I am new here and just wondering and i did do a search for it. didnt find what i was looking for. Did they ever mass produce the MCF flat or what. looked on the motorcityspeedway site and it has alot of info on how great it is but thats it. checked shadowrods etc.... can some one fill me in
Wasn't there a big post awhile back about it? I don't think they are Mass producing them. yet? Its here somewhere.
Mark Kerby is working on it at Shadow Rods, wait until you guy's see all the engineering that has gone into this thing,.... these will be the ultimate Flathead blocks and rotating assemblies,.... "Gooseta2" here on the HAMB can probably fill you all in. http://shadowrods.com/ http://www.motorcityspeedequipment.com/
Their magazine ads say "still in development", and to not call them until they publish that they are done. They've probably been receiving a million calls wondering about them.
Jon Hall the money man behind this enterprise and the owner of Shadow Rods is ,in a word, a perfectionist. Meaning you won't get any products from them until he's satisfied that all of the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted to coin a phrase. From what I've been told most of the issues have been addresses so I suspect it will be soon. In the meantime , if your impatient take a couple of million out of yout 401K and do your own. You'll probably be able to do it better and sell it a whole lot cheaper. Frank
All is well....Right now we are setting up the logistics of manufacturing them...Trying to keep the cost to consumer as low as possibly but at the same time keeping the quality the highest..The test blocks that are in cars right now are doing great..just a few thing we had to fiddle with...minor stuff..In theory we are testing them to be like a 100,000 mile motor...in reality they may never go that far in a hot rod..but we want to customer to be completey happy....We are dropping one in one of our XL 27 bodies to take to the shows as a tester...If ya have any questions just drop me a message....
Doesn't Kirby smile anymore With Jon and Tommy around all the time it should be a laugh a minute Just kidding guys.
The Smithsonian needs to acquire one of those engines - absolutely a work of art - inside and out. I'm gonna start trading in my pop bottles right now
I saw Mark at Autorama 2 years ago when he had one on display... a true work of art. And Mark is also a quality guy...best of luck to him.
Kirby is top knotch class. Brilliant yet humble. I love how he and John Hall are taking Henry's venerable V8 to the next level. The Flathead Ford is such an endearing powerplant that it really launched the "muscle for the masses" concept starting in `32 and now is being honored by this new version with the capability of giving the best engines of today a run for their money in all the departments we care about..... coolness, sound and horsepower. Great job guys!
I just stumbled across this post. Searching the internet I cant find any information, were these ever produced?
I'm thinking that it was pretty much the handful that you read about above. Shadow rods sells MCF intakes, heads and T 5 adapters http://www.shadowrods.com/pdf/SR_Engine_Parts.pdf
Here is a post that I previously made on Ford Barn about the Kirby project, while impressive I think it's need for many proprietary parts made it a loser, and doubtful that it will ever be seen in production. In addition to Mark Kirby there was an additional brain trust involved in the project and they re-engineered the whole package. There isn't much they left on the table that is not unique to the MCFH aluminum block; d-ports, smaller, relocated head studs, roller cam and unique guides, proprietary heads needed for new stud locations, revised oil pan, water pumps, front cover, cam gears, Fluiddamper balancer and on and on. It is for certain a complete work of engineering excellence, but all the upgrades made it out of reach ($$$$$) for the typical hobbiest and it's for that reason I think the project was shelved. Who wouldn't want one, but how many could pay for, or justify the cost?
You are aware, aren't you that there is another gentleman that is developing a replacement flathead block. He goes by "Tod" on the Ford Barn and "427designer" on here, and has done some great things with banger blocks and heads, so he definitely has the "chops" to do this. He made a post on August 31 where he said "Once I get the Model A blocks going I hope to get my new 8BA V8 underway". I think he has a much more realistic take on this than the Shadowrods folks ever had. Anyone that is interested in new flathead blocks would do much better watching this guy than Mark Kirby. I believe he is targeting on a price of around $2500 for a new improved block that will still use traditional components; cranks, heads, intakes, cams, etc. He is the real deal.
MCF made a tactical error when they changed so much that guys couldn’t use their old traditional parts. If I spent years finding just the right heads and intake for a 1940’s styled ‘28 Highboy and did want a brand new, no defect block I’d have to use MCF bolt on components also and give the engine a “new millennium”vibe. Deal breaker for two reasons, looks and cost. They knew how to design the ultimate flathead but flunked Flathead Marketing 101.
All I can add to any of this is.......kudos to anyone who attempts this type of engineering. Keeping alive old technology for us who enjoy this hobby is pretty darn cool IMHO. Thanks to all of you!
If anyone will do it Mr. Tod will. From what I've read on the Barn the block won't be bolt together ready, some machining required, but it will be new and crack free. He's reported on the Barn that he's also working on improving port flow and a few other things. Problem is he's crazy busy with his banger work. It may take awhile. I bet it will be worth the wait. As 427designer here, he has a thread about his banger block and heads. In that thread he also posts some early details on his 8BA work. -Dave
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