I've seen a lot of Ford flatheads in my time, but never one quite like this. I found it at Bonneville and to say it piqued my curiosity would be a gross understatement. I know that there was a lot of machining done inside the block and valves moved but I just can wrap my head around what's going on below that deck. Does anybody know what the inside of that block looks like? I need to figure it out so I can finally get a good night's sleep. -Rob AND NO, IT'S NOT A CADILLAC!!!!!
Yes, but it's not. It has the exhaust ports on the sides filled, the block wasn't big enough to be a caddy, and the new baron heads are only for fords. it is most definitely a ford. It can't be. Nostalgia classes are limited to original production blocks- you can't even run one of the french simca blocks. oh, and spots where paint had chipped had rust.
Flathead Ford v8... they filled or blocked off the original eaxhaust ports and then cut new ones right besides each intake port... so they look like and flow better like intake ports. They did a story in Hot Rod Magazine on the one Dick Landy built... Here's a pic: http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hdrp_0511_ford_flathead_engine/photo_12.html Sam
It looked like a ford at the front of the motor....valve reversal was my first guess, but I didn't know for sure. If you were there, why didn't you ask?
Well, it might not be, but that looks like Jimmy Stevens's reverse flow flathead. If it is, he ran faster than Flatfire with it a couple of years ago, but couldn't back it up.
Check this out. It should answer a lot of your questions: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=722273&highlight=aussie+fed Pete
Ditto Ford Flatmotor,....The "on top" exhausts got the hot stuff away sooner, so it didn't have to run thru water jackets. What I'm NOT seeing, is the coolant outlets for the heads.....? The plot thickens...... 4TTRUK
Is that the Houtz & McCain Lakester? It's hard to tell in the pics. If so, it is Jimmy Stevens reverse flow, or reverse valve engine. Here is another story on it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=502686&highlight=jimmy+stevens Pic of the Houtz & McCain Lakester
I missed the first post on this subject, but I do know of a "Tour of the Flathead" stage race which takes place over Labor Day weekend. The race is in the Flathead valley (Montana), near Glacier National Park. I just moved to Whitefish (a small town in the Flathead) and joined the club the promotes this race. If anyone wants more details I can email info as it becomes available, or if there is enough interest I'll post a race announcement when the info is available.
I don't believe Jimmy Stevens engine or the engine pictured, which I think is his, is reverse flow. The engine that Dick Landy built for Ron Main is. But Jimmy's engine uses the original intake ports and has cut welded new exhaust ports. It went 309 in the 788 Costella-Yacoucci streamliner
Ok, I am starting to see it but I am not quite getting it. Here's what I got: Stock Flathead Block: Ron Main's Block: So, it now has moved intake down ports in the valley and kept the stock valve in the combustion chamber. It also has new exhaust, ports in the valley and the stock valve seat in the combustion chamber, but both are blocked off- so, where does the exhaust go? Here is the Aussie engine and block: This one make's more sense to me. I can see why moving the exhaust out the top would be helpful, but why move the intake around so much? It seems like you would hurt the block more than help the flow. I was under the impression the valves themselves had been moved around and lowered inside the block. Does anybody have any more pictures of the machine work done to the blocks that could shed some light on this?
The "Aussie" engine and block is a lot more of a So Cal part than Sacramento is. I have seen it at El Mirage many times. It went 309 on the salt in Jacks (Cupertino) car. I think why Landy Moved the intake and exhaust was that he was concerned about welded pieces being ably to survive the exhaust heat and pressure. So he used the original cast in intake ports for exhaust and the weldment for intake
In fact the Jimmie Stevens engine with the Kong heads on it and the block pictured below it do not appear to be the same engine. The port face/valley area seem to be much like the reverse flow engine at the top of the page than the near stock port face area on the Stevens engine. The block in the top picture looks like it is just out of furnace braze and the new intake ports have lots of flux in them. In the lower picture it has been cleaned up and you can see that the ports are open. I also have heard about a farther North Cal Bonneville builder and his 5 main bearing flathead Ford with a SBC crank. People just wont let Flatheads fade away.
There is a book titled "The Complete Ford Flathead Engine Manual" by Tex Smith. It has a chapter that discusses a similar set up built by Kong Jackson. I don't remember all of the details but it is pretty detailed and a great overall book. -Mitch
Hi So Cal Speed I think the last picture of a block you have there is of my block (the Aussie one) but the engine picture does not match that block. The idea behind using the old inlet ports as the new exhausts is that the exhausts get the harshest conditions (hottest, most pressure etc) compared with an inlet port. So to use the original cast ports of the original inlet as the new outlet ports gives, in theory, a more robust port for the exhaust. The new inlet can then be built up out of welding in pipes and also a bit block filling. Steven
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