Hi everybody,
Chime in at any point if you think I'm crazy (my wife won't disagree), let me tell you what I'm scheming. I'm am year two in a frame off resto on a 1947 Chev Fleetline Aerosedan. Its turning out better than I hoped, very nice. However I realized that for the miles I want to put on the car the 216.5" just wont cut it, but I don't want to butcher the car up either. What I would like to do is leave the car as original as I can, with the exception of a 250 ohc sprint engine (and of course the trans, open driveshaft and a simple rear axle replacement.) The trick is I want to leave as much as the car as I can original. I hung it in the frame and surprisingly much of the stuff is very similar, I won't need to cut any of the car up to make it work. I also plan on leaving the car 6 volt, manual steering, manual drums... yeah I'm crazy.
For a trans, there was a th350 that came with the engine, but I will need a three speed manual that can be shifted on the column. What should I be looking for? What was shifted on the column behind these motors? Borg Warner t-85? I know of some vintage yards I can find just about any trans I need, but what am I looking for? The column shift linkage for the Fleetline operates similar to what would be found in a Nova or Firebird. The bellhousing is ohc specific due to starter location, right? Any replacements? The clutch linkage is super simple and I am not worried about getting it hooked up, no Z bars or anything there. This isn't going to be a street rod, more of a cruiser. I won't be romping on it hard, I have a drag car to satisfy that need, so I think I can keep from blowing up the (weaker) three speed.
The motor I got is a leftover from a project my Dad was going to do in the late 70's. It wouldn't fit the truck he was going to put it in ('46 Chev p/u - early style). It's a '68 block, and the date codes for the Sprint intake and exhaust match the block, and its a '66 Sprint head according to casting #'s. It had a flat #6 intake lobe, but at the time my Dad found a cam/housing and rocker and stuck it on but never ran it. (It ended up being a 1bbl cam.) It is complete except for the carb and some mice made a home in the intake. Some of the valves and seats have rust, but nothing is seized on this engine. I pulled the cam carrier and noticed the oil restrictor is missing and the followers arent very smooth, among the filth of 30 years of stale oil crust. Long story short I need to know of a really good reputable shop that has experience in these who can go through my head. I can take care of the bottom end locally, thats not a problem but I understand the need for a very qualified person to go through the head. If it needs seats, guides, valves, springs- I don't care, I just want it done right. If I have to ship it, that's fine too. (I live in WI) I just need some recommendations.
Thanks for your time, whadya think???
Chime in at any point if you think I'm crazy (my wife won't disagree), let me tell you what I'm scheming. I'm am year two in a frame off resto on a 1947 Chev Fleetline Aerosedan. Its turning out better than I hoped, very nice. However I realized that for the miles I want to put on the car the 216.5" just wont cut it, but I don't want to butcher the car up either. What I would like to do is leave the car as original as I can, with the exception of a 250 ohc sprint engine (and of course the trans, open driveshaft and a simple rear axle replacement.) The trick is I want to leave as much as the car as I can original. I hung it in the frame and surprisingly much of the stuff is very similar, I won't need to cut any of the car up to make it work. I also plan on leaving the car 6 volt, manual steering, manual drums... yeah I'm crazy.
For a trans, there was a th350 that came with the engine, but I will need a three speed manual that can be shifted on the column. What should I be looking for? What was shifted on the column behind these motors? Borg Warner t-85? I know of some vintage yards I can find just about any trans I need, but what am I looking for? The column shift linkage for the Fleetline operates similar to what would be found in a Nova or Firebird. The bellhousing is ohc specific due to starter location, right? Any replacements? The clutch linkage is super simple and I am not worried about getting it hooked up, no Z bars or anything there. This isn't going to be a street rod, more of a cruiser. I won't be romping on it hard, I have a drag car to satisfy that need, so I think I can keep from blowing up the (weaker) three speed.
The motor I got is a leftover from a project my Dad was going to do in the late 70's. It wouldn't fit the truck he was going to put it in ('46 Chev p/u - early style). It's a '68 block, and the date codes for the Sprint intake and exhaust match the block, and its a '66 Sprint head according to casting #'s. It had a flat #6 intake lobe, but at the time my Dad found a cam/housing and rocker and stuck it on but never ran it. (It ended up being a 1bbl cam.) It is complete except for the carb and some mice made a home in the intake. Some of the valves and seats have rust, but nothing is seized on this engine. I pulled the cam carrier and noticed the oil restrictor is missing and the followers arent very smooth, among the filth of 30 years of stale oil crust. Long story short I need to know of a really good reputable shop that has experience in these who can go through my head. I can take care of the bottom end locally, thats not a problem but I understand the need for a very qualified person to go through the head. If it needs seats, guides, valves, springs- I don't care, I just want it done right. If I have to ship it, that's fine too. (I live in WI) I just need some recommendations.
Thanks for your time, whadya think???
