308 in place of a 212?

[Deleted User]

Here's the deal...I've got a chance to pick up a complete 308, air cleaners to oil pan. I've got my '37 Terraplane with the stock 212, and it has a nearly fresh engine with maybe 500 miles on it now. I know 262 and 308 swaps have been done in the '36 and '37 cars before. How big of a PITA is this swap, really? I'd like to keep the 212 trans, since it has a '53 Hornet O/D on it already.



I know the 308 is longer, but I do not know how much so. I think this would be a great swap, with an engine that would easily make double the horsepower of the 212. Ideas? Real-world experience out there? Anyone know the weight difference between a 308 Twin-H and a 212, both complete?



Floating the idea around, nothing even cast in wet concrete yet.

terraplane8

Interesting idea. FWIW the '36 Terraplane 4 door has 46.57% weight bias on the front wheels with driver, so even if the 308 was heavier, there's room to move without making it too nose heavy.



I suspect the 308 is about the same length as the 8, and it will be interesting to see what the engine weight comparo is. To be fair you'd probably have to factor in the trans as well as that's bound to be a lot beefier & heavier than the '37 one.

Ol racer

FYI

Grab the 308 if a good deal. I put a Hornet in my '37 Terraplane by notching the front X for the damper. I actually bent the L & R pcs forward then fishplated the crossmember. You would need to notch a pocket for rear of motor in the firewall similar to installing a 175 or 212 with a top rear mount distributor.I also had 1/4" main leafs made (a little thicker) only because mine were bent.

Regarding a radiator, I had a modern hi efficency 3 core pressure system put into the Terraplane tanks sliding the core forward in the straps so the hood latched. I mounted a 14" electric fan in front of the radiator.



All that said if you have a recent rebuilt 212 with OD you already have a good hwy cruiser.



I installed an automatic and even if the Terraplane trans fits the Hornet its far too weak to handle the torque....

[Deleted User]

66patrick66 wrote: »

I'd like to keep the 212 trans, since it has a '53 Hornet O/D on it already"



Pardon me for a quick thread highjack. Could you tell me where to look to find more on adding the O/D. Have a '40 super six non O/D and looking into gearing options to make it easier to cruise.

[Deleted User]

Looks like I'll have to wait a bit before I can actually lay eyes on this 308. We had a bit of a blizzard Christmas Eve, and with 14" of snow and 60-knot winds, the side roads around here are still crap. Oklahoma has only three pieces of snow removal equipment, I'm firmly convinced! So, it'll wait a bit. The guy does not have it advertised, so I should be good there. Besides, I think I may have found an Essex body-only, that would make a great hot rod with this 308!!! I've decided to keep the '37 as-is, since it does drive out so nice!



Super7, the guy I bought my '37 from in '04 did the transmission work, to add the OD unit. He is a HET member (Mike Lawrence) and he is in Kansas. He is in the HET roster, if you would like to look him up.

[Deleted User]

Hell, I want to see it! The car and the body both!



Went to look at a car last year that a guy told me about, that he claimed was an unrestored Kaiser Darrin that had been parked in a shop for over 40 years. Of course, I'm a tad skeptical, but hell, who knows, right??? So, I load up the car hauler and went to where this car was located - a two hour jaunt. Figure even if it's just a Manhattan or something like that, who knows what it might be? The guy takes me back to this "shop" which was more of a remains of a 100-year-old barn that really needed just a small breeze to finish its demolition! Surprise! No "Darrin". Crap. Just a wrecked Manhattan (as I figured) and a really rotted Packard four-door, neither of which had been tagged since the early Sixties, judging by the plates. Nothing lost, nothing gained, I guess...



Hopefully, this saga of the 308 and the alleged Essex body won't be a similar story!

[Deleted User]

Well, I went to look at this "308" today...



NOT a 308. Not even close. Well, it is a Hudson engine, I'll give it that.



It IS another 212, in pretty sad shape. It looks like it's been apart for maybe 30-40 years. Basically, a rusty, open hulk. And the alleged "Twin-H" that it had? Two early carbs off of a 212, that were junk. One air cleaner, off the same 212. I was not real happy wasting three hours of time after work to look at a heap of unusable iron. Too pissed for pics. That was a pisser.



The alleged Essex body is owned by another person, about two hours away. With my luck lately, I can only imagine what THAT really is!



The saga continues.