I was reading the great posts on flatheads and I found one for 200.00 dollars as well, (but not a mercury with 4inch crank) it's a 59A i believe. Anyways, i read how you guys state it's not worth it if they have a crack in the block so where should i expect to find a crack? I want to thoroughly check it before i buy. any particular place they usually show up? the flathead is complete with everything on it so that's why i'm asking since it might be hard to see block. ***Ryan or other admins, do you think we should have a section on flathead posts? it seems like there are alot of them now and we wouldn't flood the regular thread section with our flathead questions......***
Like chrisntx said, between the seat and the bore. Usually the exhaust seat and the bore. You can find it with the naked eye, no special tools needed. They can be repaired, but it's rather time consuming. Most guys just go out and find another block. But, it can be done.
I've found small cracks between the bolt holes for the heads and the water passages. I also had a lonnnng crack on the water pump mounting surface for the right pump, caused from a feeze up (no doubt from the cold, Canadian winter ) High nickel welding rods fixed up the big one! Flatman We can never have enough flathead questions....
ok, thanks guys. what size tools/sockets do i need to bring if i want to pull the heads and check for cracks between valve seats and bores... thanks again,
I've seen a couple of 8BA blocks crack right above the pan rail down low. Both on the inside and the out side.
11/16 1/2 drive socket and extension, assortment of large flat screwsticks or chisel and hammer to pry head off, wire brush . dont let cracks from water passage to stud scare you off most have em and its no problem to run without repair.
Most of them do have cracks between the bolt holes/water passages. Thats no huge deal. Use studs to get proper torque on final assy. Use NON HARDENING sealer (permatex) on those holes too. Don't forget to check oil pan mating surface on block as well for cracks. Rare to find a crack there but I've pitched a couple for it. A badun down there will ruin your life (and driveway)
ditto all the rest. I would not want to pay over $25-50 for a block that hasn't been magnafluxed, just too much risk. check in the crankcase area too, where the water jacket goes along the pan rail and between the webs. If you already bought it have it hot tanked and magnafluxed after a good visual inspection. Also, it is risky building one without a tear down and flux, been there-done that...it can be expensive. There are a couple good companies that sell kits and provide t/a for pinning and welding major cracks. Like the other guys said don't worry about the small cracks between the bolt holes and valves (unless it goes into the valve head area). If your $200 block is sound then you got a real good deal imho, blocks are running around $400+ in most places. good luck, flatties rule..... 31acoupe
Bolt hole to the valve? That would be a monster crack and one I wouldn't accept as no worry. Do you mean between a bolt hole and water jacket? Many flatheads have cracks. Most can be patched. Some can't. Most cracks between the valve seat and cylinder wall can be fixed if you can find the ends. It's just a matter of how much you want to invest. One or two cracks in that area can usually be fixed economically. A whole bunch start driving the cost up. Cracks along the pan rail are usually caused from freezing and are considered fatal by most people. I've never seen a crack in the main bearing web, but those are considered fatal also. I would have to have a guarantee that it would pass magnaflux before I would pay $200 for a flathead core engine unless it had a 4" Mercury crank. I guess price is a local thing and largely based on luck. I've paid between $200 (Merc crank surrounded by a severely cracked block) to $0 (sound block with Ford crank).
I have found a flathead that is a 27 stud instead of a 24 stud, can anyone give any info over these. thanks
You also should take wire brushes, spray brake cleaner, and a flashlight to examine area between valves and bore. A heavy freeze cracks blocks along the pan rail. Tell seller flathead blocks with heads on are worth zip, heads and pan off and visually examined worth some, and magnafluxed worth a lot... An engine coming out of a complete car (with Hood!) is a pretty good gamble, one that's been dumped outside for 10 years will likely be scrap... One that will rotate is very much likelier to have had a protected storage than one that's totally stuck. Also, inner parts are always an interesting crapshoot--so many parts have been interchanged over the years that speed goodies can turn up anywhere. Just keep scraping and muttering stuff like "Izzat ANOTHER one or just a casting line??" and "OH! My LORD!!" until owner despairs...
If there is any chance the block has been a hotrod or race engine in it's past, check the center main bearing web for cracks. Hi RPM and stroker cranks sometimes crack them there. Advice I got from an old and now passed-on Flathead builder.
Are these engines any good, can they be hopped up like the 24 stud, and will somestuff interchange. I can buy one of these engines that was said to have run about a year ago for $100, I know the guy good so I know that he would not steer me wrong... I have just started to work on flatheads Ive always been a sbc and bbc man....
there havebeen several inqueries about the 8el engines here recently. perf parts are practically non existent and they are VERY heavy. unless you like a challenge, id keep lookin...
Ok, finally got the head off one side (just got the block home last week) dirty but no cracks yet, the not so clean holes that look unshapely is because of gasket parts still hanging around hole edges. I broke one of the head bolts flush with the block trying to get them all off. do I have to buy an EZ out now? what is the best way to get it out? they were really hard to remove, 3 actually broke, but only one broke flush with the block. Only some of the nuts came off, usually the whole stud/bolt wanted to come out, i tried everything, heat, then more PB blaster, more heat, but the bolts are pretty frozen.
well, lots of dirt and rusty water jacket parts, florida isn't good on old stuff. I'll clean it up and give better pics after i get the other head off too.
Don't use an easy out unless you want to take on the broken bolt and the broken easy out. Either weld a nut to the stud or weld a washer to the stud and weld a nut to that. The heat will loosen the bolt as well as giving you something to turn it out with. If you are not equipped to do the welding, take it to an automotive machine shop and let them take it out. You need to take it to a machine shop eventually anyhow, so let them get it out (and all the rest of those rusty studs if you don't have a way to do it). It shouldn't cost you a whole lot - far less than after you've boogered it up and still don't have it out. Is that a crack on the far left of your picture between the cylinder and valve, or is that just a shadow on some carbon?
no, it's a large piece of gasket left over creating a shadow, if you look closely you can make out a piece of gasket.......... but i barely cleaned the gasket material away, I'm going to take everything else off of the engine, (its complete so things are in the way, and get the other head off) then clean it up and inspect the oil pan block area as well to make sure there is no cracks, then i can justify taking it in for hot tanking, etc.
I wouldn't try to remove the studs until you have had it hot tanked and then use liberal dose of PB Blaster on each stud 2-3 times, tap the top of each stud with a 4# hammer several times. Then using a stud removal socket (NAPA-Checkers) the studs should come right out, at least most of them. Don't try to force them, use the PB Blaster (and I have heard that in the really stuck ones that candle wax works great) and work them, tapping them and blasting them. If you do break one off and don't have a welder just take them to a good shop, they charged me like $5 to remove several broken ones on one of my factory relieved blocks. It is amazing how some of these old blocks clean up. I had one that sat outside for 35 years and my machinist told me to forget about it but he tanked it for about 2 weeks and it turned out to be very cherry. Good luck and way to go trying to save the old flatty..... 31acoupe george
Every flathead, rescued from being melted down and sent to China to make cheap junk to sell to the USA, is a good thing.
Amen! But you have to admit, unless the block is good, a used flathead motor is worth little more than scrap value. The crank if clean is worth maybe $50, who buys used cams? Maybe if it has Johnson's or something you could get some more out of it... or clean hot-rod pistons.
The place I was looking shouldn't have any gasket material, but the more I look at it, the more it looks like a flake of carbon.
I just pulled the head of a motor I pulled out of a '47 Ford pickup, first flathead V8 I ever worked on. Supprised to find it had been filled with oil, still took close to 2 hours to wrestle the thing off, can't imagine how you do this with the motor in a car. I'm hoping this lump is worth $300.+ after I get it baked & blasted.
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