Currently running a stock '53 8BA in my truck. I like the look of the Offenhauser heads, and wanted to know if there are any concerns about just bolting them on?
Nope if they are the correct amount of studs just bolt 'em on. If you have head bolts and not studs get studs.
Cool. Thanks porknbeaner. Just bought the stud kit and aluminium water necks from Speedway. Now on the hunt for a deal on them Offy Heads!
Well, the Offenhauser heads are installed (about time huh?). No leaks from studs so far. Just going to run the engine a few more times and go thru the re-torque proceedures. This is my very first head replacement. It has taken the better of three days from start to finish. Word of caution though. The Speedway studs sold in their catalog kit are too short for the Offy! I have a few of the nuts that did not go flush or beyond the end of the studs as I had expected. Next time/build I will def use the ARP studs.
Thanks mechanic58. The project is coming along now. Amazing how many people cruising thru the neighborhood stop by and want to chat about the old truck and what I am doing under the hood. A "flathead" they say? Never heard of one of those before.....
Here are additional pics of my 8BA with the acorn nuts installed. Just ordered a Bubba Distributor today too. I will report the difference in performance soon.
I recently acquired a Merc flathead (8CM). No idea what I'm going to do with it just yet. It already has an adapter for a chevrolet transmission on it. I ordered a starter for it the other day, I am expecting it to get here today I hope. Then I can see about getting it running. It is reported to be a running engine - but we've all heard that tale before. I'm not betting too much on it. lol
Just saw your thread today and thought I would ad my 2c. I am not sure why you chose studs vs bolts but a word of caution on both, especially studs. Anytime you have unlike metals in contact as in your aluminum heads and steel studs a coating of antiseize is a very good idea. Even using it you may run into a problem of getting those head off in the future if you need to. Aluminum heads (or aluminum in general) will tend to "grow" around those steel studs. Getting them to come loose later very often can be a real problem. I prefer head bolts for that reason. They seem to have a bit more clearance to begin with and once they are all out the head is easily removed. With studs once all the nuts are off you still need to pry the head loose from the block and the studs hopefully having all of them letting loose and sliding the head up and off. I also have found that using a gasket sealer on the threads of bolts or studs will get rid of any water leakage that can sometimes occur, especially on aluminum heads that tend to swell and shrink more than their cast iron counterparts. Same goes for intakes etc. but they tend to not seem to suffer the same problems as much probably due to less heat compared to the heads. What you did looks great though. I have an 8BA going together soon, just got the early edelbrock 3 duece intake all polished and the engine came with same head you used. My other flathead is an 8CM mercury that I am running the canadian aluminum heads. Those along with a two duece intake are all polished and look totally killer. Soon to be re-installed in my duece roadster. Dave
mechanic58, Sure hope that Flattie fires right up for you. I recall my surprise when after soaking mine in MMO for a week and it fired up after many years of sitting. I even had the wife film it! And man did that sucker smoke up the neighborhood with all that MMO. I like to watch you tube videos of others firing theirs up too.
<!-- Tapatalk Detect banner body end --><!-- based on vB Skin Zone - Red Carbon 3.7.0 - 1.0.0 --><!-- logo --> mustang6147, Mid-career years = lack of time for me. Like alot of us we squeeze what we can in our downtime. I swear it really drove me crazy having that "Offy Head" box staring me down everytime I pulled the lawn mower out of the garage!
Your engine looks great, really makes me want to build my flattie... Can't wait to hear how the performance changed Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
barett, Thanks for the compliment. I expect to have received and installed Bubba's modified dizzy by the end of next week. I hear nothing but good feedback from others who use it. I have sent Bubba's link to our Early Ford V8 Prez here in San Diego, as our tech tip session next meeting is all about distributor performance.
Yeah, I'm also excited to find out. The starter didn't show up today and I have other business I have to deal with tomorrow - but I do plan on filming the first fire attempt. First fire is going to happen without a carburetor it looks like...I don't have it yet. lol (the engine was missing the carb, generator and starter). It looks like those items were removed 10 mins before I showed up to pick up the car it was in. It has new ignition parts on it so I'm confident someone's had it running recently.
Don't waste your time trying to fire it without a carb. Years ago, a friend of mine and I built a V8-60 and tried to fire it without a carb. We had no luck whatsoever. When we put a carb on it, it fired on the second revolution. There is something about not having a venturi that makes starting without a carb all but impossible.
oh ya, I bet.... When it takes a while it starts creeping toward the danger zone of will it get finished or will it get sold... Its always great when it gets finished.... Life has that way about it though
Well...I'm not you and your friend...lol. I do believe that I can make it run and even sustain it for a few mins, without a carburetor. I have done this a time'r two. ;-)
Looks like you know something I don't. How's about posting a video when you do it? I'd like to learn how to do it!
lol - I will! Here's a hint though - you can't just do this with a wide-opened intake. You have to improvise some sort of throttle. I usually just use a flat piece of plate. Works pretty good.
Ok.... Bubba's '49-'53 flathead dizzy installed. I used the Bosch coil he recommended. Not too much fussing about to swap old to new. The engine fires up on the first button push. Much more response to throttle and extended time in between shifts. BTW, I used a flat washer beneath the stock hold down plate to even everything out and snug it all down. Very pleased with new setup (Thanks Jim!). What's next...??? I thinking it's time to ditch the stock exhaust manifold and look at header options to mate with the dual pipes.
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