Well I have been working on tearing down my flathead. I do appreciate the help I have got so far on this. The first head was stuck on a busted stud. I had to use a wedge to get it loose while having the weight of the motor on the head!!!!!! Anyways I got it off and this head has taken on some water. Allright alot of water. There is a ton of rust in the cylinders and one piston has turned into dust literally. The cylinders are reall y really bad on this one side. The other side is in great shape compared to the other. Can this be saved or is this old motor DOA?
I've torn down two of them. The first one didn't look that bad and it passed magnaflux examination, but when the guy started to bore it the metal just flaked away. The 2nd one looked similar too yours in a couple cylinders, not quite as much gunk, and I just finished painting it yesterday, getting ready to install it. I am no expert but from my little experience I would say get it cleaned up and magnafluxed and if it checks out go for it. If there are cracks towards the bottom of the cylinders it's probably no big deal. Just sleeve it.
Cylinders can be sleeved, but that deck can't. Are there deep pits on the deck? If so, I'd say it's toast. You don't want to mill the deck too far on flatheads (preferrably none at all).
I would not invest a penny in that block. There are just too many out there that havent had any water in them. A recipe for unrepairable cracks. IMHO>
I am going to continue to tear this one down and I might have it crack checked. At least it will teach me how to tear the next one down faster. So now it comes to this. Anyone in Iowa got a flathead on the cheap? I am feeling like a bad choice was made on getting this motor. I will not say how much but lets use the phrase. Unlovingly penetrated with a splintery balsa wood dick seems to fit well.
I remember picking up a nice 59 motor once for five bucks just cause the guy didn't want to haul it home from the Boone swap. Wish I'd stumble onto another one like that.
For what you'll have wrapped up in rebuilding a flathead these days, I'd make a concerted effort to find a better core to start with. There must be old car/truck flatheads in Iowa that have at least had a hood over them.
that's one of the reasons we chose to pursue ours even as bad is it looked. It was FREE. I am in Northwest MO I will keep my eyes out around here for one that may be in better shape or cheaper.
If you're a tightwad/stubborn/poor or whatever...you plan to finish stripping it anyway---when you're done, check out Molasses strippin. See how deep the rust really is, get the metal clean so you can whack it with a hammer and see if what's left is solid or just powder... You MIGHT have a saver. It's certainly worth some molasses or even tanking to find out. Most 3 3/16 flatheads (you didn't say what this one is??) can take HUGE overbores by modern standars--but not all that much decking. Checkitout.
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