I found this site looking for information on 348's as a possible alternative for my '33 Ford roadster build. As noted in some of the other forums, the information and people on this site have proved to be invaluable. I pulled the trigger on a '61 348 with the 8781147 heads and 3755011 block, purchased from Tom Kochtanek. After a marathon 17.5 hour drive last Tuesday (6/26/18) from west of San Antonio, TX to Tom's shop in Columbia, MO, I met with Tom, looked at his amazing collection of cars, engines and parts stashed in his "mancave" and loaded up the 348 for a more leisurely 2-day return trip to Boerne, TX. Everything went well and I arrived back at my shop on Thursday to unload the engine (photo enclosed).
I will provide more details on the build in upcoming posts if you-all are interested. I recognize that it is not a normal car build for this site, but I will need lots of help from all of you on the best way to build the 348 to meet my performance and budget goals. The car is a complete ground-up build of a '33 Ford full-fendered roadster with a Wescott fiberglass body and an aftermarket (TCI) chassis using a 9" Ford rear and a chrome straight axle. It will be a daily driver car with a traditional style (not a "rat-rod") and will be built for cruise and highway travel, not race. I am more interested in an engine with low end torque than high RPM horsepower. Currently, the car has a 9" Ford rear end with a 3.70:1 gear and a 29" tall 15" diameter rear tire. I also have a 700R4 transmission in the chassis which gives me a 3.06 1st gear and a 0.70 overdrive 4th gear. I am looking to finish out the car with a unique engine (the 348) that is reliable for daily duty (My '34 Plymouth coupe has a 350 SBC with a TH350 and a '57 Chevy rear end that I built in 1974. It has been driven across country twice and has about 75k miles on it. For a few years it was my only car.)
I am new to the W-engines, but have been building cars for many years. I hope to get assistance from the Forum members on how to build this 348 into a reliable cruiser. I have met two of the Forum members in person already and look forward to meeting and talking to more of you.
Thanks in advance for your help.
John Dewey, aka Texas John, aka "JED"
I will provide more details on the build in upcoming posts if you-all are interested. I recognize that it is not a normal car build for this site, but I will need lots of help from all of you on the best way to build the 348 to meet my performance and budget goals. The car is a complete ground-up build of a '33 Ford full-fendered roadster with a Wescott fiberglass body and an aftermarket (TCI) chassis using a 9" Ford rear and a chrome straight axle. It will be a daily driver car with a traditional style (not a "rat-rod") and will be built for cruise and highway travel, not race. I am more interested in an engine with low end torque than high RPM horsepower. Currently, the car has a 9" Ford rear end with a 3.70:1 gear and a 29" tall 15" diameter rear tire. I also have a 700R4 transmission in the chassis which gives me a 3.06 1st gear and a 0.70 overdrive 4th gear. I am looking to finish out the car with a unique engine (the 348) that is reliable for daily duty (My '34 Plymouth coupe has a 350 SBC with a TH350 and a '57 Chevy rear end that I built in 1974. It has been driven across country twice and has about 75k miles on it. For a few years it was my only car.)
I am new to the W-engines, but have been building cars for many years. I hope to get assistance from the Forum members on how to build this 348 into a reliable cruiser. I have met two of the Forum members in person already and look forward to meeting and talking to more of you.
Thanks in advance for your help.
John Dewey, aka Texas John, aka "JED"