Progress Report

[Admiral]

It’s been a long road since I purchased my ’36 Fordor flatback sedan three years ago. When I picked it up I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into but after countless hours or research (on Ford Barn) as well as buckets of blood, sweat and tears things are really coming together. Pops and I just dropped the completed drivetrain between its frame rails the other day.



If you’re curious, the block is a 59L. I was VERY fortunate that it checked out crack free. I was fully expecting to tear down the two other engines I’ve got, then pay for hot-tanking and Magnafluxing but thankfully I didn’t have to.

This engine came with an aftermarket Weber cam and adjustable lifters, the latter of which we were able to reuse, saving me a nice chunk of change.



The block was bored .060” over and my machinist took it another .020” to clean things up. All told it’s .080 beyond stock, which I’d assume was 3 3/16”. The crank is standard Ford clocking in at 3 ¾”, nothing special there. This setup should result in a displacement of about 251 cubic inches, which isn’t too bad.

The rest of the thing is a hodgepodge of parts. It’s got a ’39-ish generator with a different pulley so I can run the fan up top where it’s supposed to be (and where it fits with a stock ’36 radiator), it’s got a later-style fuel pump and a Stromberg 97 on top of an iron manifold. A crab-style distributor handles sparking duties.



I upgraded the rear-end gears from the stock 4.11 ratio to a more reasonable 3.78 set. The banjo assembly has been COMPLETELY overhauled with all-new bearings, races and seals. The gear change necessitated a new driveshaft and torque tube assembly from a later-model Ford as well as a new speedometer drive unit.

Beyond this I totally overhauled the transmission. It needed a new input shaft and intermediate gear; I also dropped a new first/reverse slider in there since I got one for cheap. The rest of the box’s guts were mint.



The frame, axles – front and rear – brake backer plates, radius rods and a few other odds and ends have been sandblasted and powder-coated for durability and good looks. The body should be back from paint in a few weeks. Right now I’m waiting on a fuel line, fuel pump and my dual exhaust kit (it’s practically a sin not to let a flathead V8 sing through headers and an open exhaust ). Then it’s time to install the interior, some wiring, a bit of glass and then celebrate with a beer!

[Ed Pitts]

Nice job! Like it. Ed

[BILL WZOREK]

POP'S & I
That sounds GREAT!!!!
Great pictorial By the way.
Looks Real nice>

[Mart]

Nice Job, Admiral, keep us updated as it progresses.

Mart.

[TonyM]

Thanks for posting. Put more photos as you work. Looks Great.

[bk53]

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a thing of beauty! she'll be great fun for you.

[Lawson Cox]

Great Job. Keep us posted with photos.

[mfagan]

Looks really nice!!

[Steves46]

Beautiful job and look forward to seeing more.

[Heard]

That is looking really great! Thanks for posting.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Looks like you and Pops are doing a good job! Great picture post! It will all be worth the effort when you get it on the road and running reliably enough to take some trips or go to some shows. The real fun for me is driving them.