Flathead vs SBC

I am building my 39 Ford (std coupe) and I was going to run a sbc (because I have been around chevy motors most of my life), and a 4 speed. I am definitely running a 4 speed but I was also wanting to get away from the typical sbc in a Ford.

I was thinking about a flatty. I have nothing now, no core, no block, no anything to start with so either way I am starting from the bottom. I also dont know a thing about a flathead and I know sbc's.

Is the cost about the same for parts? I know I can get anything for a sbc, what about a flatty? This car will be street only, so will the flatty make enough HP to play around with? If so, is there a particular year thats better?



Would the flatty be a good choice? Anything I should know that wont bite me later?

thanks for the advice in advance!

Jeff

 

Well, if you do do a SBC, just do it right and make it look good.

For 40's early 50's look, go with the flathead. For a late 50's - 60's thing, go with the SBC.

 

Flatty's are way more expensive. They run hot, leak oil, parts are expensive and when it boils down to it you'll spend 8 grand to get 150 hp out of it.
The look is cool and they sound great. They run very hot and no where near as dependable as a SBC. That being said im sure others will chime in whoa re die hard flathead guys and they'll say differently. Ive got one in my roadster and while it looks good, it was very spendy to build.

 

Well I tell you that you will get more horse out of a SBC than a Flatty if you spend the same on them. But a Flathead is so much cooler!!!!

 

The flatty is going to cost you more to rebuild, hop up etc. than the SBC. I have the same problem. The only difference is that I have both types of motors. My thought on my 39 is to go with the sbc for reliability but then if I put the sbc in then I probably should upgrade the trans and rear end to make it more highway viable. Don't know if I want to go to all that expense. Will probably stay with a flatty but make sure I do something with the rear end gearing to make it more highway happy.

 

Flattys are expensive but at the end of the day there's a difference between a hot rod and a "oh, another one of those SBC" type cars. If old school is what you want, it doesnt get any better than a flatty.

 

Do more research before you go with a flathead. Cost no comparison, 2 or 3 times the price for the flathead rebuild. But then most vintage motors will cost more than a sbc. The flatty will not give you the h.p. that you can get from a sbc.

The flathead is unique to the other ohv motors, has good torque, can be reliable, and look and sound good. But the flatheads are different and not for everybody. I have a few and am partial to them.

Neal

 

The flat head would probably be the period correct engine to have. Depends on the style of car you are building and if you want to open your bonnet at car shows. Ive got a 302 in my shoebox because thats what it came with. I would rather have a flathead as it would suit the style im after. The flat head will cost way more however and doesnt fit the budget. They shouldnt run hot if done right. Pretty sure Ryan posted recently that he drove one daily for a year with no heating problems.
Andy.

 

I don't understand this whole "flatheads run hot all the time" stuff. If they are tuned right and have termostats in em they should run just as cool a anything else. Sitting in traffic ideling for 20 minutes may make it get up there...but so can anything else.

Just get updated pumps, a good radiator and clean fluids and you will be fine

 

In my opinion, this argument is holding less water by the day. True there are alot of sbc rods but there are becoming such an increasing number of anti sbc chevy rods that they will soon be the norm (I think they are already). I can bank on going to a show and shine, cruise etc.... and finding half a dozen flatheads in rods that look alot alike.

Personally I would go with a SBC unless you have plenty dough and time to throw at it, me I prefer to drive more than build.

I will say however, if you want to shake things up go with a hemi they are becoming popular but not as common as the old flathead and they look beefy.

 

This was my opinion pretty much all summed up. If you can just have one car and this is it, make it a flathead because you'll regret it if you don't. But if you are fortunate to have more then one then I would say own a hot small block as well because they are just as rad!

 

.....Its up to you.......I have 2 flatheads and 2 ford 302 motors in my hotrods....I like them all....

 

go to a car show, the only thing more common than a sbc is a flathead

 

Running hot and not dependable....your not doing it right.got to laugh at the "not dependable"tag..people drove across country and every other damn place from 32 to 53 before the SBC came on the scene..where do people get this stuff from?

 

I had to make the same decision 15 years ago.
My friends told me to go with the SBC.
Another buddy told me to get new friends.
Never looked back.

 

If Henry Ford were still alive they would still be making Model T's. Gotta keep up with the times


I don't get guys that think the SBC is gods gift to hot rods.

 

There's just nothing "right" about a Chebbie in a classic Ford- the only real "advantage" is they're just plain cheap- but so is a small-block Ford, and there's a lot of neat stuff for the 289-302-351 available, or even a 5.0/OD trans with a conversion wiring harness- plus the Ford weighs a lot less, dizzy's in the front, etc. Either engine can be made to scoot at whatever velocity rate you'd like for cheap. Another reasonably priced setup is the later OHC mod engine with OD trans, they look great dressed up, are in every you-pull-it around, and can make any amount of power you like. The old head-in-the-sand gottagettanudderchebbie argument just doesn't hold water no matter how many holes you plug-they're BORING

 

not trying to avoid the question, but how about some alternatives?

early Olds, nailhead Buick, early overhead Caddy. All are dependable, are not terribly expensive and have good power. Not difficult to find, either.

or maybe a Y-block Ford?

 

But, if you want a hotrod (i.e. fast car) you can't go wrong with the SBC.

I've had both, I think flatheads are cool and all, but I want something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg just for mediocre performance. For the money I spent making my 48 sedan run decent,with maybe 105 HP I could have built a 400 HP SBC....

It comes down to this, do you want a pre 1960's period correct traditional hotrod, most of which would have run a flathead, or a post 1960's hotrod that most probably would be running an OHV engine.

 

I would look at it like this..say you don't currently own the car yet, but you miracously found two near identical examples of it for sale (one has a flathead, the other one SBC), and damn if they weren't the same price..which car would you buy? That should tell you your answer.

 

Have owned and driven both (wish I still had my '62 Chevy HT with a factory 3 on the tree!). But for that car I'd probably go flathead. Looks right and sounds right. Under powered yes but it feels good!

We picked up a running flathead for our roadster -from a '49 truck. Have no idea how many miles are on it. Just a "pig in a poke". It started and ran so we snatched it up. Compression test came out just fine. Kept the single carb (for now), added electronic ignition, and backed up to a T5. New Walker radiator with a freebie electric fan (ugh!) and we don't overheat! We rolled the dice and came out OK.

Picked up another stuck flattie, busted it apart and the block checked out OK. Hope to eventually build it - but they are expensive! Not like the old days. Like my son said, "Dad, it costs a lot to go so slow!"

Either way you got a great car!!!

 

Didn't france just stop using them for their military?

 

Chris: One of these days Ill take you for a ride in my Big block model A pickup, maybe I can convert you, just a little, I think its where you come , my background was always DRAG RACING so everything has to be fast, Put the HOT back into hotrodding. THANKS Chris

 

my thought exactly. flatties went out 10 years before I was born, personally think they are forklift motors. as stated SBC's are boring as hell - why not think fresh? saw a Quad4 converted to carb and dizzy in a T-bucket; looked awesome and pumps out 180 hp with good mileage - lightweight too!

 

Keep it all Ford and consider a Y-block. Still 50's period correct, easily 2X the power of a flathead, not as expensive to rebuild as a flathead and cooler looking than a SBC.

-Bigchief

 

Always a crap match when SBC and Flatheads get compared.I have always been a Chevy guy but here is the reality of the whole damn arguement.A SB Chevy is cheap and easy to find parts for and plenty of power.The Flathead is a lowered powered but dependable engine if tuned right and driven like it should be ,not hotroded. To those that say flatheads run hot obviously haven"t a clue. Push a flathead to hard,its going to let you down. Over rev a Sb. Chevy same thing.

 

my 2 cents. the critics of the flatheads saying they overheat, aren't reliable, etc., are wrong. maybe they just don't know how to run them. also, as far as cost to build goes it all depends on how much you do yourself. if you build your own you can build a great motor for under $2k with all the goodies on it. if you have a shop do it you are looking at double that and often more. a sbc in a hotrod or custom is beyond boring, it has no soul (imho).

 

nailhead

 

Special Ed said:

Not trying to get in a pissing match here, but if they were that reliable Ford would not have stopped building them almost 60 years ago. I've owned, and driven both. I'd go with the sbc....

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[FONT=arial, sans-serif] Well, everybody else stopped building their stuff almost 60 years ago too.[/FONT] How reliable was everybody's almost 60 year old stuff? I'll take a Mopar flattie over any other almost 60 year old stuff. Made more horses than the Fords too. Actually, Mopar flatties were built well into the late 60's in industrial applications. sbc's? Gag.