The Cadillac engine worked out nicely once you made a few corrections to the previous installation. I am glad that you are using the old Cadillac air cleaner, it really looks like it belongs in that engine bay. You guys made this installation look so easy although I know it wasn’t. I am looking forward to the next episode.

@CapnBubbaa

6 ай бұрын

I agree the air ckeaner fits the conversion, but lose the holley carb...

Steve is a Good Man. There is an art to being a Number Two guy. Steve knows.

Great job Matt!... You and Steve make it look easy but I know it's not. You know. Putting a GM into that old Ford.... It's going to be really nice.... People who don't understand cars have no idea how much effort is involved in bringing these vehicles back.... I love watching you guys bring these cars back!!!!!!

Caddy with the Batwing. Bitchin' stuff!!!

I love a little change from the flathead. Can’t wait for you to fix the headlights.

You make those old hotrods look like the came from the factory. Love the way you do things.

Nice job Steve 👍 your communication during the installation was perfect 😎

At first I really didn’t care for the hot-rodding of the vintage cars. But after watching each video posted by you I am becoming more convinced that it is essential for saving the life of some of the most beautiful cars produced by American manufacturers. Looking forward to the next video. Michael, Norwalk Ct.

I remember in the early 1960s my dad helped a friend put a Cadillac motor in a 1941 Lincoln convertible in place of the V12

It's great watching you guys slip that motor in - there's really something special about shoehorning an engine in with a friend - each one watching the clearances they can control and listening to the descriptions given by the other. That feeling of exhilaration when you both stand back and see the results is a great rush! Great work changing hatchet engineering to the kind of design that a good hot rod shop would have done at the time! Can't wait to see more progress over the winter!

Thanks for pointing out the previous mistakes and how to build one right. Steve is a can-do-it-all guy and I'm glad you have him in the shop. The convert. will be a prize when done.

Morning Matt, I really like the direction this project is going, especially installing the banjo type rear axle, the correct pedals, X-member etc. Thanks for sharing!!

@silasmarner7586

6 ай бұрын

Not "Good Morning"? It's like Ed Asner in the Mary Tyler Moore show when he came in in a bad mood. He'd just say "Morning". I say, GOOOOOOD MORNING Matt! What a great day to be alive!

Thank you Matt and Steve for the update on the '38 it's starting to come together sweetly !

Truly like the direction you are taking the 38. Will be a true 50's Hot Rod.😊

Really like you guys putting the engine you found from the estate into the car. Maybe that was the plan years ago kinda neat to think about

@maryleesantoro2075

6 ай бұрын

❤

i am a G M girl from way back so putting a Cadillac into a ford i believe will lend itself well in this very cool Ford, also dont get me wrong about Fords i had a 36 convertible a 77 ford Bronco, and a 1980 Bronco all were great cars and i wish i could have found that 32 coupe with an Olds engine in it, this car i remember seeing pulling smoke shows where i worked as a teen growing up in the sixties ans seventies was some fun. In my life time i have owned very many cool cars i now drive a 1998 jeep grand Cherokee, o well enough of my ramblings. i just want to say that i as a lover of vintage cars you keep a smile and hope in my heart for these great cars of a long past time where every day drivers became every day eye catchers after ww2 thank you guys and keep on doing all the great work in bringing back these cars and their history.

Wow , seeing the shop cleaned up some makes it look bigger ! I remember one of my uncles garage when I was little looking huge but a few years back I seen it looked real tiny ! I'm now 68 so it had many years since I played in it !

Old school Fordillac😎👍Back in the '60s i had a HenryJ with a 394 Olds shoehorned in... Saying that comes to mind" hot enuff torch and a big enuff hammer" Looking forward to seeing more of this great build !!

Rollers for boat trailers make great motor mount cushions,just cut to fit and already have a hole drilled🤓

That’s going to be a pretty cool ride! I think it’s still pretty period correct.

The Coolest build since the junkyard 39 Tudor Sedan ! Love historical builds like this .

Can't wait to hear the Caddy roar!.

Great video. Nice you are fixing the goof-ball stuff.

I can see by watching Iron Trap that Steve enjoys what he does.

@alseidel5622

6 ай бұрын

Fully agree. Sure wish he would use some gloves and an eye shield. Safety should never take a holiday. Enough of that love the Fordillac.

@stevenkarnisky411

6 ай бұрын

A mask while using the nail cleaner on rust and old grease would be good, too. You can't take too good care of your lungs, Steve.

I always enjoy watching you save another old Ford.

Loving it , like the direction this build is headed , great job.

I'm not much of a patina fan. But nice job on the engine fit. That old gal needed some justice and she got it. Nicely done.

This is a somewhat traditional engine swap for this era Ford. It was a common enough swap to generate the term "Fordillac", and is almost simple to do. Alas, firewalls are the bane to engine swaps in old Fords of this age. I had a '40 Coupe with a ' 55 Buick nailhead that the original builder used an axe to clearance the distributor. NOT pretty, but it worked. Looking forward to seeing the firewall replaced, or at least patched.

Back in my misspent youth, c. 1965, I blew up the original Flattie, so Installed a 331" Cadillac in my 1948 Mercury convertible. Granted that car's engine bay was larger that your '38's, but many things were the same. I used genuine Hurst front motor mounts, and a transmission adapter plate from JC Whitney to the pre 1940 transmissions I used, and frequently destroyed out on the streets at the Friday & Saturday night stop light derby. One thing I did for clearance with the stock manifold on the driver's side was to drop the steering box about one inch. That worked out well. On the passenger side the engine came with a modified ex manifold, that cleared everything. I used a Stelling & Hellings chrome bonnet on a vintage Rochester Quadrajet 4 barrel. No tuning,I knew nothing about that magic, it did start and ran well enough for my simple needs. I do miss that "Mercillac" experience. Anybody can stick a Chebby in anything, that takes little talent to do. Right on! Matt.... RooDog, Knoxville, Tennessee.....

The caddy engine is cool as can be.

Good stuff. In my day, you got more bang for your buck by engine swapping than by buying expensive speed equipment. It always helped to be on a first name basis with the local salvage yard.

Nice to see it going back together correctly after a long hibernation.

This is shaping up to be a really cool car 👌

Looks like a very good matchup. Was great seeing the cleanup. I thought you'd paint it before dropping it in.

@h5mind373

6 ай бұрын

I would imagine they'll pull it back out when changing the firewall.

@IEchuckie

6 ай бұрын

I'm over the patina look

Nice save soon it will be a great safe dependable street rod Steve is one of your best additions to the program and shop but you probably know that

I love the old whatever we can find origins of hot rodding, my Uncle Jim had a mid 30s Ford he put a mid 50s Chrysler Hemi in around the mid 60s. Local Doctor had an accident in his '56 Imperial.. and gave it to my uncle.. as was the custom back then.. he made it fit. Unfortunately the car left this world in the late 70s

Awsome! The Caddy engine should give you a lot of power.

@charlesyoung7436

6 ай бұрын

And the planned rear end should put that power to good use!

good choice

Perfect car for that engine! Well done!

Looks good I like that combo

I like how you nonchalantly use the 3 window coupe as a tool bench......

@IronTrapGarage

6 ай бұрын

Haha just another day around here… 🤪

My friend and his dad put a 331 Cadillac engine with 2 four barrel carbs in a 35 ford pickup 40 yrs ago and still has it 👍

Looking good! It will be nice to see that hacked up firewall cleaned up.

Great job, Matt that Cadillac engine will make that Ford really nice😊😊

Man that is fun to watch!!!

That's gonna be a great classic hotrod! Good vibes already.

I like it! Although the Flat Heads are cool so is the early Cadillac! Good job. I enjoy your vids even though I'm a Porsche guy.

Great job, the Caddy engine looks factory in there !

Pure treasure.

I’ve got a George Trosley print that almost looks like that car. It’s titled “Trick Mirror” but it’s a 1940 convertible.

That's a nice smooth running Cad motor. I love that you're using a period trans as well. Nice job on those Hurst-style mounts! The Pontiac 389/ Muncie was a later era, not your style so much, I see that... I also liked the Olds Starfire 394, which was another smooth torquey hotrod motor, esp with a '57 J2 6 bbl setup!

I actually look forward to cold weather so I can stay in my garage working on my old rides.

Looks good, I also like the look of a Buick nailhead in a hot rod. I had a Buick 264 nailhead out of my parents 55 Special that I kept around for years but never found a project car for it so I sold it. The engine was totally original and still ran. A guy from Atlanta bought it off eBay and drove to Ky to get it. He didn’t do a thing to it and put it in a rat rod A model tow truck and then drove it to Pigeon Forge TN without a hiccup.

Hard to beat a Cadi motor, nice early OHV.

I love this build can't Waite to see it make its first drive.

The Roots of 50's hot rodding involved more than a few caddy installs,IE Fordillacs.

Hey Matt, just wanted to share with you an option I’ve found for a engine cleaner rather than the expensive engine cleaner which is Easy off oven cleaner. It is what I use myself, it works phenomenal. It sprays on as a foam and I let it set until it turns to liquid and then I pressure wash it afterwards. Give it a try sometime and see what you think.

@IronTrapGarage

6 ай бұрын

Great tip!

Great progress Matt. Watching your work is really satisfying as I do all my own work on my '67 Vette. I know they are years apart.

I like it.

Loving this project

I love it ! A lot of work , but it looks great in the car , & the air cleaner looks radical on it , just like it belongs there . Great job , guys . Nothing like watching someone (ITG) un-hack a nice rare hot-rod , put a more suitable (running)engine & trans in it , & get the ball rolling with all of the needed parts to make it all flow right again . I love those engines , high torque - lower rpm , a real "cruiser" , with a throaty sound . I will be watching the progress on this , with great interest , like all of the others . The fabrication work , that ties it all together , those little bits of "unobtainium" , or "never-made-them", you guys do , set you apart . Especially knowing what parts were commonly used , but overall , you are keeping it real , & more importantly , keeping it uniquely , American . Have a very merry Christmas , gentlemen . I'm quite positive all of the Santas out there , will be checking out you stable of sleds . Ho , Ho , Holy crap ! Think I'll try this one out ! Lol . Take care , guys .

Nice job. BTW: Harbor Fright needlescalers are inexpensive but do the job.

Shades of the 39 Merc 312,cool tin when its finished.Early chrome steel 5 spoke mags would be a nice touch.

Great build keep up the great work

Great content that could only be improved by using the old cast iron engine hoist!

Awesome build!

This a cool project but every time I see the quad headlights of the Sweetheart roadster I say to myself "Man, I can't wait to see that completed."

GREAT VIDEO MATT!!!! TOTALLY AWSOME UPGRADE!!!!N I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!!!

Awesome job

The Caddy engine looks good in the 38

Nice job Steve and Matt

The rear suspension setup look like it may have come from a Packard

Great job team

Perfect match Matt, good job !

Looks awesome guys..gonna be a cool build

Nice build you have going on. I request you change the headlights back to original next just for the sake of your viewers sanity. Cheers!

Yeah, I like the Caddy!

diesel powered steam cleaner would be a good investment for greasy stuff, hands down better than pressure washer

Custom auto rebuilding love it .

Im a BIG fan of a Caddy in a ford or Merc or just about anything else. 😅

Looks great! I would have loved to have that in my '40 in 1964, although the 49 mercury flathead with the 39 trans was fun!

Yes sir, that swap would be another period swap utilized when the Cadillac OHV was introduced. Granted we have modern equipment to perform this type of modifications, but it be preferred over the methods used if this swap was performed back in the late forties or early fifties.

That is going to be a ripper car !!

Thanks for another , Brother !

Wow... this is a big step forward. ..Patching the current firewall?? Not in question?? I suppose if you have the/an original fiewall ...and can easily take this one out and that one in... well I did say easy.. but I suspect it won't be! Well Done!! #

Looks nice and beefy in there .😊

Not sure if it’s been asked and answered but how do you keep up with what’s going on with all your projects? I like this one.

Very cool guys 😎

It's been quite a while since I watched the channel but KZread's AI thought I should start watching again. Just one question: Why don't youse guys use a gear pump to circulate fresh, clean oil through an engine that has been sitting for only God knows how long prior to turning it over? What do I use? A small Viking gear pump with 2-speed half horse motor that I only use the lower speed. A PH8A in a filter adapter on a small stand and a collection of drain bolts I drilled a hole into then pressed a brass barb fitting into with JB Weld as the sealant. It's incredibly handy to fill diffs and trans also. Minimizing cross-contamination isn't difficult and doesn't waste much of what ever the next lubricant is.

Eracorrect hotrod motor, excellent

ROD & CUSTOM RENISANCE!!!!!!

Dude!!! Nice job!!!✌️

That Cadillac is almost 100 Cu In more than the flathead so it ought to provide plenty of "grunt" to move the car around very nicely. Probably not as much as the Pontiac but the Caddy may have more torque so that may overcome the additional cubes the 389 had. Lots will also depend upon that gears you end up with. ;o)

If this is a keeper, please throw a quick old school primer paint job on it. The patina, if left as is, might be a little too much.

Curious why you would build a new mount to the horse shoe mount instead of going right to the cushion?

Looks great.

Hi Guys, I hate to be a nay sayer but having had to constanty pull those 39 Ford boxes out of my 34 and our club 34 B- Altered small block Chevy powered cars I thru in the towel and got a T10 & 55 chev rear in 1962!Those 39 boxes & tourque tube rears rears were designed for 85 horse power engines! Other viewers should consider the stronger Cad/La Sal trans behind a Cady for their future projects. Just sayin. Love your show !!! Best regards, MartyZinNYC

I’m generally a “Ford in a Ford” guy but I’m also a use what you got guy. It’s cool that you’re going back with the Ford transmission and you’re going to straighten out the back half and fix all the stuff thats cobbled together.

Nice job!!! Way cool.

100% honest with you. I like it. 😅