Flathead Ford 60 in TD

REO · April 18, 2019, 10:43:45 AM

Is there a How To for this retro swap ?
I have seen a couple online, but details are sketchy.
One said they 'slightly modified' the MG bell housing bolt holes to bolt to the V8 60.
Another used a modern 5-speed w/OD manual tranny.

MGBV8 · April 19, 2019, 09:58:32 AM

I have never seen one, James. These were done back in the day when enthusiasts just went out & did it best they could. No DIY guides, Instructables, or YouTube.

Your best bet would be to find one & ask the owner (if they were the one that did the swap).

88v8 · April 20, 2019, 01:31:54 PM

Yes, it's a DIY thing.
Here's one
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?2,62103

Very nice car, I would imagine.

Ivor

REO · April 24, 2019, 04:56:09 PM

Thanks, Ivor.
I PM'd Scott to see how he likes his TD.
I would like to find a TD 60 V8 driver (not show car) as a retirement ride a few years out.
That flathead V8 tone in the little roadster would be sweet music to me.
James

ruben · April 28, 2019, 10:12:08 PM

It's called a Ford 60 because it has 60 HP. There a better choices

BlownMGB-V8 · April 28, 2019, 10:38:49 PM

That was actually a very popular period upgrade. The HP may not be that impressive but the torque is. It would really benefit a lot from a blower.

Jim

RMO 699F · April 28, 2019, 10:40:22 PM

REO...sweet music indeed....my first car in the 50's was a 1936 Ford pickup with a '41 Mercury flat head...I would argue the sweetest sound ever!

RDMG · May 31, 2019, 06:26:22 AM

The photo gallery write up on this site for the pre-war MG J2 with a flathead 60 mated to a modern T5 transmission mentions a "Flathead Jack" bellhousing. There used to be a stand-alone webpage about that car that had a bunch of in-progress pictures.

RDMG · May 31, 2019, 06:28:28 AM

Here's the J2 v8 builder's incredibly detailed write up:

https://www.lainefamily.com/FlatheadJ2.html

He used a lot of later MG T-series parts, so this might be really helpful to you. As an aggressive surfer of all webpages relating to MGs and v8s, I think his blog is perhaps the closest to a v8, T series "how-to" manual you will find. The TD chassis is in many senses the final evolution of the J2, so I think a lot of the work would be the same, with only a few measurements being different.

The Flathead Jack bellhousing is apparently a direct fit for Ford-spec T5s to Flathead 60s.

302GT · June 28, 2019, 08:19:43 AM

T-5 conversions are available for all versions of the flathead. Be aware that early flatheads (including the 60) had most of the bell housing cast as part of the block. later flatheads had a more conventional bell housing arrangement.

It would be neat to put a Lincoln V12 Flathead in but it probably would not fit...