Projects FlatCab: 1932 Cabriolet, Hot 1941/42 Merc Flathead Build

Yep loving this,i had always wondered about the Harley stepped reliefs,have the drawings somewhere? and if you have cloned the matching cams for transfer to this,i,m waiting on the edge of my seat.I have also been a big fan of Mike Davidsons work and watching progress on the sohc head biuld.Johnny

 

Hey Gang - Plan B for GoodGuys: Decided I better update you guys - my apologies for slacking of late! I decided that I had far too much going on to possibly get the new engine done in time for the GoodGuys show here in Columbus, so I was thinking . . . Hmmmm, what about a 'Plan B'? I'm sort of sounding like my wife - she has a Plan B, Plan C . . . .Plan Z for everything. I'm usually the 'stay the course' kind of guy - stubbornly forging ahead, killing myself and those around me . . . with a ton of relentlessness and tenacity thrown into what at times are unrealistic expectations/plans. You guys ever get like that?

So - I needed a NEW plan - one with a chance of success for the short term . . .

One of the things that I'm kind of hooked on is trying to leave the car as a rolling museum piece at least for the near term. So, I was pondering . . . I wonder if the ole 59AB that is in it will run (is the only major change from stock, accept for the wheels). Keep in mind that this engine has been sitting as long as I've been alive - since 1959. I thought, what the hell - this could be fun . . . get it running/driving as it came out of the garage. I pulled the spark plugs, squirted some trans fluid in all the cylinders and let it sit a couple days. Then I pulled the grille/radiator, put the socket on the crank pulley nut and holy ****, it turned over! I wondered if the valves were stuck and if it had compression, so I grabbed my compression tester and I could get compression in every cylinder - just slowly turning it over by hand (good sign, rings are sealing, valves are working). So here is what I've been doing the last couple weeks:

1) Looked at the old 'diver's bell' distributor, pulled the wiring harnesses, caps and the coil off (just to look inside). Hmmmm - looks like whomever put the distributor together used a wrong side plate on the p***enger side. The orientation notches don't align if you mix/match the wrong year side plates - so somebody had thrown it together anyway - causing a rotor air gap of about 3/8" on the two rear cylinders. No way that old 6 Volt ignition could be jumping that gap with any spark energy. Dang engine could not have been running well - maybe that was why the car was parked?

2) Decided to explore a bit further . . . I made a little 'test panel' out of some s**** aluminum, mounted a 12V Ford solenoid on it, a cheap fuel pump, starter switch, etc.. Hooked up a 12V Battery and cables to the started (wonder if it will turn over). You can run flathead starters on 12V - turns the engine over nice and fast . . . just don't grind on them too long and overheat the starter. Anyway, hit the ****on and the dang starter worked like a charm - engine turned over nicely. Ah Hah . . . I'm on my way!

3) Decided to setup a completely new ignition, something with some energy for the old girl. Dug through my stash of early Vertex magneto parts. Tested a few of them on my distributor machine to find one that had the right amount of advance and a good spark. Took a couple mags to get the right combination. The final combination has about 14 degrees of mechanical advance. Then I mounted the 'Frankensteined' unit on an angle drive and now I have an early magneto to put on it. The good news is that Scintilla/Vertex had angle drive magnetos available in the 30's for flatheads - long before Harman-Collins and others.

4) Timing: Well - we all know that these early flatheads did not have timing marks/pointers - which always ****ed. So I decided to pull the heads, check out the cylinders and valves - see if things looked good and setup a timing pointer while I had the heads off.

5) Inside the engine - good news boys and girls! It had been rebuilt by somebody - .040 pistons, valves have obviously been redone, etc.. Obviously there were not many miles on the engine - can still see the bore machine marks, no ridge, etc.. The bores were not rusted - neither were the valves. I cleaned the carbon off of everything - no signs of cracks or anything sinister . . . awesome! Actually the block/deck areas look better than any flathead I've ever acquired or taken apart -- cool for sure.

6) Tell-Tale Signs of Ignition Drama: The two rear cylinders on the p***enger side were obviously not firing well. Just a little carbon in the chambers/pistons crowns - a bit oily, etc.. This engine was probably really running poorly - probably frustrated the hell out of old Earl!

7) Lower End: The pan was still full of oil - and when I drained it, could see some sludge in it as well. Due to this, I'm going to pull the pan, clean it out and put a new 49-53 style oil-pump in it. Might as well give it a heart transplant while I'm at it.

Anyway - am planning on getting the heads back on, get it thrown back together today and we'll see if it will run. I know it will run - the bigger question is are the bearings good and will it run well? Hold your breath . . . be back to you soon . . . lets just see if 'Plan B' will work.

Some Thoughts: Is kind of cool working on the car/engine and just getting it going - just the way it sits. Couldn't help but think that here I am working on an 80 year old car - the 'scene' in my garage was one of the past . . . just a guy getting greasy, trying to get an old engine/car to run . . . working on the basics, hoping to drive it down the road again . . . is fun just having these experiences and NOT being all hung up on making everything clean, painted and perfect.

BUT - this is just a short term deal, the hot 42 flatty will be done in a few more weeks . . . this is just a stop-gap solution and I'm enjoying the simplicity of it.

Okay back at it - time for the heart transplant and putting the heads back on . . . then 'fire up' time! Pictures and updates this evening . . .

 

Appreciate the update. You know she's gonna run.

 

Okay Gang . . . slaved like a dog today, but one that was digging for a bone and wasn't going to stop until he found it. Just came in from the shop . . . happy to say that the old and moldy 59AB flathead is up and running. I couldn't believe it - got everything ready, cleaned the carb out a bit (just took the top off and flushed the bowls, lubricated the accel pump, etc.). Set the timing a 10 degrees BTDC, put the kill wire on the mag and just cranked it over to see if the new oil pump had pressure . . . 45 lbs at cranking, cool by me. I turned the mag on, cranked it over and the dumb thing just started idling like she'd been waiting to run for the last 55 years . . . just shows why these engines were so popular for the average guy.

One water pump is leaking, need to fix that (figured I'd have to replace both - probably will) . . . the dang radiator worked just fine (no leaks that I can see). I went ahead and changed the trans and rear end fluids while I had it up on the rack and dug the old 6 volt battery out of the frame/battery support.

The engine really idles nice, seems to run just fine . . . but does smoke some. I'm sure the rings don't know quite what to do. Maybe they'll loosen up after some running - who knows. Frankly I don't care as this was strictly something just fun to do (to see if I could) and it may just get me to GoodGuys, clouds of smoke out he tailpipe and all! If I make it, you'll see me coming . . . or maybe not at all (smoke screen might hide me!).

I took a video as I was trying to start it and adjust the idle - will post it tomorrow . . . kind of beat, was a long day out in the heat.

B&S

 

i like your plan B, appreciate the update.
Al.

 

Yeah - sometimes we have to take the situation for face value and come to terms with the fact that we can't always get everything done when we want . . . so adjust the plan if you can. One side of me kind of likes this in that the car is now running again, after being parked for 55 years. Okay, so it smokes a bit - probably smoked when it was parked . . . can't expect an old engine like this to act like it was just rebuilt. It will get me down the road while I complete the fancy motor - as it did Earl and his family many years ago.

 

Way too cool Dale ...... waiting for video at 11...........

 

Great thread! Man if I knew it had a motor in it already I woulda said get that running from the start! I'm in!

 

Sounds like you have been really busy, at the same time having some fun
Add yes, we need a video

/K

.....................................
Taildragger&fenderless

 

Yep as much as i was stinging for your engine build ultimately the goal is to get these vehicles roadworthy, and if that means she,s a grocery getter for six months before a skirt lifter,your gonna have some honest fun.lookin forward to updates johnny

 

did you make it to goodguys?.
Al.

 

Hey Gang: I'm finally back at it again . . . have been busy with the car, driving it around with the good ole 59AB that was in it. I've only put about 200 miles on it - but boy has it been fun. I'm even running the old mechanical brakes (which took a lot of work to get them rebuilt and working well). The engine has 'rebroken in' quite well, doesn't smoke anymore . . . just a little tappet noise.

Anyway - back working on the 41 merc engine - will be posting stuff as the machine shop gets things done.

Sorry about the hiatus . . . sometimes LIFE takes over hotrodding!

B&S

 

Yea Dale sure is more fun driving em than workin on em .....................

 

hey bubba...how about some updated pics of the Cab?

 

Will take a few later on today - prior to putting the fenders, hood, etc. back on (which I'll do when the new engine is in the car). The machine work on the block is going on as I write . . . can't wait to get the bad-*** motor in the car!

Dale

 

cant wait to see them.
Al.

 

Any updates? I'd love to see more pictures of your engine before & during ***embly.

 

Ouch, my brain! I'm learning a lot on this one. Looking forward to the rest.

 

Damn it man.......breathe !! Breathe ! Don't walk towards the light ! I'm ready to start mouth to mouth......and I ain't gonna' like it neither ! Stay with us !!

 

Some updates and progress . . .

The new engine is in the machine shop - Fowler Engines in Columbus, OH. Jeff Fowler and crew have become really good friends of mine and I can't say enough about their skills, perfection and attention to detail.

Here is what is going on with the block:
1) Align Bore/Hone - Steel Center Cap: Surfaced the whole underside of the block about .002 to .003 or so -- this is done so that we can align bore the mains for the new steel center cap (thanks to Doug King - RIP). In the end, the crankshaft centerline was only sunk a total of .002. This is very important in that we want to do the LEAST amount of machining possible and NOT move the crank center line much - or we have problems with the cam/crank gear meshing (gets too tight).

2) Block - Square Decked: I had them resurface the decks and true them for the same compression height right to left. This required about .010 more being taken off of one side versus the other. I want the exact same 'quench height' between the pistons and the domes for both sides. The old Eddie Meyer heads will be reworked on the CNC mill to create the exact dome contours and valve pocket reliefs that I need. Everything is being put into 3D CAD - so I can 'tweak it' as needed. The Eddie Meyer head designs are a bit dated - they constrict flow, but have high compression. As this is a street engine, I'll maximize compression and sacrifice some flow - so I won't be altering the chamber designs much - just getting the domes/quench right and making room for the big valves and large roller cam lift.

3) New Hard Valve Seats - Intake 1.75: I'm putting in 1.72" intake valves, so the old hard seats needed to come out and new 1.75" ones are being put in. I don't know why I'm really doing this for a 'street' engine . . . guess I can't help myself. The exhaust valves will be 1.6" - so we can use the current hard seats in there. Jeff needs to be really careful in the seat/bowl areas - as the block is heavily ported and there is not that much material to work with. Yikes!

4) Whole bunch of other standard machine work --- the usual bore, hone, valves, grind, balance, etc. . . . The whole schebang!

I'll post pictures of the work and the entire ***embly process when I get the engine back . . .

Having Fun: Driving the car "as-is", old 59AB, mechanical brakes, etc . . .

I've been having fun just experiencing the car in it's "as-found" form. Yes, I've tuned the engine a bit, put new pumps on it, magneto, etc - but it is the same old-*** engine that sat for 55 years and was just a regular 'runner' back in the day.

I've spent a bunch of time learning the details of mechanical brakes and diligently rebuilding and 'tuning' them. They actually work pretty dang nice! I'm not going to say they'd compete with the big Lincoln style Bendix brakes that I'll be putting on the car when the new engine goes in - but they are good enough for tooling around my local area. Also, getting all the original parts restored and working, means that I'll take them all off and put them away in storage. Somebody might really appreciate that the car has all that stuff, it works, it was tested and it was not thrown away or lost. (I'll tell you about my 32 V8 engine project another day! Shhhh . . . . don't tell anybody!).

Here are some pictures I took today - weather was nice, ready to go out for a ride . . . just enjoy the car and day as it is . . . kinda fun . . .

 

dude...there are several bolt on items that need to be removed immediately!

 

Way cool.
Al.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Probably true - but I haven't bolted anything new onto it . . . other than some gauges (not even mounted). I'll be you can't stand the spare tire mounted in the back! What else?

 

everything on the front

 

Ahhhhh . . . you mean the nice fender supports with the headlight bar bolted on???? That is just temporary, going to put all the original fenders back on - they are mint and belong with the car. Don't want to drill holes and mount the headlights another way in the meantime . . . as the holes won't be used in a couple months. I'm too lazy to put the front sheet metal back on - until I put the new engine in. Is a LOT easier putting a new engine in with just the wheels to contend with.

 

we don't need no stinking fenders

 

I'd agree if I was just ***embling the car from various parts I'd picked up, but I want to put it back to the way that 'Earl' built it in the 40's. (the Grandfather of the guy I bought it from). But who knows . . . after I put them on for awhile, can always take em' right back off!

 

Have you had a chance to do any work on the 41 Merc engine?

 

Just patiently waiting for the machine shop - was a bit 'back in the queue' . . . behind a bunch of $80,000 blown alcohol motors. Can't say as I blame them (as I understand business concerns).

Here is what has been done to date:

a) Pan rail decked a bit - to prep for new main cap.
b) New Doug King (RIP) steel center main fitted - along with new ARP studs in the mains.
c) Align bore and hone the mains (must be done with new main caps). The setup was done to just barely 'kiss' the block side (to not sink the crank too much) - this keeps the crank/cam gears from chewing on one another!
d) Decks surfaced - unequal amounts as I wanted to exactly set the compression height of the pistons to deck surfaces (side to side).

Is headed to the milling machine to remove the old hardened seats in the intake side and put new ones in to support the 1.72" intake valves (yes, going a bit bigger . . . what the hell!).

Will update you guys - am headed down today to 'check progress'.

 

post some pics Dale when ya get back