I think I'll throw some of what I know of the Flathead 6 (226ci)

The one I have is a 1943, Has just over 45,000 miles on it and is in a 1.5 ton truck. I have pulled all the truck will pull and then some with the motor and it's still going strong. It made around 90HP new and people said that it would keep up with the V8 till you got to the higher RPM's then the V8 would pull away. Some would say the 6 cylinder was a tougher engine than the V8, and had less problems.

So far I haven't had any problem with over heating except when I was pulling 12,000 pounds up the road on a 95 degree day, I shifted down to third and I was all right, and a few of the rods on my rad are blocked off. It has a buttload of torque for an old motor. It will idle in 4th gear down the road without my foot on the gas and pull the *** out of a rhinoceros.

It starts right up in frigid temperatures granted you know the right choke and foot pumping combo. It's very easy to work on compared to anything else I've worked on. It runs forever to. The motor has never been into, front and rear seals still hold about 95% of their oil, purs like a kitten, very easy for maintenance.

I've had little problems getting parts for the motor, since there are few parts to get for it. Waterpump and Carb I took to Napa and they sent them off to get rebuilt, oil filter element they had in stock, plugs were in stock, wires I made myself. Cap I just cleaned up and cleaned the points and pulled a 12V coil out of the junkyard and threw on it and it's good to go.

Only problem I have had with it is in the hot summer if you shut her off the gas will start to boil in the carb and either you wait a while till she cools off or pull it a few hundred feet down the road pumping the gas till she gets fresh fuel and it will start.

Overall I'm really surprised how good of a motor this is considering the technology they had back in 1943, the age, and the application it was in.

Here are some pics of an old Flathead v8 I had and my current Flathead 6

 

Flatheads are torque monsters! Tody, most people have never ridden in one or really know how to drive them versus a more conventional engine. In terms of durability, they will run on just about anything (including kerosene) and are close to being bullet-proof and very easy to repair 9with the exception that the valves are in the block instead of the heads as we know today). In terms of speed capability, all engines have their limitations, but engineering can overcome most of it.

In 1949, my Dad (who was an ol salt-flat racer) ran 134 mph at Lions Drag, with a flathead in a 36 coupe; that same year, he ran 149 mph at the flying mile at El Mirage (normal asperated), that particular engine was sold to a gent named Jerry green, who sold the engine to the Stecker brothers, who installed the engine in a belly-tank streamliner in 1955 (IIRR), turned 211 mph at the flats with "billie" behind the wheel (unfortunitely he was underaged so the run did not count). Dad bought the engine back in 1972, rebuilt it and dropped it in his deuce which he still has today (yes Fonzie is alive and well).

What I can tell you is from a stop-light to stop-light run, there are very few cars both new & old that can stay up with that coupe.....typically the newer the car the more my Dad luv's to keep the nose about 1 foot ahead of them- no more, no less! People who have never driven in one are simply blow away by the torque of the engine!

 

my v8 is stock save for a cold air intake, electronic ignition, and milled eab heads. The heaviest load I have pulled was 19 round bails on a 25' tandem duel gooseneck trailer. Thats close to 26000 lbs and I could pull that in high with no overheating issues at about 50 mph. Its pretty flat where I live but I could still feel any grade changes on the road.

 

Sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing this. Our 64 F950 with the 534 and around 230 hp has trouble pulling the same load at the same speed. I mean if you're honest great, I'd love to see it in action pulling that load.

Sorry to derail the thread.

But back on topic.

The flathead 6 stayed pretty much the same except when things were moved around and changed during the war. There was a bigger flathead 6 made and sometimes guys would take the head off the 226 and put on the bigger one to bump up compression.

The V8 had many changes, different heads were used, bell housings were different, some were cast with the block some not. If I recall correctly.

It's amazing some of these engines have lasted as long as they have, considering the quality of oil some people ran in them back in the day. I pulled apart a flathead v8 one time that had about 7/8" worth of sludge caked throughout.

 

If you want to know about flathead V8s, here's the place:

Ford Flathead V8 .. 1932 thru 1953 • Index page

Enjoy - lots of reading on the "techno site" plus a bunch of great links as well

 

Bill:
I have a 49-53 V8, 239CI, that I did some horse trading for. It had been parked under a carport for 38yrs. I brought it home, blew dirt out of the carb, cleaned the brushes in the starter, changed a plug that was broken, hooked it to a battery, added gas......It coughed a couple of times and started running.....Yes...Bullet proof....It now has three deuces, stromberg 97's,Edelbrock heads, in a '48 Ford F1...would send pictures but don't know how.

 

ill try and get a video this year if i can. my speedometer might be off but it will hold 45-50 for sure. I have a two speed rear and it takes all eight gears and a full mile or more to get to speed and like i said any incline in road grade will slow her down a little. now I was also including the weight of the truck in that load figure but i take no offense to your doubt. It is hard to believe that little motor can even pull it at all lol. but I think we can all agree they are great little motors. from what I have read the 254 big six is the motor to have for pullin stuff. Ive never seen one around here though.

 

also if yalls 534 has issues pulling that kinda weight you might have issues somewhere. that truck should be rated for close to 40000 combined vehicle weight I would think 26000 would not even be an issue for that truck.

 

a would like to add that the whole point of my post was not to brag but to point out that if you are new to flatheads you have no doubt heard they all run hot. if the cooling system is in good shape and the timing is right that should not be an issue. even with 26000 lbs that is still under the 28000 lb cvwr of early f6 model trucks and in south east louisiana it gets 98 degrees on a good summer day and I have not had any overheating issues pulling that kind of load.

 

Bill;
:
My engine sat for 32 years, in a dry climate in California. I brought it home and cleaned it up, alittle. I blew dirt out of the carb, cleaned/checked a few things. Put gas in the carb, and hooked a battery to it. It coughed a couple of times and started running..I was impressed....Bombproof...I think so.

 

Just a couple off comments regarding flatty V-8s.
Regarding rpm, I recently saw a vintage dragster with a strong flathead. The redline was 4500.
Also, do you remember the characteristic crackle these motors used to make? I was told it was because of the restricted exhaust breathing. And I believe it. The other day I was listening to a Briggs-Stratton mower, a flatty, and it had the same 'pop' as the old V-8s.
Good discussion, brings back lots of memories.

 

I have a 51 flathead 6 in an F1. My 3-speed toploader pops out of second gear constantly. I need to know whether the 6-cyl has the same pattern as V8. I am thinking of a trans swap, maybe a T-5. All I seem to hear about is the V8. Any info is appreciated.

 

Does it have 21 or 24 stud in the heads ?

I have a 21 stud motor that has the water pumps in the heads (32-36) but the block has block off plates where the water pumps would go so I know the block is a 37 - 38 year model .

So it is a 37-38 motor with early model cast iron heads.

I don't have anything older than 1965 but I liked the flattie so I started collecting extra parts to make it whole again .

I am having to sell 90% of my stuff and have not decided whether to sell parts or the whole set . I bought a complete rebuilt distributor assembly and figure it would not increase the value of the set compared to separate pieces .

I have not listed any parts yet , but would be willing to sell just the short block or the whole bundle .

I don't want to give the stuff away but I also am not interested in gouging anyone either .

If there is any interest I will post some pics in a new topic and see if y'all can help come up with fair market value before I list them here in the classifieds . If this violates any of the posting rules , someone let me know and I will gladly refrain from it .

Thanks - Ken.