When I bought my 53 Victoria the flathead didn't run. Everyone told me to put the 302 I have into it but I just couldn't do it. As was previously said, nothing sounds like a flathead.
blocks are extremely prone to cracking, they overheat easily, cost a lot of money to build and still don't deliver much power.........but people here (masochists ?) love 'em.....they will gladly turn them into cash for you and your troublesome siblings......
It’s all about nostalgia Ray. It’s all about nostalgia. [emoji1] I’ve seen more money spent on other insignificant things in my lifetime. Ask my wife.
Yes, I do understand that.....having the same experience and chiding from significant other(s)..........and I actually do have some Flathead experience over the decades that informs my opinion. Mostly, I just like tweeking the die hard Flathead fans here.... I am a Buick Straight Eight fan......owning a few of them......so nostalgia is no stranger to me.... Ray
I'm not necessarily pro-flatheads..although currently, I have 1 in my '40 p/u , one in my '41 p/u, and one in my '40 convertible. I've had many over the years, but I've had more SBC's. A good running flathead will help you forget how many consider them to be too expensive to build, not enough power, the overheating issue, etc. They have the look, the history, the nostalgia, and the cool factor, if you're willing to spend more to get less.
@tjmac, I’m just starting to get into Flatheads and I have to say, I don’t think I’ll ever turn back. It seems clear from the responses that many more generations will get to learn about and experience these unique and legendary engines.
Nothing wrong with downsizing if you are not a flathead person. The fact that it's hard to find a good flathead block and that there are lots of folks rebuilding them shows they are still popular. Price fairly and sell them to folks who want them.
had one in high school 'cause i couldn't afford a chevy. really got into them 10 years later because they were free or almost free. nice torquey motor that sounds like nothing else!
LOL on the HAMB flatheads are the new belly button. Flatheads are cool. Unless you are serious about going fast then LS motors are cool. In my time I have seen flatheads come and go several times. Granted I don't remember much before I was about 3 or 4 years old. There have always been guys who are die hard flathead guys and I don't doubt that there always will be. I don't really understand the argument, I am guessing that has something to do with which parts to get rid of. That being the case now is as good a time as any to peddle flathead pieces, they are at a premium right now.
I peddled all mine when the feeling was "get rid of this crap while you still can, no one wants it anymore". No matter what you sell or when you sell it, if you live long enough you will wish you had kept it when it becomes gold.
Well you know what they say, "you can be cool twice in life if you only hold still long enough. Once wen it was cool the first time and once when it comes back around again."
lucky for you I'm a scrapper and will give you fair scrap value for all your flathead parts. I'll even come pick it up in an enclosed car trailer from mass lol.
The flathead parts could be worth a lot more than you think. Contact me for the local Early Ford V8 Chapter (pm me if you need a number). Contact local car clubs. Go to a cruise night and look for flathead cars and talk to their owner. Charlie Stephens
If you look at one of the (several ) engine polls i did the flathead cosistently came in second behind the SBC so the are still very popular with hot rodders. If your dads stash put the stuff on Ebay or any number of other classified add sites on the internet.
I have several flatheads and the one in my roadster has been all over the place, 45K+ miles - nothing else is more nostalgic (except a banger) or sounds better .....
The overheating issue has been adressed,by those keen enough to know. the expense and H/P issues are still an issue . just sayin
"Never have so many spent so much to go so slow" Having said that... Here is mine. Chappy 20180424_195045 by Chappy444 posted Jun 18, 2018 at 8:26 PM
Love them, remember to keep generator, starter, voltage regulator, distributor, coil, waterpumps, thermostats, fanbelts, carburator or two in the trunk. They're fun, and when they're running right they make you crazy happy. Me I run a nailhead in my 29 roadster, it always makes me happy.
In the thirty years I've owned mine, I have never found this necessary. I took a trip from Minneapolis to Chicago and back about 25 years ago; for that one, I took along a set of water pumps. I finally got sick and tired of them rattling around in a box in the trunk and took them out about 5 years ago. Build it right, use quality components, and leave the spare parts at home.
with the spare parts already packed for shipping to the location of your break down...just have your 'go to' person add the address and wait for the brown truck... Ray
OK Ray, that sounds good. The problem is that my "go to" person will probably be traveling with me. Also, how do I know which parts to pack? I'll stick to quality components and proper maintenance.
Denny....you are confusing your 'go to' person with your 'come with' person...... as for packing......one box with water pump(s), a box for generator, box for starter...etc. The boxes are cheap/free, it's only the shipping that bites a little. In any case, this is all in good fun.....I agree with your premise and seldom carry around parts in anticipation of a failure ...other than spare tires. And, even then, have driven on lengthy trips with OT modern cars with no spares and no flat tires. Ray
I got ya Ray. But when I found that my girlfriends new car came without ANY spare tire (it did have a can of "Fix-a-Flat" and a cheap-ass 12 volt compressor), the first thing I did was buy an appropriate wheel, tire, and jack
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