First, thanks to all who contributed for all the info. It helped a lot! My dad and I went to look at the 2 flatmotors this morning. One was still in a chassis (or, waht was left of it. The rear section was gone) and the guy already had everything on a trailer. I guess if I didn't buy 'em he was movin' 'em out anyway. He delivered 'em to my house, several miles away so I tipped him an extra $20. I think I did ok. Here are some pics.
[ QUOTE ] Even if they have shit blocks, they make terrific garage art! [/ QUOTE ] Man, don't even say that. If I don't use 'em the wife will turn them into Yard Art full of flowers. Rich, that's my thoughts too. Who needs a nailhead when ya got a flathead? (Right Mike?) Now, I was told to fill each cylinder with brake fluid, let it set a few days then try, slowly, turning the motor back and forth and see if it will break free. Does this sound right? Also, do the trannys have any value? They seem to be froze up.
I have a Merc. motor that came out of a granny geared big truck too. Who knows if it was swapped out in the 50's or not. The pison moves a full 4" and that's all I care about.
Good 8CM crankshafts go for $250 and up. You done reel good. I got an 8CM engine out of a '53 F-600 that had evidently been used very little. av8 has it now and he thinks it's good enough to use for a land-speed record car. Sometimes you can score a jewel out of a turd... did I just say that? Congrats!
I bet those are all rebuilt, and that is just fake patina. Just kidding, great find, the flatty sedan sounds like a good plan.
Donnie, I puttin a Merc pass car block and crank in my shoebox. Got it from Tom and it doesn't have any cracks. I think I'll put the stock Merc heads on the other good block I have for my future project. I think they look cool.
Great score Donnie, there are now probably more flathead guys on HAMB than SBC types Even if that 8CM block is junk the cranks are usually salvagable. I had to literally cut a 4" out of a block that sat outdoors with the heads off for 25 or so years. Not a trace of rust on the journals. Those truck trannys are a boatanchor, I have 4 or 5 I cant get rid of even for free. As far as freeing up the best thing to do is pull the heads and see what you got to deal with. The worst thing to do is get it unstuck but snap some rings in the process. If the bores are clean then spray with PB Blaster or Kroil. Otherwise pour a cup of diesel in each and keep adding when it goes down. Hitting the pistons using a 4-5 lb sledge and a block of hardwood helps to break the rust bond without causing damage. Remove the tranny and clutch. Put a bar on the crank snout nut and see if you can budge it. The main thing is to be patient. Once it appears to be free then hit the starter with 12V a jolt at a time while keeping the bores lubed. Once it seems to be free then remove the oil from the bores, drop the pan, clean the screen and put in some cheap 30W. Let it spin on the starter a bit with no heads. Do what is needed to get all the valves in motion. Finally put it back together and go thru the ignition. Then stand back and pray.
Just for fun can you find a VIN on the frame rail (8CM)between the battery tray and the motor mount? Looks to be earlier than 52 because of the extra hump in the mount xbrace.
So far, the block Rocky is talking about looks to be a treasure. I haven't done sonic or pressure tests yet, but I'm not worried; the sucker is very clean and looks to have logged far less than 20K miles. I already have a gorgeous replacement crank for it, a STD/STD 8CM Mercury 4-incher from Digger Dave. It seems that it got mixed in with the spares for the North of 49 team for SpeedWeek '03. I'll lighten it about 12-14 pounds, reshape the CWs, and give it all a mirror polish before it's put into service in that beautiful block I got from Rocky. BTW, that's an excellent score, Donzie. I'll trade you three excellent 8BA cranks for it, Okay? This is what that crank is supposed to look like. Sure . . .
You did good ! From your first post it sounded like you had a couple of 337s which aren't worth much, but both of the engines you got are great !
[quote Who needs a nailhead when ya got a flathead? (Right Mike?) [/ QUOTE ] my Nailhead will smoke yer Flathead drivin ass in reverse !!!!
[ QUOTE ] av8; I already have a gorgeous replacement crank for it, a STD/STD 8CM Mercury 4-incher from Digger Dave. It seems that it got mixed in with the spares for the North of 49 team for SpeedWeek '03. I'll trade you three excellent 8BA cranks for it, Okay? [/ QUOTE ] Humm.. wondered where all the "spares" went!
When I tore apart my 3 junkyard flatheads, I got better as I progressed. My recomandation to you would be to pull the intake manifold and heads and oil pan. and this is before you even try to turn it. spray the cam, lifters and valves crank journals with WD40 and the pistons with a penitrating oil. I found that WD40 tears through gunked up oil and loosens it nicely. The less resistance you have overall the easier it will be to break free the pistons. I have some more tricks I have up my sleeve so PM me if you need to. Also check out my "removeing 8BA valve in 20 miniutes" post.
The Jalopy Journal
