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In this Discussion
- Ol racer September 2008
Flathead or late crate motor?
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Hey all, newbie here. I hope I can get some solid help and input with my newest venture.
I purchased a 52 Merc Monterey 2 door hardtop. Great condition on the body and chassis. It is a basket case that came complete with all the trim and such and just needs to be put together....now for the good part.....
The car came with a 302 ford short block bored 30 over, but never reassembled....I have the heads, but everything else will have to be peiced back together. It also came with a C-4 trans with roughly 50K on it. I narrowed my decision on this thing to two scenarios regarding the engine and driveline....1. I purchase a turn key crate motor and rebuild the trans to handle the power, or 2. I have a friend who has a 53 Ford with the original flathead with 87 K on the motor and trans (supposedly). If I go this route, she would be closer to original, but those flatheads only had 125 horsepower. Can they be turned into powerhouses or are they pretty much as powerful as they could ever be from the factory?
I need some input to help me along my way....
Thanks in advance -
Personally I like (Hudson) Flatheads. Flathead Trend is back in the Country. So is Ford Power in a Ford and Chevy Power in a Chevy... If money is no object go flathead but its not cheap to get lot HP. If on budget, get a late model used Ford F/Inj motor & Trans from a rear wheel drive with computer wiring harness. Set it in and go with modern drive train... Or assemble what you got. Crate motors are great when putting in as replacement, but you will need to get a lot of little pcs to complete the install converting from a flathead set-up.
