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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 49-53 FORD ENGINE IN A 34 TWO DOOR

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 49-53 FORD ENGINE IN A 34 TWO DOOR -- page: 1 2     supereal 11-18-2010 @ 9:30 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 If you can't shoehorn a belt driven fan in place, you can borrow a page from the street rodder's book, and install a "pusher" fan in front of the radiator. This usually requires a 12 volt system because they draw a lot of current. Stroker 11-17-2010 @ 5:11 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 There is no difference in the width's of 32 to 53 engines. The engines with the block-mounted pumps do have a wider center-to-center distance for the front motor mounts than the original head mounted engines. The bolt-on mounts for a 34 will bolt to your 8BA. sturgis 39 11-17-2010 @ 4:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 74 Joined: Nov 2009 Does anybody have comments about the difference in the width of the engines? Does somebody make mounts to correct this problem? This message was edited by sturgis 39 on 11-17-10 @ 4:38 PM Stroker 11-16-2010 @ 3:44 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 I did an 8BA swap on my 38 in the late 50's, and as I recall, I had to move the radiator forward about a 1-1/2 inches, which required making some brackets for the radiator to hood side panels, (which of course you don't have. Obviously, you can't move your radiator on a 34, so you might have to get creative with the fan, or at least the fan drive hub. I had to extend the crankcase draft tube with flexible steel tubing to clear the front cross member, letting it exit just behind the left side of the cross member. I'd opt for a 39 top-loader, as the 34 trans can be awfully hard to pull out of low after you've leaned on it with your much more powerful power plant. As an aside though, the straight-cut low-reverse slider is actually stronger than the later helical as it doesn't impart any axial thrust on the easily distorted transmission case. If you could source some original 34 motor mounts, there are two drilled and tapped holes just inboard of the water pumps on all flatheads from 32-53 that are there for just that purpose. Stroker 11-16-2010 @ 3:44 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 I did an 8BA swap on my 38 in the late 50's, and as I recall, I had to move the radiator forward about a 1-1/2 inches, which required making some brackets for the radiator to hood side panels, (which of course you don't have. Obviously, you can't move your radiator on a 34, so you might have to get creative with the fan, or at least the fan drive hub. I had to extend the crankcase draft tube with flexible steel tubing to clear the front cross member, letting it exit just behind the left side of the cross member. I'd opt for a 39 top-loader, as the 34 trans can be awfully hard to pull out of low after you've leaned on it with your much more powerful power plant. As an aside though, the straight-cut low-reverse slider is actually stronger than the later helical as it doesn't impart any axial thrust on the easily distorted transmission case. If you could source some original 34 motor mounts, there are two drilled and tapped holes just inboard of the water pumps on all flatheads from 32-53 that are there for just that purpose. sturgis 39 11-16-2010 @ 3:12 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 74 Joined: Nov 2009 I guess the center distance for the front motor mounts is different for the two engines. Could the bolts be heated and bent to make up this difference? Maybe use some hill side washers too? i guess you have to put a spacer between the front motor mounts and the frame because the old water pumps mounted in the heads. Let me know how to solve this problem or maybe it is not one. Thanks sturgis 39 11-16-2010 @ 3:11 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 74 Joined: Nov 2009 I guess the center distance for the front motor mounts is different for the two engines. Could the bolts be heated and bent to make up this difference? Maybe use some hill side washers too? i guess you have to put a spacer between the front motor mounts and the frame because the old water pumps mounted in the heads. Let me know how to solve this problem or maybe it is not one. Thanks supereal 11-16-2010 @ 8:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 As Tom says, you won't gain by swapping distributors. In fact, it will make the situation worse. You would also have to change carbs, as the "posthole" distributor has no weights, and depends on a port in the carb for proper advance. It isn't unusual to have to relocate the radiator a bit. You need to get the fan close to the core, about 1/2 inch, if you can. We are currently putting an 8BA engine in a '38 tudor, and the "tweaks" are numerous. I'd be leery of any engine that hasn't run since the sixties. Internal rust and shrunken seals can cause lots of problems. A partial disassembly, at least, is a good idea to actually see what you have. I wouldn't use a non-syncro transmission, either. It makes driving, particularly in traffic, very tough. trjford8 11-16-2010 @ 7:07 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4220 Joined: Oct 2009 I would tend to stick with the stock 49-53 distributor. I don't believe you will gain anymore clearance with the early distributor. This message was edited by trjford8 on 11-16-10 @ 7:08 AM sturgis 39 11-16-2010 @ 2:30 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 74 Joined: Nov 2009 I don't think the car has ran since the early sixties.It has been relocated several times around town. The room up front of the radiator seems to cause a problem with this engine swap. I guess the solution is to run a 39-48 camshaft, an old style distributor and old style water pumps. This will move everything towards the fire wall. I bought a partial brake kit from V8 Garage. I plan to purchase the rest of the kit sometime this winter. I have not looked in the transmission. I plan to take pictures when the top is removed and have you look at them. Thanks for the help.

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