flathead ford rods

question,i have a 1938 flathead and i am going to mill the heads .030,i have enough valve and piston clearance but i am concerned about the rods being able to hang,any advise?

 

by hang,do you meen be strong enough?

 

ya,they are not the strongest rod in the world and i dont want to have problems

 

ford used good steel in thier rods,check them for straightness and magnafluxed you should be fine

 

Especially when you consider the low RPM's that an L-head makes it's power

 

Don't loose any sleep over it ,non-issue.

 

Stock rods? And all you're doing is milling the heads...only .030" - no issue. Stock Ford rods are very strong, despite their "spindly" appearance. And milling .030" is not going to hurt them.

If you haven't already milled your heads, I'd measure my piston-to-head clearance and mill so that you have about .050" clearance...not a set amount like .030" off - mill for a reason with a result in mind.

 

I believe the heads on each side are different so keep track of each. Valve angles were different on some pre '1945 bocks as well as cooling holes in the deck and heads. Look in the 1937 to 1948 Pass. cars repair manual for additional info.

Download manual copy here:

http://www.flatheadv8.org/v8manual.pdf

 

Rods are also full floating, totally eliminating one of the biggest points of rod failure. Whole lower end is capable of RPM beyond the engine's breathing potential, so there is little to worry about at any reasonable streetable level.