34 Ford Questions

Hello,

I have a 34 ford project I'm starting, can anyone tell me if a chevy 350 with a 350 trans will fit into the engine bay without recessing the fire wall.

I prefer not to cut the fire wall if I can avoid it.

Also if the chevy will not would a small block Ford fit.

Thanks for the help.


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man, i wouldnt think you would need to cut. but what the **** do i know...

I've got a 389 pontiac in mine with a stock fan and had to put a alum fire wall in mine recessed about 5 ". A sbc may fit if you use a electric pusher fan but there must be someone on here with a sbc in a 34 who could tell you for sure. The sb fords are longer than a sbc.

Jack.

That depends on how forward you mount the engine. At the very least you will have to recess an area of the firewall for the distributor, If you locate the engine too far forward you will create huge problems with radiator, grill, and hood alignment. Here is what I had to do to use the GM HEI distributor. A regular distributor might fit without modification, but it will be very close. Don't use an electric fan, a mechanical clutch fan is what you want. There is enough room for this when the engine is mounted properly.

My 34 is a glass body with a reproduction frame, but the dimensions are true to OEM specs.

Vince

Cut the firewall, it will be much easier in the long run.

__________________
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I am building a 35 with the same 350/350 combination. Well actually I am having it built, but very familiar with the build.

We used the original frame and Chassis Engineering components. The fw is not an issue, I had planned ahead and installed a *****in big block fw. But there is a clearance issue.

Mounting the motor and maintaining the stock cross member puts the motor too far forward for even the slimmest of fans. Getting the proper amount of cfm's and air flow. The clearances are about 1/4 to an 1/8 inch - motor to fan.

After trying every fan imaginable, we decided to modify the crossmember to allow the motor to be shifted back. This will allow room for a mechanical fan.

That is usually what happens when you look at the overall picture. You want to wind up with as much clearance as possible between the radiator and water pump, as this gives you the utmost flexibility in aligning the hood/fenders, and grill shell which is a real pain in the arse on early 30ish cars.

Vince

Here's a photo of my '34 project with the Chevy 350 installed. The firewall is recessed app 2,5" plus another 1,5" in the middle.



The TCI motor mounts were positioned according to the TCI instructions (CSB in '34 Ford).

I run 10"double electric fans. Thin ones that need only 2,75" of space.
I doubt it would be room enough for a mec. fan because the radiator lean back too much on the top.

You can run a mechanical fan, but you either have to use a short water pump or use the Zip's water pump riser. If you use a short water pump the placement of the center of the pump is too far down on the radiator. I used the Zip's water pump riser that uses a Chevy six cylinder water pump and has integral A/C and alternator mounts and places the mechanical fan in the center of the radiator. I avoid using electric fans altogether.

Vince

Here are some shots of my 35 with a *****in BB firewall. We are moving the motor back for more motor/radiator clearance. We have plenty of room to the fw; the cross member needs modification. Should the tranny ever need to be serviced, we want easy access.

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Notice how low your water pump/fan is on the radiator. That is what the Zip unit is designed to prevent. It makes fitting a shroud a lot easier, plus you have integral mounts for alt & compressor.

Judging from your photos the engine can go back a good 4".

Vince

I needed a 3" recessed FW, then used 2 10" puller fans, small cap Accell distributor, Autozone $120... Worked for me.

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put a sb ford in dist is up front so you can tuck the engine close up to firewall.
have one in my 32 only issue was had to makefront pulley that was shoter,and water pump pulleyto match.used mustang headers on right side and modify-ed the drivers side mustang headers. also moved engine and trans 1in to passenger side,which allowed a straight steering shaft to 65 mustang box mounted just back of original cross member. but i have lathe and welding eq at my home shop.food for thought. of coarse i am a ford guy so you are bound to get some rebuttal,thats the fun of the site. cliff

I used a 5.0 H.O. in mine fits fine Like someone else said you don't have to worry about the Disb. And I have plenty room for a fan

All three are pretty much the same size but the Chevy has a couple of drawbacks. Its distributor location adds to its length, and its boring. Many people, including myself consider it a belly button, cookie cutter engine. If you put a SBC in your car will be just another 34 Ford (yawn!), but put the SBF in, and the yawn will be gone in a big way. However, both the Ford SB and the Chevy SB are dead reliable so either will be a good choice. In the end, its your car build it the way you want.


Flathead Ford Length 30.00 Weight 569

Ford 221/302 Length 27.00 Weight 440/460

Chevy 262/400 Length 28.38 Weight 575

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