Thread: 41 ford coupe

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I envy you owning a real steel '41. Check Hemmings Motor News for Carpenter ads to get replacement sheet metal. Rodger and others have been successful with Ford-in-Ford but I gave up way back when I studied some old articles by the late Frank Oddo in Street Rodder. The problem has to do with splitting the wishbone and fitting in the longer water pump. The tradeoff in my mind is that Ford has the distributor in the front but needs a short water pump while the alternate SBC is easier to fit in but has the distributor in a tight spot in the rear. In general there seem to be more aftermarket pieces for the SBC and probably the SBC conversion is cheaper if that matters to you. If the flathead is not cracked you could look around for a 4" stroker crank but I would not bore it out more than the minimum for a rebuild since the 3 5/16" and 3 3/8" bores may lead you to overheating. Any of the three options will require a better radiator. The SBF is lighter than the SBC which is worth considering. The problem with a flathead is that unless you have a good block without any cracks the cost of a replacement block with be three or four times the cost of a SBC or SBF. Anyway it is the smooth body that is so neat. the original buggy spring suspension can be used with simple longer shackles on the original buggy cross springs to avoid (at least temporarily) further suspension mods. Well good luck and do whatever pleases you but I would just lower the body and keep it smooth but do whatever you want. The folks here like lots of pictures so send us some as work progresses. I can vouch that there is a LOT of good friendly expertise on this Forum so don't hesitate to ask questions. As I said I would really enjoy building a '41 coupe because many of my H.S. buddies had that model.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder