Another one followed me home

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Plan is an A V8.

[bart78]

Sounds cool. Some on here probably won't like that. Look forward to seeing progress.

[bart78]

Allso leave the fenders. To many without.

[peewee2you]

Looks nice and complete, great project..

[Ol' Ron]

If you're going to upgrade to a V8, think of the brakes and suspension, steering etc. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Pete Fl/Wi]

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I know some won't like my plan but the car is solid but not what I would think as a canidate for a full restoration. I passed over some that I would of had some regrets in modifying. Plan is old school flathead hotrod.

[bart78]

Take a bunch of pics.

[FlatheadTed]

Dress up the 4 cylinder /Ryley or Thompson head ,very popular at the moment,

[charles in east texas]

That "A" is to nice to butcher. Charles

[Tom/SC]

Since you have chosen to discuss your plans for what appears to be a very nice "A" model Ford, talk to someone who has done this engine change ,or has attempted this change. If you wish to drive in safety, you would need to update to hydraulic brakes, 39/40 transmission and rear axle, as well as updated steering. Buy yourself a 39 or 40 Ford , preserve this"A" as it is. Nice originals like this one are more and more difficult to find today. But it is your car to do with as you chose! Tom

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Tom , I have a 39 pickup only change is an 8ba. I have a 40 panel with t-5, mild 8ba, and nine inch. I just sold a 51 pickup, mild flathead and t-5. I am no expert but I get good advice on the Barn, but at the end of the day I build them the way I want, safe and reliable. I research every project in detail before I start.
Pete

[bart78]

I would say more and more a's are getting easier to find. More and more old trimmers are dieing off. And there are a lot more than people think hoarded away. I know of two very large hoards of model a's. and they will all be sold one day. And one of them I hope to be buying a few in a couple months.

[tiquer]

there is a build on the hamb board recently ,where the fellow bolted in an 8ba and 39 trans up to the stock model A rear axle and torque tube. No fire wall changes or frame other than front mounts and trans mount.Hydraulic brakes of coarse.

[bart78]

My grandfather allways said a model a rear would handle a flathead.

[Vic Piano]

Pete, did you find the "A" up North or down South? Looks like a fun project. Vic

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Hi Vic, I have been looking for one for over a year. I was all set to settle on a two door sedan when the guy said he had a coupe in another garage but was not sure he wanted to sell it. I made him an offer but he wanted to think about it. I called him a week later and he said let's do the deal. It had been in his garage and not run since 1976 and he lives 5 miles from me up North. You never know what's out there.
Pete

[Vic Piano]

Pete, That's excellent! I'm sure it will be a real beauty when you finish it. By the way, the 8BA I got from you is living in the '53 Panel Truck and doing fine. Hope to see you when you get back to the Sunshine State. Vic

[Tom/SC]

Pete, I do agree with your position on your car. I built several cars for show, 39 convertible coupe and 34 5 window coupe .They both won Dearborn high scores. The last Ford I built is a 40 Deluxe coupe. 53 Mercury engine , 2 carbs ,cam ,headers Columbia axle. It has a 12 volt system with Vintage air. I built this car the way that I wanted it. It will not be shown, but it is driven and enjoyed. Build your car as you want it and enjoy it also! Good luck, Tom

[funrunr]

Nice coupe, So you put a V-8 in it! Thats at least a 2 year upgrade/newer engine, there are many cars on this site that have newer engines in them. At least your keeping it "Ford-in-a-Ford" on top of that a flathead to boot. Enjoy and share some photos.

[rotorwrench]

Most of my AV8 project parts and components just barely survived the scrappers. The body is nearly all Brookville (28/29 roadster) so no harm done to good restorable cars.

Just don't mention anything about it on the "A" board and you'll be OK.

[chuck stevens]

Hi Pete, An AV8 is a lot of fun, have no regrets about playing around with a model A, they made thousands. Some thing I skimped on was boxing the frame. You should box it at least half way back, these flatheads have enough touque to twist a stock A frame. You have to miss that beautiful 51.....I had one of the first rides in it. Have fun, may see you down south, Chuck S.

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Thanks all. I do plan to have fun with this project. As it turns out a friend of mine that is more of a purist is going to buy my frame with engine, trans, wheels, etc. In turn another friend has a bare A frame that I looked at last night. It is solid and for $100.00 I will use it for my build. First step is to get the body off the frame which will happen this weekend. Pete

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Pete Fl/Wi

Thanks all. I do plan to have fun with this project. As it turns out a friend of mine that is more of a purist is going to buy my frame with engine, trans, wheels, etc. In turn another friend has a bare A frame that I looked at last night. It is solid and for $100.00 I will use it for my build. First step is to get the body off the frame which will happen this weekend. Pete

.........and along with that frame and engine that your purist friend is going to buy, possibly goes your original SERIAL NUMBER? Then what to do about paperwork on the car? Just curious! DD

[felix37]

Hey, If it wasn't for all us guy's modifying and driving these old cars the purists wouldn't have such a great source of original parts to choose from.
as for me, I like them all! pure stock, modified they are all cool! however, I won't lose any sleep over someone taking a perfectly restored original model A and dropping a Av8 in it. there are more than enough perfectly restored examples of model A's gathering dust in museums all across the country.
do what makes ya smile!