Okay, I am new to the whole Flathead thing, always wanted one but never had the right project. Well, I have the right project now, a 36 Sedan delivery, and I found a 52 Flatty that came out of a driving car and it has a Almquist 2X2 intake and a pair of 94's on it. I would like to put a set of Aluminum heads on it and a set of headers, mainly for looks. I know there is a bunch of Flathead guys on here. Sooo what I need is suggestions and pointers on what to get and the best way to make it happen? Thanks in advance. Tom
I'll be following this one...I got a late flathead too, and was considering having Carbone machine shop build it. They've built some neat flatheads before...$$$
Yea Larry, $$$ is the main reason this is my first Flatty! This motor was driving 2 weeks ago and has new water pumps and new electronic ign as well or I might have gone in another direction
Hi Mate, Knowledge is power. Spend a couple hundred bucks on a dozen or so flathead books. I'm happy to send you a list of what you shoudl grab. You'll save this money back many fold by not making alot of expensive mistakes during your build. As for your motor - firstly, punch in flathead in the search box. There is literally weeks worth of reading on just about all aspects of these motors. Heads and headers are probably the easiest. Red's Headers stocks both and they are bolt ons. Is this all you plan on doing to the motor? Danny
Thanks for the info, would love the book list thanks! the motor runs real good and the heads and headers and a good cleaning and paint are al that is planned at this time. The car is going through some major re-doing so it will be a while before they come together though. I don't want to put major $$ out to rebuild the motor at this time when it runs that well.
Speedway Motors has a lot of flathead parts. If you want new high compresion heads, that's the place to look. I personally would try to avoid buying used Aluminum heads because there is many things that can make a bargain a $$ pit. If you want vintage cool, however, be prepaired to pay big. I like the Canadian Ford high altitude aluminum heads...... they look so cool when they're polished. Just my $.02.worth.
Thanks, I have seen the Speedway stuff, mostly looking to get advice as to what will work the best and any snags I will run into with these mods? I just want it to be as dependable as possible and am not worried too much about High performance on this build.
I've seen many guys here in Minnesota running stock heads on there flatties. The Flathead is a good motor that has gotten a bad rap for overheating and stuff. If your not concerned about performance right now than there is nothing wrong with just a fresh coat of paint and some chrome headbolt covers to dress it up. Oh, maybe some helmet style aircleaners all shiny chrome.
Wow have you seen my motor? except for the fresh paint that is exactly where it is now. I do want to do the heads as long as there is no major work I have to do the the block before mounting. I have build a ton of SBC's but have NO Flathead experience, just don't want to ruin a good motor by doing the wrong thing.
If your going to open the motor up, I would suggest that you have the valves reground. You may find that things lead to more things. If it were mine I would definitely have the block cooked clean. It is amazing how much***** builds up in the water jackets. That is the real secret to keeping a flathead running cool (as well as not too lean a fuel mixture). There are a lot of reputable flathead builders out there but it's not an insurmountable project for you to tackle. The valve job is the thing to have someone who really knows what they are doing accomplish for you. It's the difference between a sweet motor or a real turd.
If you've got a sweet running motor, then a set of Edelbrock or Offy heads will do the trick. Dont go for the highest compression models. You may need a stud kit if your studs/bolts are'nt long enough. Check very carefully before you buy a ready made set of headers, to make sure they're going to clear your steering box. The heads and headers from Speedway will do the job just fine, will give you a little more oomph, and will look cool.
If by pulling the orig heads I am opening a can of worms I don't to do it. I may just do the headers. It has a fairly even 105 comp ratio all around now. That is why I am asking advice on here, don't want to ruin a good motor! Thanks
I'd leave it*****oned up. If you have good compression, the valves are sealing. You won't see benefits of a head swap other than looks until you start creeping up to 200 hp anyway. intake and ignition are already done and it sounds like it was done with some foresight. Headers are definitely the way to go next, and maybe a Max-1 cam if you want some lope. Otherwise, I would just drive the snot out of it.
Get the book "How to Build a Traditional Ford Hot Rod" by Mike Bishop and Vern Tardel. Gobs of info. If you can't find it at your book store Northern tools has it.
Toast, I have one you can borrow. Couple of other flathead info books also. PM me if you would like, I'm in BA. Joe
I'd leave the stock heads on for now until you tear it down in the future to rebuild. Invest in a good set of headers. Reds Headers, Sanderson or Fenton. But be careful. Some of the headers may not clear the steering box! I'd go with Reds and call them with the application. If you running the stock fuel pump or an electric for than matter do yourself a favor and install pressure regulator. Cut the PSI down to 3 1/2 psi. The old '94's don't like to run anymore than that without flooding out the seat. Then you have fuel spilling out the throttle shafts and floodin the motor. Install a good inginition system. Mallory dual point if you like to set points or a Mallory Unilite if you don't. MSD also make a good dist. Heck for that mater the old Ford whirler's work just fine when tuned up! Make sure you also invest in a good set or the new style water pumps. Speedway sells those. Cooling is the key to long life on a Flat. Check out the Early Ford V8 Club as well. Once you've had a Flatty you never go back. I have four of the '49-53 8BA's in my Rods and 10 more motors in storage. Nothing sounds like'em when their opened up, and nothing looks like'em when their all dressed up for a night on the town! The young kids thing their the schnizzle and the old guys think their******in'
I agree about not tearing the motor down to put different heads on for now, wait until you rebuild the motor sometime in the future. A good set of headers will go along way to making the motor sound really great. Why not build your own headers, it is time consuming, but a lot of fun.......................and I think they look better! If you are using the stock fuel pump it should be OK, but remember the 94's like 2/3 psi, and anything more will just leak all over the intake. I also would recommend getting some books, I am not at home until later this week, but I have a few good ones. The Vern Tardel book is more for making a Traditional Hot Rod than talking about the flathead, I think Tex Smith's book or Manual on the flathead is one of the best. Here is a picture of the motor I have been working on for some time, and I should start putting it back together real soon.
I would just put some dual exhaust and maybe headers, like Red's, some Smittys and drive it the way it is. Just make sure to change oil often, keep the fuel pressure between 2 and 3, forget the aluminum heads for now and drive the legs off it! IMHO
Thanks for the sound advice guys. I am putting the heads on the back burner till later. I will just work on painting it and figure out what headers will work with my steering setup when I get it in the car.
You may want to address the "steering setup" first before the headers. I have a '36 pickup with a '40 box and I am really impressed with how good it feels. I rebuilt the box, that's another whole subject to get smart on, but it works well. If you have a '36 box and want to go to a later one, you need to replace the frame bracket. While the frames are basically the same from '35 to '40, there are a lot of subtle differences.
What's wrong with replacing the heads? H&H - flatheads forever (alliance renders) sell 8:1 heads (navarro) that use the original head bolts. Little bit of work but they drop right on.
Runnit as is to see if healthy, ig good there's no reason to expect worms when you add heads... Be aware that you will be doing some juggling; I have no cars of that period, but many encounters show that late flathead into '35-6 is about the hardest flathead combo...nothing terrifying, but harder than the typical snap-click. Slot the time for a mockup installation (good time for '37-40 steering swap) as you may need to notch the pan. Someone on here has been through this lately... According to Ford, engine can go in and out with grill left intact...good idea since sheetmetal alignment on these things is hard. But do just drive it firs...all the shiny stuff is easy to do later with engine in car. With late flathead, primary need is a distributor swap. Try advance search, "Ford books"...put in my name, as I dive into all those discussions, You need at minimum the NAPA 1932-6 manual, sold now under some other****le, any 1949--53 Ford/Merc shop manual, and '32-37 service bulletins. All available in repro from the ford stores. There's LOTS more reading matter if you're a junky!
My daily has a flatty and I love it. Has I think reeds but there center dump headers in glass packs (generic red ones) and it sounds great. I just picked up a mallory distributor for a chevy and gonna send it to gmc bubba to have it done up for a flathead and electronic ignition. After would like to do a 2x2 intake and just keep running it. Fun motors and very distinct sound.
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