swap 8BA in a stock 1934 Ford V8 pickup

[deskjet894]

Any tips on swapping 8BA into a stock 1934 Ford pickup with a V8 flathead.
Will it fit with no problems?
Looking to increase the HP and drivability.

[19Fordy]

deskjet: You will find the info. on this Google search very helpful.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=8ba+sw...ANAB01&PC=HCTS

Especially this:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...rare%20'39

[51504bat]

8ba engines from cars had narrow belts. 8rt truck pumps with the motor mount tabs that you will need for the install are wide belts. That means you either have to change the pulleys to wide belts, fab a bracket that bolts to the stock car pumps and use stock round motor mount biscuits, or use 50-51 Merc narrow belt pumps with Merc U shaped spacers. I'm using the Merc pumps on the 8ba in my '39 p/u. Had to use a rear sump truck pan for steering clearance issues. Photo of a pair of Merc pumps I currently have listed in the classifieds. (shameless plug)

[tubman]

Merc pumps do have side mounts, but they are located about 1 1/2" higher than the side mounts on truck pumps. If treated the same, the engine will not be in the proper position and there will be problems with the height of the front of the engine. I ran into this very problem when putting a '50 Merc in a a'36 3-window about 30 years ago. Mine did not come with the spacers, so there was a problem. And you will still have a problem running out of room between the front of the engine and the radiator.

Of course, it can be made to work. but it's not as simple as one thinks. Measure measure, measure.

[Newc]

Exhaust to steering box very tight. Newc

[cas3]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

If you dress it up like a 59a motor its 1 1/2" shorter, from Bruce Landcaster.
heads, water pumps, crab dizzy, and original fan on the gennie and they fit easy

[51504bat]

Originally Posted by tubman

Merc pumps do have side mounts, but they are located about 1 1/2" higher than the side mounts on truck pumps. If treated the same, the engine will not be in the proper position and there will be problems with the height of the front of the engine. I ran into this very problem when putting a '50 Merc in a a'36 3-window about 30 years ago. Mine did not come with the spacers, so there was a problem. And you will still have a problem running out of room between the front of the engine and the radiator.

Of course, it can be made to work. but it's not as simple as one thinks. Measure measure, measure.

Spacers

[tubman]

Because of the differences in mounting methods, putting a flathead into a '32-'34 is different than later Fords. Frame adapters are required that are bolted or welded to the frame rails to pick up the water pump mounts on later flatheads (although all flatheads have the mounting holes for the earlier mounts drilled and tapped).

Though not really relevant here, and not generally known, but there is a slight height difference between '35-'40 and '41-'48 Fords. Hurst mounts were initially designed for use in '41-'48 models. When they expanded their product line to encompass other years, they offered adapters to mate these mounts to the specific frames. There is a set for '49-'53, a set for Model "A" through '34, and a set for '35-'40. 59A's, 8BA's with Ford truck pumps, and Merc pumps with spacers will sit too low in a '35-'40. Here is a copy of Hurst's ad for their frame adapters.

Again, measure, measure, measure.

[tubman]

I think we all may have gotten ahead of ourselves on this. To get back to basics, there are two problems. First the 34 frame has no provision for the waterpump mounts on later flatheads. The adapters needed for that are shown in the upper left of the picture I posted. As I alluded to above, the holes for the early mounts are present on all flatheads, and should be able to accomodate the original mounts, though I have no experience with them. Second, because the 8BA has a post distributor, everything is pushed ahead about two inches which makes everything very tight up front. Of course, a Merc/Ford truck bellhousing is needed to bolt the transmission to the engine. I have also heard that some of the detail clutch bits needed have become hard to find. Unlike later Fords, this is not a simple bolt-in swap.

The O/P would be well of following the link provided by "19Fordy" to see what real people who have done this had to do.

[deskjet894]

Is there an easier ford flathead to install in the 1934 Ford pickup?
The stock 1934 engine very slow. Any tips on increasing
its power?

[tubman]

It sounds like the present engine is in need of anything from a major tune-up to a complete rebuild. 1934 Fords came from the factory rated at 85 HP, while the typical 8BA was 100 HP. Not much difference. There are several members on this forum who are advocates of the older 21 stud engines, and get very good results with them and prefer them in these vehicles. "Lawrie" in Australia drives all over the place pulling a "Caravan" (house trailer) with his 1934 sedan with an early engine.

At this time, it might be a good idea to evaluate the overall condition of the present engine. A compression test would be a good place to start. Any flathead with 60-80 lbs is going to be a dog. If you don't have a compression gauge, get one and see what you have.

Remember, Clyde Barrow wrote a letter to Henry Ford thanking him for the superior performance of his vehicles in 1934.