Technical Freddie's Latest ...

You never know what process is necessary until you get into the project and it's funny Flo is in alot better shape than Freddie went Freddie has the perfect head bolts and threads . Flo's are rubber and rusted . I do show pictures of the lifters condition on Freddie and the cam that's out is only the rear cavity and just the love area . Rest is stuck in the bearings and frontal cavity . I was elated to have gotten the oil pump out in just two pieces after 5 months of banging and penetrating on that ***embly . The idler gear and it's shaft is still stuck in block yet I now have gotten the idler gear to spin . Rods have been salvaged and block also . Hoping to only bore to 3 5/16 and may sleeve or may not sleeve the cylinder with the SawsAll damage . One silly shadow plus I had worked deep when I should have been working the SawsAll from the bottom side . If I throw a blower on Freddie I won't have to worry about the damages ac***ulator area of the cylinder . Tyme to get back in the weldy booth for now and we will talk later . Say did you ever race sidehacks ? I monkeyed for a few seasons . Grand sport you got indeed

 

Hi Everyone , just started back up yesterday in Freddie and Flo's new parlor and so got Freddie out and worked 9n the lifters removal and two more pieces of the cam being removed . Previously had tried smaller punches and no avail so today I got out the 5' Stainless Steel bar and the 4 lb sledge and worked the remaining lifters out of the block and really swinging that hammer but it still all has a good ting sound so no cracks but some really messed up valve seats .from the side of the stainless bar . Smoke came off the cavity area when the busted loose and I'm counting 7 lifters so about 4 lifters are still stuck with punched out ends like quarters . Those head bolts broken are going to be worked on again Monday so everyone I hope is alive and in one piece . Erika and I made it ok but now she afraid to go back to work and her office is shutdown for good but we got each other still and we glad to have with us all of you that have made it this far . Have a nice evening

 

Just like batting cages

 

Hi Everyone !
Hope your day is good and today Freddie got the remains of the cam banged out and spoke with the machinist yesterday and I didn't like the **** website asking what I wanted heck I don't know just know I wanna do 80 uphill for ALL the hill and still be able to go so decided for less money and same power the rotating ***embly is going to be vintage between 274 to 296 . That of course is up to Freddie and the time is almost here for a full checkup after I get out the idler ***embly and 3 open lifter carc***es and yes those darn headbolts still in Freddie . The man who sold me Freddie has a bunch of everything for Flatheads so this going to be fun and we are wide open to listen to your preferences , recommendations and successes . Like to hear what all of you got to say for cams , pistons , flywheels and I want a stiff clutch with a good launch but not tear the car apart . Also any forums you can recommend please do reply and have a good evening .

 

Hi Everyone !
Hope your enjoying a Sunday and its time to start prepping the rods so got all but one wristpin unfroze from the rods and checking them they all have a real nice ting to them so that music made me smile so cleaning up the threads and matching up the rod caps yes I have marked them and bagged them I'll find them in the cantilever toolbox in the picture have a nice evening and another happy day at Feeddie & Flo's

 

Hmmm well ...

Hi Everyone ! Its Presidents day ( and thankful I don't have that job ) ,
and hope your all having a worthwhile day even if its just plain breathing .
So there are no wristpin keepers just a muck of rust ( did I spell that right )
and just started chipping away with the sawsall with a 10 tooth DeWalt blade and seems you can chunk off the piston around the pin using the 4 ton hydraulic kit with the spreader attachment to expose the pin , then gotta use sandpaper to smooth out the pin surface so it can slide off the rods pin journal . Yes it took awhile about an hour of really working on it and you can see all the piston pieces next to the vice except for the piece that shot off into the other side of nowhere . It whizzed past my head am glad it missed me felt some wind you know Im going to use a faceshield on the other ones . No one is here to get hurt so I'll carry on and you keep your foot in it its the oonnlleee waayy typo ddrrivvve !!

 

An excellent day and hope yours also was grand !

 

Hi Everyone

This doesn't seem to be much today but is definitely a milestone since the early days of Freddie's condition . My do I hope your condition is livable just saw the news earlier and 34 states in a real shutdown so bless you all for sure .
So polishing up the rods relieves them of rust and slightly Gardena the surface and I have seen videos of Ford flathead rods really flexing at higher rpms so I know these are not to be hardened and rigid but with an amazing degree of ductility . Also need to look at all of Freddie's history that I know of AND what Freddie reveals to me during dis***embly .
The acid pockmarks are surface and cleaning up nicely and this is an 8RT and am told most likely an industrial not an F series truck motor so I speculate low to mid RPM operational range so I believe that material fatigue is at a minimum so perfect candidate for a vintage build and Freddie has stock bore but rust damaged cylinders so the number 286 ci is on the table today with a Merc crank and just may build an induction system of my design but first is prepping these Ross for the build and start ordering some ARP hardware and a full engine gasket set . The rest of the parts needed are sitting 3 miles away just so much money each month but it is going ok at about the same rate as prepping Freddie so everything is in good timing for now .
Have a nice evening , wrap up and sing a song and always keep your foot in it !

 

... while the batteries are charging on the die grinder decided to remove the idler gear ***embly . Yes I've tried alot of pullers so once again no heat ( neener ) yet so made a puller slide hammer style from hardened 3/8 stock and used two pair of welding gloves for the vibration and took about 2 serious minutes ( probably looked like a Super Bowl dancer for a minute ) so its cleanup time for today and good evening and good day to you Mart thanks for your support .

 

Hi Everyone

We wish all of you well today and we all share deep concerns for a peaceful world . The blue truck on my inspection desk comes from Zaporozhetsia Ukraine late 60s early 70s says Zaporozhets on the hood panel and got it last month and others thru the last two years all have survived well because they were all nicely played with . Sergiy my favorite seller of any online store lives in Kiev and is fighting for his country and his last message to me two weeks ago was that he wishes for me success in business and life . Sergiy is a good guy and just like us , knowledgeable and appreciative and respectful and in the collector business on his area of the world . We urge your support even if its a prayer and good wish any way you can .
So today I stayed on it and strategy was to flip out a coupon and collapse the lifter skirts and its tight but got the Dremel with a 1/8 " barrelled carbide re****ing bit to attempt a coupon and noticed some scarring and kept it at a minimum by stopping after relieving a half length of coupon then pushed it out with the half round 3/8 " hardened chisel backed by my trusty 4 lb hammer and out it came . So two more to go and didn't like the scarring of the lifter bore and so only ground away to just weaken the sides then used my Snap-on A-157A Bushing Driver Set found the proper driver head and knocked one lifter carc*** out from the back and the last one out from the front . So only thing left is those head bolts think there is two of them I ain't counting right now then Freddie is ready for a big field trip to the builders shop ! Have a nice day and keep your foot in it !

 

Making headway! Can you hone the lifter bore to clean it up? Make sure the shop sees it before doing any machine work.

 

Hi Budget36
Going to take some dry 2000 to take the roughness off the three lines and think they are .002 " - .005 " deep at most and less than 1/16" wide . Let me show you -

 

Might try a brake hone to see where you’re at. You’d have to ask the shop if need be to bore and put a proper insert to it. But I don’t know how much meat is there or what it would take.

 

I thank you for saying to communicate possible descrepencies with the builder . These I should probably write down and I do plan on offering him to look up Freddie's thread here . A list is more useful in a shop .

 

What I can tell you from experience, is it’s best to let the experts tell you what needs to be done, vs trying to “fix” stuff before you take it in, you usually wind up paying more for “fixing” it before hand

This advice is from someone who would think he’d save a buck by beating a panel into shape, then taking it in for the finale.
Ya, cost me more because the guy had to fix my attempt

 

Which brings up Freddie's rusty condition so perhaps some good cleaning up will create a larger bore yes good of you to bring up the size cause after cleaning I may loose .003" on the wall making it .006 " over and if I'm running Johnson adjustables any shimmying would not do them proper after awhile . We found a vintage cam in the box a Clay Smith 355 grind a real beauty but have yet to research its specs and if not that then a tall bumpstick is in order so I'm looking to build in proper motion for these lifters .
Do you know a source for lifter bushings for Flatheads ? I can always make some for Freddie's bore size they only Bronze 404. Thank you Budget36

 

Those lifter bore gouges can probably be smoothed out okay,,,,they don’t look terrible .
And since these are dry lifter bores,,,,you won’t lose any oil pressure.
Remember,,,they are splash only,,,,,so,,,,a good cleaning and a hone will probably do the trick .
There are ball hones made in this diameter,,,,,work like a charm .
You just might need to make an extension to get the hone in deep enough,,,,,,I made a custom length extension for my hone,,,,,,,perfect job .

Tommy

 

A safe approach first I'll make a bottlebrush bit and utilize the deep creep see where I'm at with the rust yes funny you mention dry bores that's exactly what came out was clouds of dry rust ! Glad to have them out . Going to talk to the builder Is like to say who but haven't talked that much he said get the block bare and get it to him ASAP before he retires . The last guy retired so already changed builders without even seeing a shop so this is a special event indeed . Thanks Tommy and good evening to you

 

Yes and I always tell customers the same with car builds it takes more time and a builder sometimes only has one chance

 

Have a nice evening Budget36 and thank you for getting involved with this build

 

[QUOTE="Desoto291Hemi, ,I made a custom length extension for my hone,,,,,,,perfect job .

Tommy[/QUOTE]
Please Tommy, say no more

 

I’ve no idea what it takes to sleeve a FH lifter bore if needed. I’ve heard/read on the internet about it being done, but never tried it.
I think I’d hone all the bores smooth then measure or have them measured, then look to see if the clearance is ok. Or too loose.

 

I'd be tempted to knock a used lifter down through those bores to broach the high spots out of the bore then hone them. You only want to remove the low spots not take the parent metal oversize (any more than necessary).

 

Hi Mart your right keeping material in the block is the main goal . I will have the builder contemplate this and I know most engines this is not an issue so interesting indeed . Have a good evening Mart

 

Hi Everyone !!!

Freddie is ready for the builder !
Went to Nate's Machine Supply because I didn't like the way the taps felt in the block for the head bolts holes I repaired and met Aldo a machinist for 50 years who showed interest in what type of metal so I told him about Freddie and the roughness I felt with the tap from last month and Aldo said the cast iron in Freddie had been heated a whole lot and yes its a 68 year old with probably 40 years service time . Aldo made sure I realized this is not a fresh casting I'm working with and I really need to consider that . Yes it is important . So everyone was listening now and Aldo asked Nate's counter persons if they had a 7/16 -20 Carbon 4 fluted Teflon coated plug tap . They checked and only had a poly resin coated in stock and Aldo said that's fine so long as its coated . I knew why its the crystalizing process the iron is subject to from multiple heatups . Yes it makes a difference and use caution I've known this about Flatties since my first one when I was 12 . That was a sweet running 221 and on it grandpa showed me with a flashlight the crystalized areas then showed me with a torch how it didn't turn orange grandpa called it Dead Metal .
Aldo was an angel for Freddie and Flo I used the tap he recommended and the style to use it by snugging the tap till it feels seated and go no more than a 1/4 turn with a firm slow twist using a little crush on the rachet handle then backbit off and repeat . I kept the rachet on lock so never really used the rachet and my what a smoothness the coated taps do have . The handle and tap was 50 bucks and real happy now Freddie is ready for the building process to begin !
Erika and I would like to thank all our HAMB friends you are all a joy and true blessing we will turn Freddie into the shop perhaps next week or beginning of April when more funds can be appropriated and so next is restarting Flo we got her a battery charger today and gonna work on her head bolts again and order a head gasket set to take a compression reading I fear one cylinder is acid/rust scarred we will see so have a nice evening and keep your foot in it !

 

Is Aldo just doing the machine work,,,,,or the ***embly as well ?
From all the previous posts about Flathead engines,,,,they always recommend to be very cautious about running a tap through the head bolt holes .
So as not to remove any excessive metal,,,,and cause a potential leak around the threads .

They also make taps that are a few thousandths undersized,,,,to aid in this .
Just wondering if he was aware of this ?
The block seems to have turned out fine,,,,,,good luck on the build ,,,,it should be very nice .

Tommy

 

Hi Tommy

Aldo is the man at the supply house . I will talk to the machinist Monday he will be there then . I can't tell his name yet I need to talk to him about Freddie and Flo's thread . Los Angeles is full of thieves we must be careful out here so I use discretion on alot of my customers builds .
Yes the machinist is the builder he even wants the clutch so complete rotating ***embly is balanced .

Undersize ? Hmm now your not cleaning up the full pitch of the thread . I use thread sealant used on diesel engines sorry can't think of the name of the stuff it comes in big tubes . I've used it on numerous vintage aluminum engine builds also never a leak . Its expensive but so is a coolant leak plus embarr***ing

 

^^^
@Flathead Freddie
The undersized tap he is talking about is for 'chasing' threads, not cutting threads. Each thread size has several 'cl***es' of fit/clearance, depending on the end use. Usually, fasteners (and tapped holes) used in engines have a more precise/closer tolerance thread than what is required on other ***emblies. This provides better, more predictable torquing, as well as reducing leaks when holes enter water jackets. Your tap should be CLEANING, not CUTTING. I don't have my Machinery's Handbook handy, but it gives dimensional details for each size and cl***.
Hope it works well.

 

I hope I'm not "that guy" but aren't the head stud threads in the block 7/16-14? UNC. Co**** thread.
I'm not aware of any 7/16-20 threads in the block. Or any UNF at all.