This is mitch again and i just found a some what local guy that is selling off some assits that belonged to his brother that just passed away and he has 5 or 6 comlete flat heads. these engines turn by hand but they have not been taken apart. is it worth buy a few for parts on a chance that they are not cracked? how do i know what year engine it is? let me know what you think and what i should do please.

thanx
mitch

 

is it 100 for 1 flathead? 8ba is norm preferred as latest and easier to get parts for. I would buy it if it was me.

 

Not cracked!? is there such a thing? I thought Ford designed the cracks into them from the factory........LOL

Bobby

 

the fact that they turn over by hand is good, (which means they might run???) but that doesn't mean they don't have cracks, or mouse nest's etc inside them. Are all the openings closed up good? in dry storage??
I would probably take a chance on them for $100 Although it would be even better if you could pull the heads first to check them. (even then sometimes the cracks are hard to see)

I once paid $500 for a running flathead and learned the hard way, as it had cracks.

the last two I bought I paid $50 for one and $20 for the other, they were both froze up and had been out in the weather for years. one block was cracked the other was ok.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

Josh

 

There's a stock running '53 flathead in my local CL for $1250. Plus $500 for the trans.

My $100 8BA ended up being cracked beyond repair, so good luck!

 

So what i think i am going to bring some tools down to this guy pull the heads and just do a quick once over. are there any parts that are worth anything used if i bought it and later found a crack that wasnt visable? still how do i determan the year? and this may sound like a stupid ? but what is 8BA?

thanx
mitch

 

I think you should tell me where they are so I can solve your problem...

It'd take too long to give you enough basics to understand everything you should know. There are 4 separate styles with major upgrades from 1932 thru '53 US. 32-36, 37-42, 45-47 and the last 48-53 which are known as the 8BA/8RT engines.

 

It'd take too long to give you enough basics to understand everything you should know.

I thought that one of the reasons this site was started was so that people like me can learn from other people when they have ?s not get insulted but some dumb *** that thinks hes cool just because he knows more then the new guy. there is a reason i wrote this thread and that is because i want to learn more and not just make a rash desion.

 

Mitch,

He really wasn't insulting you just in his own way telling you that the cracks are in several areas of the blocks. Many times the cracks will not be able to be seen by the naked eye. You need to take the block to a local engine rebuilding and have it dipped. they will then magniflux it to find out if it is cracked.

Mtflat I hope I did not affend you by this post, just know that you have helped many in the past.

 

Mitch, read up on this website for lots of great ino on flatheads. Vanpelts Ford Flathead Specifications
good luck and let us know if you have any specific questions after taking a look here.

from what I understand, typically the flatheads crack from upper cylinder wall to valve pocket/s or in valve chest or galley or almost anywhere from freezing?? or along pan rails. of the 4-5 cracked blocks I have personally seen all had cracks from cylinder walls to valve except one that had a vertical crack inside the valve chest I think from freezing?


also it seemes like (from my very limited experience) most of the cracks were on the middle bores, ie cylinders # 2 &3 or 6 & 7 . maybe it was just coincidence but may have had something to do with overheating and those were hotter than the ones on the end???

oil pans can be sold, aluminum timing covers, possibly other internals depending on condition to help offset the cost. if the block is toast.

also Like Ksmith said to really know for sure you need to have a machine shop clean and flux them but you can still at least make a thorough visual check, but can be difficult unless you can wire wheel all the carbon and crud buildup.
make sure the mahine shop knows flatheads and knows where to look too, i had a shop totally miss a huge crack, I think th eguy was blind.

good luck

Josh

 

I do understand what you guys are saying about getting it magnafluxed to be sure and get it i will do it. but i can also hot tank clean and then magnaflux it at school. i am a diesel tech and we have all the tools along with cameras for checking inside water jackets and oil gallies. i will prolly be buying one or two and i will get up some pics.

thanx
mitch

 

keep in mind that even if it is cracked it is not junk! a good shop can fix a crack from the cylinder to the valve port as long as both ends can be seen and reached.

 

Boy is this off base! MTFlat is one of the most helpfull guys on the internet, certainly not a "dumb ***". Any help you get off people on any forum is ONLY because they donate their time and effort to helping you. Maybe he has other things to do, and I totally agree with him, there are far too many things to put in one thread, let alone one reply. You've not even bothered to get the most basic info on the flatheads, no pictures, nothing.

Ever heard of Google? Try searching if it's so important to you. The 'net is full of flathead information. Do your homework, boy!

 

First point, I don't think Mtflat said anything offensive and it should not be taken that way. He's a very helpful contributor, as we all are. Perhaps the tone of his comment was misread??

It would be very hard for me to pass on a 48-53 $100 flathead. Most likely you will get few goodies with the deal if your nice to the guy. I wish I had a spare in the corner of my garage just in case...

 

As I think your original post asked for opinions I'll throw mine in too.
I will usually pay $50-100 for any flathead I come across, assuming it is not obviously junk from the outside. I personally found an engine, magnafluxed it, decked it, fixed a crack by the exhaust manifold, bored, polished and relieved it, reassembled it, started it and changed oil only to find water in the oil. Tore it down and found a crack had developed in one of the middle cylinders. Was able to sleeve it though and it was as good as 50 years old again!
The most important parts are the block, the crank and the connecting rods...although there are some other peices that can't be bought or are difficult to find aftermarket (timing gear covers, timing gears, assorted plugs).
Everything else you would want to replace with new (pistons, cam, water pumps, oil pump, distributer, exhaust manifold) or is easy to find if you don't have them (heads, intake manifold).
This is assuming you wanted to rebuild from the ground. You could always just change the oil and see if it runs and use it but who knows how long that would go!
Always be on the look out for the elusive Mercury car flathead that has the 4" stroke and matching rods. This is difficult to impossible to tell from the outside, you have to measure the actual stroke while turning the crank. I'd give $200 for one of those.