Quote:
Originally Posted by Owlseye
JSeery I think your answer is what should have been done many years ago, likely the 60's, when the 37 or newer engine was put in.
The previous owner used metal spacers with a long bolt thru everything.
This is going to be just the tip of the iceberg as I got the engine freed up today and find the #3 rod is not attached to the crank. Now to pull the engine. The engine has the crab style distributor on it. A friend has a good 49 flathead with upright dist. Will the 49 engine fit and work with the BB's trans? Thanks again this is going to be a long project.
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It will fit, but you will still need to do some modifications. First, you will need a '49 to early '51 Mercury (stamped steel) or '48 to '52 Ford (cast Iron) bellhousing to bolt the transmission to the engine. (These are not too hard to find; I have a couple if nothing else is available). You will also need the proper clutch disk to go with the existing pressure plate and transmission. Then, you will need a set of '48 to '52 truck water pumps to have the proper motor mounts (you may also need the aforementioned motor mount spacers to get everything in the proper alignment; I used '50-early '51 Mercury (currently very hard to find) water pumps when I did it and I needed them). After that, it is the ordinary stuff with no room with the fan, incompatible throttle and choke linkages that we all have to fight with. Also, there is a size difference in the upper water outlet sizes. There are 8BA water outlets with the larger hose size (quite expensive), but most people cut a short length of the smaller hose to fit inside the larger hose required by the '34. On last thing is the the 8BA lacks brackets for the "steady bars" on the '34 chassis (good to have). There are brackets available to bolt on an 8BA, or if you're handy, you can easily make your own.
It's all been done thousands of times before, so if you decide to do it, all of the information you will ever need is available here and on the H.A.M.B.
Good luck with your truck.