Hey! Hope you're all doing good, my first post here. Super stoked to join the community. I just purchased a 1951 Ford Custom (Shoebox) I am in the process of getting her road worthy but am a little stumped at what should be a trivial step in the process. I've always wanted a flathead and am excited to get her on the road but can't for the life of me, find any information on changing the oil canister. I bought a new WIX canister and it came with what look like 2 huge O-Rings. Does anyone know where these go? I've searched the forums all over but can't find anything on the subject. I know, a noob question but I've zero experience with these engines. Thanks!!!
Welcome to the hamb I don’t have an answer to your question. A lot of flatheads didn’t have an oil filter, but maybe your later model one does. Without any pictures, I can’t tell what you have, as it may be an aftermarket one. Often a google search with the word hamb in it first, will find more results than the actual hamb search function. Someone more helpful will probably be along shortly……..
Mine has the filter housing but no filter inside of it lol thanks for the response and for the tip! Have a good one!
A pic of the filter in question will go a long way . Is this an application that is specific for the Flathead ? The reason I ask is there is a pressure reducer that goes into the oil line,,,,,without it,,,,it will leak oil past the o ring in the top,,,really badly . Tommy
This is the filter and o-rings, I believe this is a flathead specific filter canister but not 100% on that/
Okay,,,,that’s a good Wix pic,,,,,,,what about the metal housing (canister ),,,that the filter element goes into ? Tommy
Okay,,,,,looks like a factory oil filter canister . You should be good. I would remove that drill bit sticking into the tube though ,,,,it will help the installation. That big floppy o ring goes into the lid,,,,,to seal the top . Tommy
Thanks! That's just a pic, not my actual housing... mine don't have the bit lol! So I only really need one of the two they've provided?
Yup, I guess that filter fits more than one housing. When I change the oil on my flathead I use the ring that fits my lid and discard the other one. Suck the oil out of the housing before installing the new filter for best results.
Yup, Use the o-ring that fits the cover....there’s a piece in the bottom of the canister that you can take out and clean..fits over the tube...I try to clean the bottom of the canister real well...if you have a lot of muck in there...remove the canister so it can be cleaned well....I use a little grease on the o-ring to hold it in place and a new sealing washer on the bolt...tighten the bolt firmly .....don’t fill the canister with oil...it fills when you start the engine....Zoom-Zoom.......Mark
Make sure to use a soft copper washer on the bolt that secures the lid to the oil filter canister to prevent leakage. Don't over tighten it.
These are VERY helpful posts! I have two questions. First please understand. My truck (52 f-3 8BA motor) originally had no oil filter. I've bought two piles of disassembled motors which included 3 oil filter canisters and various tubes/fittings. I see no item for the bottom of the canister as mentioned by flatford8. I was also unaware of the spring/washer for the top as you have shown. Is this item for the bottom of the canister a screen? Most important question! I have a pile of fittings; but what am I looking for as the "restrictor" for the input line to the filter? I have my motor assembled. I have run it for 5 seconds on crank only to verify I have oil pressure. YAY! I'll attempt startup soon as I have at least some exhaust system installed. I'll likely install the filter as soon as I have running motor. TIA David
My oil canister does not have a drain plug in the bottom also. I use a turkey baster to remove most of the old oil then wipe it out with clean rags/paper towels. I put a little clean oil on both ends of the filter with my finger to help it slide on easier. I also put some on the seal (both sides) with my finger. I also pour a little new oil in the canister once the filter is installed to help maybe prime it. I don't know if it helps but makes me feel better! The restrictor fitting is the one that is screwed into the oil canister. I was told if you don't have it installed, you won't have good oil pressure.
The two rubber gaskets make it possible to use either of two different filter cans. Use the one that fits the lid and discard the other one. I always fill the can before putting the lid on. The restrictor fitting goes between the can and the oil pressure sender on a stock 8BA engine equipped with a filter. You can identify it by the size of the hole in the fitting, which is just a brass flare fitting with a little bitty hole through it. Roughly >.060" in diameter. It screws into the top hole on the side of the can. Without it you will have low oil pressure and could damage the bearings. The return line hooks to a 1/4" pipe fitting behind and under the driver side exhaust manifold. It will have a little pipe plug in it if it was not equipped with a filter. There is a spring with a round plate on it that sits on top of the filter. That holds the filter snug against the one in the bottom of the can. The original Fram filter number was C4. NAPA carries a filter but I don't have their number at hand.
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