flathead h.p question/stroker/etc

Figured I'd ask here since Im not having much luck otherwise.. I'd debating on building up the flathead for my 50 ford shoebox. I deffinately cant afford a blower with as much other things I need.. but I've been looking at these stroker kits they sell for them and was wondering if anyone has used them,what kind of pros and cons they have, and if you would recommend one brand over another. Also wondering what kind of h.p guys out there are getting without blowers . Im not expecting radical numbers.. but looking for realistic number with say alumn heads,3/4 race cam, 3 or 4 carbs ,etc. Thought thiswould help me get a good idea what I'm looking at as far as whatto get done first.. and the practicality of it. The car will be driven alot.. and on long distance runs to..so I'm not looking for track only,but want something pretty healthy. thanks in advance..

 

A typical hopped up 239 to 268 cu. in. flathead will put out about 140 to 160 hp on gas. An all out flathead - 1/4 or 3/8 stroker can get up into the 170 to 185 hp range on gas.
Don

 

It's fairly simple to build up a healthy flathead using all-stock parts if you pick and choose properly. Find a 1946-48 59A series block and a 4" stroke 49-53 Mercury crankshaft, a set of 85 HP connecting rods, and order a set of .125" oversize, 1/16" low compression pistons. Have your machine shop set up the crank in the grinder and offset the rod journals 1/16" to get a 4 1/8" stroke. There's just enough material there to grind the crankpins to the 85 HP journal size, and end up either standard diameter or maybe .010" undersize, depending on whether the crank you start out with has been reground already. Bore the block to 3 5/16". You'll end up with a 276 cubic inch engine with about 9:1 compression with stock heads, more if you drop on a set of Offenhausers. Add a 2X2 intake, a lumpy cam and some mild porting and polishing, and you'll have a reliable, streetable flathead. Any more radical, and you'll probably encounter reliability or overheating problems if you try to make it a daily driver.
Jerry

 

thanks Don and Jerry, I had kept seeing all these kits,all the way up to 294 but it never gave any tech on it as far as numbers..I was a bit leary about strokers as I have a 347 ford engine on another project that keeps filling number 7 cyl up with oil..only has like 150 miles on it! power is incredible, but Im not sure if I would want to chance something like that again..

 

I would do heads - 3 carbs max- headers- and if the valves and cylinders are in good
shape , do a cam ISKY JR would be good!! If you still need more poop,Do a Fat Head!! you might grin.

Ol Deuce

 

Back in the early 50's, my family ran a 34 3-window coupe in the middle Tennessee area on 1/4 mile dirt tracks with a 3 7/16" bore and a 4 1/8" stroke, one BIG Zenith carb, 11:1 compression, and an alcohol/peroxide fuel mixture. We outran most of the grandfathers of the current NASCAR crowd, Coo Coo Marlin, Preacher Hamilton, and occasionally Junior Johnson and Lee Petty. Dad quit racing in the late 50's, about the time the overhead valve modifieds got popular and his competition went on the national circuit.
Jerry

 

I personally think the 4 1/8 should be considered the practical maximum for a durable engine...beyond there you are getting into bad stroke to rod length issues, and I think the pistons get rocked too much for decent durability.
This stuff was the main discussion point on Flatdog's remarkable engine, and shorter stroke was in store for his next build when he died.
His engine was huge, I think 307 or so, with very long stroke...I think I remember 4 1/2.
The engine with its 4-71 blower put his 3,000 pound '34 Ford way into the 12's and was very smooth and driveable on the street...I got to drive the thing 150 miles or so once, and it felt like a big block and behaved like granny's station wagon in traffic.
He used about 5,200 as redline.
It had no symptoms (like detonation or smoke) of oil use at all, and ran like a rocket, but the oil just vanished on the road. He had tried multiple types of rings, including zero gap types, and the conclusion really seemed to be that the stroke was too long for piston stability.

 

Seriously, get Joe Abbin's new book. He is known here in the Southwest for making em right and testing what works and what doesn't. Proven recipes, right selection of parts. Over 200hp without a blower, 300 with. You're gonna spend money on a flathead either way, but at least Joe has taken a LOT of time to get "just the facts" out to the public. Building a 53 using his book right now.

 

thanks for all the info guys!..you given mealot to think over..Diavolo..I'll look for that book to..thanks!