This video is three years old so it might have been posted before but I think it’s worth watching twice. 250 hp NA is quite an accomplishment!
There must be missing something, impressive but you don't build a flathead, in my case a BlueFlame 6, Oldsmobile, Cadillac etc.. because you are looking make huge power you build it for tradition, heritage, and to preserve history that engine is far from any of those. If I wanted to make huge horsepower I would just start with a 350 block and throw all the best modern race parts at it. At what point is it no longer a Flathead or a BlueFlame?
I hardly call 250 hp huge horsepower by today's standards but they did try old methods like bringing the exhaust out the top of the block, that's certainly nothing new, the camshaft and valvtrain is another thing though. I thought it was interesting that after all of the things shown in the video the heads were off limits.
250 HP is good by any standards, people hear these wild horsepower numbers and fall hook line and sinker, A good honest 250 horsepower will scare the hell out of you! A modern 602 GM Create Oval Track is rated at 350 crank HP @ 5400 R.P.M./396 lb.-ft. @ 3,800 rpm, and they are full on race engines. 200 @ the wheels-
I'm continually amazed at how well my mostly stock flathead V8 Fords go down the road. No problem keeping up with modern in town traffic. Flathead horses are BIG strong horses. 250 hp is a huge increase over stock. Impressive.
While he was wrong about the claim that 95hp was the most produced by a flathead, 127% increase is pretty damn impressive. Even more impressive is that it STILL made more torque than horsepower. I certainly would not call 350 flywheel horsepower out of any big block a "full on race engine". Many of them made more than that from the factory, and with far less cubic inches than 602
The real "world's fastest flathead" claim belongs to Ron Main's Flat fire streamliner. A bit over 302 mph. The car is currently on display at Bill Smith's American Museum of Speed in Lincoln Nebraska. The engine bares little resemblance to flatheads we are used to, especially after Dick Landy and the boys at Landy Industris got done with it. Hot Rod did a big spread on it several years ago. Quite impressive and lots of $$$$$$$. Ron previously had roadster many years ago that was extremely reworked and it held the world's fastest flathead roadster record at Bonneville also. I don't have access to the latest rule book, so can't verify if that record still stands also.
When you consider a stock 2V 289 or 283 will make 200 hp at the crank and close to 300 ft of torque the 250 hp is not a high number but the increase over stock is truly impressive. Equally impressive is the fabrication of parts needed.
Is speed record setting more impressive @ the Salt & Daytona other places Pre war Technology or Post war, I think Pre war
I'd like to know how much HP Ken Kloth's non-blown 267" flathead produced to push his stock '49 Mercury near 150 mph at Bonneville. I'll bet is was more than 250.
I had the great pleasure of visiting Kenny at his shop in when Bonneville Speed Week was rained out in 2014. What he accomplished with his amazing band of accomplices is nothing short of amazing. Roller Cam & Lifters, space age combustion chamber design and more. His 1991 XF/Production record still stands today 140.551 !!!
If you get Tex Smith's Flathead book that was printed over 20 years ago, there have been many Flathead Ford that have made over 250 HP naturally aspirated in the last 70 years. The person making the video is just uneducated about what has already been done with these engines and is simply late to the party!
One thing I seem to remember about Kloth’s record setting flathead was that he “bored” out the cam bearing “tunnel” and had a cam built that was near .500 lift. Another thing that stood out(if I remember correctly) was that his record setting engine was fairly low on compression,somewhere in the vicinity of 5-6 to one. I think it proved that flow in a Flathead was more important than higher compression.I could be mistaken about these facts and if anyone disputes these facts, I welcome the changes.
Pretty much, when you stop to think that every flathead that holds a land speed record is the world's fasted flathead in it's particular class.
Engine he's referring to is a 350 cubic inch circle track spec class engine, not 602 cubic inch. But yeah - 350 crank HP is a mid 12 sec 3200 lb car. https://www.karlkustoms.com/product/602-crate-engine-19433602-ct350-602/
I couldn’t see that, (numbers) just a quick shot about what it made and “just kidding”. Also noticed it said something like “not WOT”. So based on your “200Hp at the wheels” , assume even with the Muncie and rearend used, a 25% loss from the crank, that means a 602 cu.in engine would be rated at under 300HP. Something doesn’t seem right to me. Also I’m pretty much out of touch with crate motors, last one I recall was the GM 502 which was over 500HP (gm claimed). This is going to send me down a Google rabbit hole when I wake up today.
Now I’m more confused. Lol. Effing night shift. 10 more minutes and under the covers…. Edit: I didn’t catch the 350 HP crank HP. But still 602 CI engine with less than 400 in torque and 350 HP? Unsure how GM did ratings years back, but my ‘70 LS 5 454 has better “factory “ numbers and is near 150 CI less.
It is not a 602 cubic inch engine. It is a 350 cubic inch built to circle track specs. The '602' designation comes from the last three digits of the GM part number. There are 602's, 603's and 604's that are different specs for different classes.
Up to around 1972 car engine rated by gross hp....The engine on a factory dyno tuned for best power with no generator,muffler etc...Standards then changed to power that shows the engine as installed in the stock vehicle... There were some exceptions and NHRA factored in sandbagging dyno power, like some BBC, Z28, Mopar 6 pak and Cobra jet. In other cases many engines were found to be well short of advertised power..Typical entry level 330 hp muscle cars were lucky to make a real 280 crank shaft power. Drive wheel hp is rarely used by manufacturers and is what is done on a chassis dyno tuning
More numbers confusion for the masses. It is a dirt track thing. 602 crate engine = mildly tuned 350 cu. in. Spec. class engines.
Okay, now I see, (I think) I guess a guy has to know what a guy is the business is referring to. Had he just said “this is a 350 circle track spec engine” I’d had caught on. But the “602 crate” verbiage led me to my quote and response to @Robert J. Palmer , so I’ll apologize now for not knowing
The Jalopy Journal
