Mark V 3.5 Drivetrain Looking For A Home

Pre-XK
#1

Hi there. I have a 1950 Mark V with a 3.5 liter. I’m doing an electric motor swap. I know: What a travesty, I’m the devil, A traitor to all motoringkind, etc…

Anyway, I’ve no use for most of the powertrain, and I was hoping I could find someone looking for said powertrain. I’m in the San Fran Bay Area. Does anyone know of somebody west coast US (or perhaps you are somebody) who is currently looking for many 3.5-liter powertrain parts? Or who warehouses them? It would be nice for them to find some use.

#2

Only if you do not document and post it, here!

I’d recommend keeping the engine: upon resale, that will keep the value of the car up.

#3

As a side issue it would be really interesting from an engineering viewpoint to see some photos of the swap… please dont be shy in posting some pics!

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#4

Should the swap be located in the Lumps forum?

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#5

Well, if you don’t get a better offer, my garage seems to be becoming a charity home for orphan Mark V parts, but I’m in Chicago and I’d have to check the weather before crossing the Rockies in winter with a trailer. :cold_face:

But Paul makes a good point about keeping it with the car, in case your electric conversion doesn’t work out well. What are your ultimate plans?

Like Jon, I as a mechanical engineer am interested in seeing the work. There was an electric Triumph Spitfire at our British car show one year. The running joke was that it should be called a Sparkfire.

The Lumps Forum is generally Chevy V8 swaps, with some others, but not notably electrics. Hard to guess how much help you would get there.

And let’s remember there was a thread about an electric XK120 that turned into an argument and somebody was ejected for 1000 years.

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#6

I knew someone got ejected over an Aston Martin.

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#7

Hello Matt, can you provide more description of the parts which are available? My interest will depend on scope and quality of the parts. Presently running powertrain? Engine and transmission serial numbers. Estimated mileage. Other useful remarks? I’m in SoCal and my driver Mark V spent its first 50 years in the Bay Area before it came to me.

#8

I think it’s a crazy idea but I’d be interested in your progress. I personally think that chemical batteries are the wrong way to go with electric cars. My vote is for hydrogen and fuel cell. That said, I would like to still be able to power my SS Jaguar when fossil fuels are banned. I’m happy to substitute a hydrogen tank for my petrol tank but I’d use the hydrogen to power the existing piston engine.

So I have a vested interest in the deployment of a hydrogen network rather than beefing up the electricity grid.

Peter

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#9

Congratulations on your daring decision. But I’m not sure if I like these changes in the world. When everything is electric or even better hydrogen (! @Peter_Scott), only our vintage cars will resemble the roots of the automotive industry.
Anyway, please be so kind and share some photos and information about technical parameters. Will the suspension, brakes, steering, etc. handle the new power and torque?

#10

No clue on the milage. Odometer says 10, but something tells me that’s wrong. The tires look like they might legit be 50 years old. I bought the car in an estate sale. The executor (daughter) said dad bought it 25 years ago, parked it inside and never touched it again. That looks to be the case. The interior looks all there and straight but is so brittle that it will crack if you look at it wrong.

Powertrain is not running and I have no idea of the condition. I would assume full rebuild of engine and trans required. Based on the condition of the rest of the vehicle, I’d expect the insides to be mostly still usable.

Scope: engine, trans, carbs, exhaust, fuel tank, driveshaft, basically everything that makes the car move except the rear end and radiator.

Engine code is listed as Z3096 and gearbox as JH4036. I can’t verify these on the actual engine and trans because I’m on crutches for the next week (also don’t know where to look).

I can take the valve cover off and shove a borescope in a couple cylinders next week but I’d rather not do a bunch of disassembly.

possible concern: It looks like a valve cover breather is missing and open to the environment, and the carbs are removed with rags shoved in the holes.

Pics here: https://imgur.com/a/Cu35REw

Let me know if you have any specific pictures you want to see.

#11

I’m always short on space so I’d rather not keep the parts.

I will definitely update here, over in the Lumps forum.

My current plan is to swap in an entire Tesla Model 3 rear subframe and possibly use Model 3 batteries. It looks like I might be able to cut out the cross bracing in the middle of the frame and weld in a box that holds batteries. That might have similar or better stiffness than the cross braces if its fully boxed. I’ll have do run an FE Analysis.

The subframe is wider than the rear but I might be able to cut each of the suspension arms shorter without screwing with the kinematics too much. Again, analysis needed. I might also buy some fender flares and tape them on. Could be a good look with a wide body in the rear.

@Slawek
I’ll be replacing the suspension and brakes, swapping in the entire outboard assembly from a modern vehicle. Probably Model 3 in the rear, but I’ll have to find something else for the front because Tesla uses upper control arms above the wheels that won’t clear the Mark V fenders.

#12

Sounds to me like a lot of screwing up of a car that looks to me like a good candidate for a normal restoration.
Are the carbs with it? They are easy to rebuild, all small parts readily available.
See if the engine turns with a wrench on the crankshaft bolt, or use the starting crank handle if you have it.
Mark V crankshaft 005
That hole in the valve cover is where a rubber fitting connects it to the air cleaner. An early form of positive crankcase ventilation.

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#13

Hello Matt, thanks for details on engine, tranny, and such. Let me know when powertrain is taken out. I could come pick up parts excess to your needs once off the car.

You may wish to consider car registration issues prior to removing the engine. California used the engine serial number for car registrations in the Mark V years. If you intend to make the car street legal with California registration, you may wish to obtain current registration and title before altering the car powertrain. My understanding of California regulations is that smog considerations for a car are according to the engine used and not the age of the car. Hot rodders sneak around this by not reporting the new engines installed in pre-1975 cars. I don’t know of safety standard requirements if the engine is changed to a new powertrain. Engine serial number is on the firewall plate and also on upper right rear of engine block above the starter and below the head gasket.

My car had been off the road in San Francisco for more than a decade when I bought it. To obtain current California registration I had to pay the past required out-of-service registrations the owner had not paid while it was stored.

Anyway, let me know when the powertrain is out of the car.

#14

Mustang II is the go-to front suspension for many project rods (like mine).

Check Speedway.com.

#15

Sounds like an interesting project to say the least. Please keep us posted as to your progress.
My ‘49 has a 2.5L engine and I’m toying with upgrading to the 3.5L. Any idea what you’d want for the engine?

#16

If you’ll use it, it’s free. But I do ask that you take everything, including the trans and fuel tank. Are you west coast US?

#17

No, I’m about 1.5 hours from the ocean…the Atlantic. I’m in Western Massachusetts but trucks do come back East. Just gotta find the right one!