The Ford Barn

SoCalCoupe · 09-07-2022, 12:54 AM

Bought my 41 Business Coupe a year ago because it had a flathead and was in great condition. Had a lot of modernizations planned (but keeping the flathead) before I even bought it.

When I got it home, I found it surprisingly original and also very rare (rare doesn’t mean valuable) but also a very low value car because, well, ‘41s just aren’t that popular. It’s not a Dearborn contender though; a repaint and too many restorations to reverse.

It was nearly undrivable when I bought it because of electrical and fuel issues. Fixed those and now runs great and is nearly original with 3 on the tree and 6v electrical. Been taking things real slow because there are fewer and fewer original cars and they have their own appeal.

It’s kind of fun to keep things original but it’s also fun to make an 80 year old car better.

3 on the tree is fun for the first couple of miles but a T5 is fun all the time.
Bought a lot of Hot Rod magazine reprints and Rod and Custom originals. Back in the day, modernizing your ride meant converting that old floor shifter to a nifty 3 on the tree. Like I said, it’s fun for a while but I’m kind of done with it. Some people say a '41 transmission is synchonized. Mine isn't. Maybe it's not a '41 or maybe something else, but to avoid crashing gears I always double clutch; a PITA.

Thoughts on converting my mostly original ’41 Special Business Coupe to a T5 transmission?

09-07-2022, 12:54 AM	#1
SoCalCoupe Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Point Loma, San Diego, CA Posts: 531	Really torn on T5 transmission conversion… Bought my 41 Business Coupe a year ago because it had a flathead and was in great condition. Had a lot of modernizations planned (but keeping the flathead) before I even bought it. When I got it home, I found it surprisingly original and also very rare (rare doesn’t mean valuable) but also a very low value car because, well, ‘41s just aren’t that popular. It’s not a Dearborn contender though; a repaint and too many restorations to reverse. It was nearly undrivable when I bought it because of electrical and fuel issues. Fixed those and now runs great and is nearly original with 3 on the tree and 6v electrical. Been taking things real slow because there are fewer and fewer original cars and they have their own appeal. It’s kind of fun to keep things original but it’s also fun to make an 80 year old car better. 3 on the tree is fun for the first couple of miles but a T5 is fun all the time. Bought a lot of Hot Rod magazine reprints and Rod and Custom originals. Back in the day, modernizing your ride meant converting that old floor shifter to a nifty 3 on the tree. Like I said, it’s fun for a while but I’m kind of done with it. Some people say a '41 transmission is synchonized. Mine isn't. Maybe it's not a '41 or maybe something else, but to avoid crashing gears I always double clutch; a PITA. Thoughts on converting my mostly original ’41 Special Business Coupe to a T5 transmission?