Flatheads in Strange Places

Most of us have a soft spot in our hearts for Ford Flathead V8's.

I have been thinking alot lately, what the stangest or most unusual place you have seen one is?

Any pictures would be great!

My father and I have a 1964 Falcon Convertible on a rotiserie down to it's bare bones. We also have a couple of spare flatheads laying around. It's gonna be awhile before it's ready for an engine and I've been thinking about a Flathead powered Falcon.

Should I seek psycological help?

 

We had one on the back of an old flathead powered COE truck. I guess you could say it had dual flatheads. The second flathead on the back was used to power the pump that sprayed the tar out of the container and onto the road for construction.

 

Check out this '62 Comet currently (10/29/07) on E-Bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merc...014QQitemZ330181791879QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW



Powerband

 

I have seen 'em used as pumps in the farmer's fields in the pan handle of Okie-Homa. That was about 10 years ago and they were running 'em with straight pipes too.

 

its not rare or strange, but i got the chance to drive a 36 ford cab-over with a flathead. it was restored and sitting in the historical park of farmers branch, and i went out there to work on another peice of equipment and the ax'ed if i would drive it around the park to mix the oil a little. it was a 4 speed with the two speed rear end. so i thought it was badass.

 

I have seen 59AB motors used as windmills and bangers as water pumps on the old Orange tree farms here in so cal.

 

Re: Flatheads in Strange Places

 

I was talking to an old dude the other day that sold the motor out of his 1 year old 53 stude and put a flathead in it.

 

Then there are irrigation pump drive motors.
Welding trucks - driving the welder generator.
Saw mills.
Airplanes - Ford actually built a couple.
and ... I KNOW there are lots more!

And my favorite; a home made Zamboni.

 

another bike that showed up for sale around here

http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-ve...thead-V8-motorcycle-sidecar-W0QQAdIdZ22641007

I don't think I'd want to ride this one in shorts

 

There was a flathead powered Falcon at Bonneville this year.

 

Also at Bonneville was a Nash coupe with a flathead, and a Hudson fastback. I dont have times for them.

 

My father used to service a lot of wind machines in the orange/lemon orchards in the Ventura County area. Lots of Ford flatheads, some Chrysler flatheads also. I remember one rancher ordered six (6!!) brand new 1955 Chevvie v-8's for his machines. Had them lined up in the crates in his barn until the flatmotors crapped out, new Chevs went in. CRAZY!!

 

i saw a flat head in a 68 vette. it was on flea-bay the motor didn't go with it though. it was actually hooked up and running!!

 

Not a flathead, but a friend of mine just scored a 392 hemi off of a well pump for $400...RUNNING!

I'll get some pics from him if he has any.

 

One of our customers in Wichita Falls TX back in the late 70s built a Chevy VEGA with a full house V8-60 with 2 48s, Offy heads and intake, buckled to some 4-speed box with Halibrand quickie out back. He sent us pictures along with his thanks for propviding the parts for the early Ford stuff rebuild.
Always wondered what happened to that crazy combo car.

 

Grain Elevator

 

During WW2 Australian light tanks (Bren gun carriers) were flathead powered.

Cheers, Glen.

 

Here's a compressor. Runs on 4 cylinders, the other 4 pump the air. As far as I know it's still sitting in the same spot. Old guy won't sell much. Lots of T&A stuff there too.
I remember an early 60's Falcon Ranchero with a chopped top, running a built flathead, I believe it was in the 70's. It was always at the swap meet in Pleasanton Ca. Years later I saw the same year Ranchero with a chopped top sitting on Elcamino real, it was flamed, I think it was black, I always wondered if it was the same car. I was working, and the guy I was with wouldn't stop to look at it.

 

The Pioneer Auto Museum in Murdo, South Dakota has an old Gimmer-Schmidt air compressor with a flat head.

One cylinder bank has a compressor head and the other has a regular head to power it. I used to work at a equipment rental yard and we had newer versions with 351 ford engines configured the same way but I was blown away when I saw the antique version with a flathead! I have a picture somewhere that I will try to find.

And my dad built a haybuck in the late 40s with a 30s Chevy truck frame and he used a Ford flathead for power.

 

Here's one that's running an old arc welder. It has a flawless late 20's Essex grille and radiator.

 

I have been waiting for a post like this.

There is one at the Brookfield Zoo in the Swamp section. It is an old generator. Here is a pic of it and my wife.

 

Ok. May I be the first to say that's a very impressive picture HotRodJosh? And.. wait for it... the engine is nice too.
Pretty lady.

 

Amazing all of the none automotive uses the Ford Flathead V8 has.

I was hoping to see more of them in different cars/trucks though.

 

Here is a picture of the bus I drove around Kaiserslautern General Depot when I was stationed with the Army (1966/'68) in Germany.
It's 35 passenger German built bus with a Flathead Ford V8, the gas pedal came out from under the seat so you used your heel to work the gas.
I was bringing a full load of GI's back to the mess hall for lunch when a spark plug popped out and I had to limp it to the mess hall then back to the motor pool and all they did was screw in another plug and I was able to pick up the guys at the mess hall to take them back to work.

 

The Tilt-a-Whirl at the state fair was run by a Flathead 8, if you are a fan of the engine the sound alone was enough to deter you from wherever you were headed.

 

i got a 59a from a decomissioned airforce early warning radar base. ran the gen and h2o pump. i guess they figured if the nukes fell at least the ford would keep running

 

The mention of air compressors brings back memories of filling up bike tires from a friend's dad's farm truck when we were kids. Out would come a spark plug and in went a hollow spark plug with an air hose and chuck attached.

Wow - thats an old memory.... It's a wonder we never blew ourselves up.

 

I recall a Pinto in Hot Rod (?) years ago that had a built banger in it.