Flatheads are cool!

[wdfifteen]

The tool I promised you is finally on the way, unclebilly.

Here is a video to prepare you for the awesomeness about to grace your mailbox.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

I took my dad for a road trip yesterday to go pick up the 8BA flathead that I bought sight unseen. I got it home and pulled off a head with my son. Despite being in a 50 Mercury F1, it is a stock 239 8BA flathead… not a 255 Mercury engine.

I’m now looking for a Mercury crank.

I think I found a shop that can bore my block .125 over, I will confirm this tomorrow.

My plan, based on advice from The HAMB is to get it to 276 CID with the .125 over bore and a Merc crank, get a high lift variant of the Merc cam, get some Edelbrock or Offy heads and run a small 4 bbl carb (or duals). My target is 150 HP.

I have always been aware of them, but have never driven one, and I don't know that I've ever seen one run. There's something cool about them, simpler times and motors and all that.

Kind of funny, so much work, huge overbore, long crank, fancy heads, and a 4bbl and still only 150hp. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Are they (relatively) low RPM torque motors or are they just old and therefore not as powerful as more modern motors. I'm more familiar with the old SBC (before the LSx).

[wdfifteen]

The induction and exhaust systems are limiting, but you can get a lot more than 150hp out of one - for a while. The bottom end and especially the cooling system were designed for 100hp or less. If you want to put hundreds of hours on one, 150 is a good number.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Or a '49 '50 '51 shoebox.

How cool is that?



Had to delete Flav's pic. Just not right. They roasted him a while back and one comedian said "Why you wear that clock around your neck? You havent had to be anywhere in ten years."

Edit: Just load Ford Flathead V8 into Wiki. It will get you started on a nice journey if you are curious and a noob like me.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

How cool is that?



Just load Ford Flathead V8 into Wiki. It will get you started on a nice journey if you are curious and a noob like me.

I’ve always liked business coupes. Dodge/Plymouth are my faves. Fords are OK, but unlike the others, I think Ford sedans look better than the coupes. I never liked the round/spherical theme of the Ford dashboards.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I’ve always liked business coupes. Dodge/Plymouth are my faves.

I remember the lead guy in the book Rich Man Poor Man had a business coupe. No idea what it looked like as there were no pics.

I saw the Ford first time yesterday and look up the Plymouth just now and cant believe I'm so clueless. I love them.

My 89 year old dad laid out a bunch of info for me this am.

Less is more.

[Scott Douglas]

Here's a picture my brother just sent me this morning of his flathead during its build.
Note that he painted the insides of the engine for better oil drainage.

[Zeke]

Not only does the paint help marginally (IMHO), but the original idea IIRC was to contain any tiny bits of the casting that could possibly get loose. I'm certain that this is more widely practiced on CI engines, not so much AL. IDK, maybe the big buck AL blocks get a high tech coating.

For the cost, you might think so. I'm just speaking old skool.

[unclebilly]

So my project is progressing.

I found a Merc engine a mere 5 hours away and a week ago, headed to middle of Saskatchewan after work on Friday and picked it up. I took a gamble on this seized engine with a Merc heads but it has the mounts I need for the other engine to put it in my 53 Merc truck.

I got home at 2 AM and the next morning pulled the heads and confirmed that yes, I got a Merc crank. I also discovered that this engine was rebuilt and bored .060 over so if I can get the stuck piston out with damaging thr block, and if everything else checks out, this will be the engine I build.

I have a line on a local 4bbl intake for it and will either run the Merc cam or an isky cam.

Things are coming together.