I just acquired a 34 Ford Coupe...body and chassis are in great condition. One problem, no motor.

I want this to be a cruiser, good economy, etc, but don't know where to begin. Any suggestions?

I think you need to decide on brand of power plant, ford....Chevy......either are very easy to install in the 34 frame rails.....Stick shift, or an automatic??????

You could buy a complete crate engine, or do the complete rebuild on a junk yard engine......you might even find doner car, ya know a running driving car, but its wrecked, or all rusted out, and just pull the engine and trans for the 34....

You said a driver.....you may want to use an overdrive style trans......

Engine and tranny mount are are easy to find, block hugger headers can be found at Hedman, wiring form Painless, Be- Cool radiators, can fix cooling issues....

I hope this gets you started, as you move you project along...let us know were here to help...

I want to keep the power plant a ford. I'm just not into cross-breeding. A crate would be more practical for me, where should I start though? I've seen a few out there, but don't know enough to know a difference.

Also yes, I agree that an O/D trans would be good. Any suggestion there?

In regards to painless, what type of kits do they offer for such a put-together? (I wont even call it a build ) I've heard of Be-Cool, and know I want a radiator from them, and Hedman is the same. Thank you for the suggestions.

Looking forward to your feedback!~

-FR

As my user name implies, I love Ford motors in Ford vehicles...the small block ford is a great power plant...plenty of power if you want it, and if geared right, good fuel economy. There are many options from affordable and mild to very pricey and wild. Land on a budget for the motor, and that will direct you to some solutions. From Ford Racing, to Edelbrock to Roush...there are lots of options out there.

If economy is important to you, then certainly an auto trans with overdrive. If a stick will work, a 5 or 6 speed will do the trick, too. Again, a budget will help steer you to the right product here.

As far as Painless goes, they have several kits that will work. It just depends on your power requirements and space. They have a nice hot rod kit with a micro fuse block and 14-circuits. Good if you have power windows, radio, electric fuel pump and a few other power items. They have superior products and top-notch service.

Hope this info helps...good luck and keep us posted.

After some research and digging, I think I landed on my crate. It's a FordRacing SB windsor, 302 CID, and is listed at 340hp. The price seems to be very reasonable. Check it out at the link below.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/F...6007-X302/

Per your suggestions, I also looked at the Edelbrockj crates, but they're upwards of 10k for a 347. The only nice thing there is they come complete with the manifold, carb, etc. Where as the Ford Racing above doesn't. I still figure I can top off the Ford crate with Edelbrock intake and carb and still be well under the Edelbrock crate pricing.

I'd like to hear your thoughts before I pull the trigger on the 302.

Thanks -FR