetrains in everything, but I would have to believe a correctly set up AOD would be the preferred way to go. I would guess good used C4s and C6s are becoming scarce, same way Th350s used to be everywhere and now I recently had to look hard for one when I needed one.
No matter what you install I have the same routine for whatever oddball setup I am building.
Set the engine and trans into the chassis and use blocks of wood to support the engine and a jack under the trans to easily adjust angles. Have to take into consideration a lot of stuff.
exhaust to steering clearance
exhaust to frame clearance
front of engine to radiator clearance, mechanical or electric fan will need different amounts of room
front accessories to frame rails clearance
engine to brake booster clearance (if firewall mounted booster)
transmission to floor pan clearance
back of engine to firewall clearance
oil pan to chassis clearance
drive line angle
I start off with the engine and trans centered in the rails and the carb pad level (if a carb engine) which will normally give a 3 degree down angle of the drive line. Back of engine an inch or so from the firewall. Engine height dictated by oil pan clearance.
Then I look into how the exhaust clearances will be to the steering and frame. If needed the engine and trans can be moved over to the right side to make more room, but always move the trans as well so the crankshaft is in a parallel line to the frame rails. Never move the engine over and leave the trans centered.
If there is not enough room for a mechanical fan up front consider an electric, they generally take less room. Otherwise the firewall may need mods to get the engine further back.
Lots of pics in my build threads, GM engines but the steps are always the same.
There is a lot of setup work to do so it all falls into place, just stabbing the engine in without thinking about the whole package usually causes head scratching later down the line.
Any questions feel free to PM me.
Let's go back to the beginning where your goal was to just get one of your trucks more mobile. Now you are into putting in a new engine and trans. We all can get carried away with these old truck restoration projects. I could be the poster child.
But think about what you said about your engine cranking over but only popping. That is a good sign. A sign of life. Certainly easier than replacing an engine and trans. I would put your efforts into that truck first.
Dave is right about the changeover of a 4WD trans to a 2WD. Much cheaper to just sell it and get the right one. There are several articles on it on the web. Just Google it.
Ok, thanks guys lesson learned about the transmission. I will hold it and look into a possible 4wd option in the future. My thinking with the flathead was it must have rusted stuck valves. no compression and gets spark and fuel.The starter has gone up on it now so maybe too much to handle for right now.
Pete I was planing a small block ford for the 51 truck anyway i am going ahead will a rebuild for it which should be done Tuesday. If i get the motor mounted and truck mobile just to work on it i can change and update it later for road use. Im just keeping the progress moving on my multiple builds with limited space. I am always thankful for all your advise guys.
Twenty years from now those two are going to remember when "dad had us help him rebuild the old truck engine. That was a lot of fun". They will never forget it. Great to see them interested and sticking with it. Have fun
Twenty years from now those two are going to remember when "dad had us help him rebuild the old truck engine. That was a lot of fun". They will never forget it. Great to see them interested and sticking with it. Have fun
This is so true. The truck in my avatar is the truck I helped my dad fix up in the early 70s and I have great memories of doing it with him and the truck I am doing now will look just like it so keep building memories with them and they will never forget
The last picture of the motor mounts is mine. In that picture that is where I was first mocking up the engine placement with a spare engine block. I used some exhaust manifolds at first. Had to use one on the driver side from a early falcon to clear the steering box. Later on I got a set of speedway tight fit headers and they work good. I have more pictures in my build thread and online flickr album.
This is so true. The truck in my avatar is the truck I helped my dad fix up in the early 70s and I have great memories of doing it with him and the truck I am doing now will look just like it so keep building memories with them and they will never forget
Originally Posted by 49f3dls
Twenty years from now those two are going to remember when "dad had us help him rebuild the old truck engine. That was a lot of fun". They will never forget it. Great to see them interested and sticking with it. Have fun
I must say im very proud of the way they have learned everything from fabrication of body parts to welding them in. Steel, fiberglass, grinding,body work, sandblasting and paint. We have been doing replacement metal on another truck for almost 2 years now and i felt i was loosing some of their interest. That is one of the reasons I did the rebuild now. Its amazing how an engine rebuild and some chrome dress up pieces can bring 2 boys enthusiasm back to where they cant wait to work on the truck everyday again. OF COURSE MY DADDY NEVER BOUGHT ME AND MY BROTHER EACH OUR OWN TRUCK!
07-25-2016, 09:05 PM
