Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Sidebar 200.0: Take Two, Please

As you very well may know, I've been hunting for a running flathead for the past two months. During my search, I used every possible resource: Facebook, Craigslist, Instagram, the H.A.M.B., Ford Barn, swap meets—everywhere. Despite my best efforts, nothing really developed. And when I'd get what seemed like a solid lead, the engines were far away and/or out of my price range.

Then, in late December, Dennis in Sonoma reached out to me via the H.A.M.B. He mentioned that he had a running 59AB that had been sitting for decades. We chatted some about the motor, and then I eventually heard it run on Facetime while I was back in Michigan. It was decided: I needed to check it out ASAP.

On Saturday, David and I made the trip to Sonoma to see what this engine was all about.

It was raining when we pulled up to Dennis' place. As we walked up his driveway, we could hear the unmistakable sound of a flathead V8 at high idle. We introduced ourselves and proceeded to inspect the engine. It started easily and ran smoothly. There was some blowby, but not awful. Overall, I was pretty impressed with the thing.

After asking plenty of questions, I made the plunge. "I'll take it!" I said.

Dennis then removed his parts, including the Stromberg, water pumps, generator fan and belt. He gave me the vintage SW oil pressure gauge, which I really appreciated. As the rain fell, we loaded up the engine.

 

After enjoying some delicious sandwiches from Petaluma Market, David and I pulled the roadster's old flathead.

He parked his car outside to make room for the swap. This view never gets old!

It still hasn't sunken in that I now have a running engine for my roadster. Next time I'm at the shop, we're going to pressure wash off all the external gunk and install the fresh water pumps. I'll bolt on my 2x2 Weiand intake, Strombergs and crab distributor. Then, with any luck, we'll get it ready to fire in the chassis. That's a day I've been looking forward to for a long, long time.

 

Exciting stuff! The story goes that the engine came out of a 1940 Ford. From what I can tell, it's a 239 cubic inch '46-'48 59AB.
Here are some identifying markings.

And a closeup of the lower pulley.

 

My thoughts exactly. But we were there playing by his rules, so I didn’t have much of a choice. He said it was hard to start, but I’m hoping that swapping in a new Stromberg, new spark plugs, new wiring and fresh Pertronix will help.

 

Thank you! That's the plan. We'll see what we can get out of this ol' flatmotor. Can't wait to dig in.

We need to get this car to Oklahoma!

Thanks Brian! I'm so excited to get everything into place. One piece at a time!

Yes! It's looking like I'll be hauling it down to Pismo in the beginning of February.

 

Amidst the flathead excitement, I was able to do a little bit of behind-the-scenes work. Over the holidays, @So Cal Brian B texted me about a SW 160mph speedometer for sale here on the H.A.M.B. The condition was good, the price was fair, and I knew I needed a speedo for Version 2.0. So, I pulled the trigger. The seller, @fleetside66 made sure it arrived quickly and safely. Thanks, Greg!

It's been a busy week. So busy in fact that I had the speedometer sitting on my desk for multiple days before I plugged it into my SW dash pane that I got from David. It's a perfect fit! I plan to add the ignition switch and possibly some jeweled indicators to fill the remaining holes in the panel.

Oh, and see the Dixco gauges? Those are early-'60s NOS from the one and only @corncobcoupe. They've been on his shelf for quite some time, and he was gracious enough to donate them to the cause. Thanks again, Cob. See you in Des Moines!

 

During my daily Craigslist hunt yesterday, I came across a set of juice brakes taken off of a flathead-powered 1932 Ford highboy. The owner was upgrading to an overhead V8 and wanted Lincoln brakes, so he put these up for grabs. The drums I have on my car still need to be turned, so I figured this may be a good way to save money and keep the ball rolling.
So, after work, I made the hourlong drive to Livermore. I had no issues with the backing plates and related components, but I did see a slight scrape on the inside of one of the drums. Since I had already driven that far, I figured I'd make an offer. The seller accepted, and I brought them home.

After sanding the inner drums, I'm starting to think I might have acted too quickly. They're nice, no doubt, but there's a chance that they'll have to be turned too. I can barely feel the scrape when I run my finger over it, but I know it's there. I'll measure the drum size when I get to the shop Saturday. Worst case scenario, I'll have some good hubs, fresh bearings and loaded backing plates for sale.

***​

The past week of the build has had its ups and downs. You would think that at this point I would have a grasp on what to buy and what to leave behind, but this is just a reminder that I'm still learning. With the highs, lows and in-betweens, I'm doing everything I possibly can to get this car on the road—even if that means potentially making mistakes along the way.

 

One piece at a time, right? And thank you! Remember when I went to that garage sale in the Sunset back in the first five pages or so of this thread? I'll be using one of the jeweled lights from there. It's currently in the middle of my Model A cluster.
Seen here, with Andrew at the controls.

As long as 101 is open. And if you do make it to Pismo make sure an Old West Cinnamon Roll is on the to do list.[/QUOTE]

That's the plan. Can't wait to try them out. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.

Great perspective! We'll clean it up on Saturday and see how it does.

Great to know. I'm going to bring them up this weekend for a full inspection.

Thanks Jeff! I am too. The always exciting flathead adventure. We'll miss ya, but safe travels. Looking forward to catching up soon. Oh, and I'll have some Corn Head grease for you!