flathead 6 needs exhaust manifold help
 

i just bought a 52 inline flathead i6 out if a f6 and after i picked it up i noticed the exhaust manifold is cracked straight down from the carb. it has been farmer welded, no offense to farmers, and has cracked beyond the weld and is in pretty bad shape. my ? is, does anyone make repops or a header for this 254 flathead inline six or has anyone had luck welding on these. any help would be great. i have other ? about this engine but they will wait till later. happy vets day to all that have served, and to all that still are. US Army 88-95, 101st airborne 8/101 aviation, air assault!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I don't know that engine and assume that the manifold is cast. There are ways to weld cast. I also know it has to be cooled slowly so it wont crack right beside the weld. But this will bump you back to the top so some of the experts can give you a proper answer.

You sure its not a 226? You should just get another manifold.

you will need to weld it with ni rod which is a nickle rod and pre heat the manifold to at least 600* with a torch then weld up the crack that you have already cleaned and beveled in order to get full penetration after you finish welding continue to pre heat the goal is to let the manifold cool as slowly as possible burying the piece in a bucket of sand will help hold the heat in as long as possible. the other option is brazing the piece which i have also had good luck with but its not as strong more like a strong glue prep work is key on the welding and brazing to get good results. good luck

its prob a 254 look at the head if its a 226 head casting number will have a 7 in it if its a 254 it has a 8m something my 52 f6 has a 254 common in the big trucks beings its heavy duty

No, it's a 254. You'd have to think that somebody out there has a donor lump sitting at the back of their shed after parting out one of these big trucks.

That Merryman Herringbone sure needs it.

Thanks for your service, Mark. Stu

thanks for the tips on welding, at the very least i can soak the nuts all winter so maybe it will come apart in the spring. and its the 254, it came out of a f6 and it has the 8 on the head. i see you picked up on the merryman herringbone Stu. thats how they had it posted on the auction listing. now its just kinda a joke around here. the kids call it mater, as in tow-mater off the movie cars. anyway, if anyone knows of one for sale let me know, if not i am sure i can find someone to weld it. after i stuck my head under it tho the crack is worse than i thought so replacement would be my first choice.

If it cracked once, the iron is undoubtedly brittle and you'll be chasing fresh cracks forever. Why not headers? Might (almost certainly) need to be custom made for a 254, but trouble-free and sound s-o-o-o nice...

I may be able to help you with a manifold. I've already sold one, but my other F-6 is about ready to come apart next. I was told that engine was a runner. (you know, the old 'ran when parked' story) I'm curious what your other questions are, and if there's anything else you might need. Feel free to pm me with any needs, wants or desires.

8MTH-9426 .. 226/254 Exhaust Manifold.

Applications: 1948/52 F1/F2/F3/F4/F5/F6 / 1953 F100/700.
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8HW-9426 .. 226/254 Exhaust Manifold.

Applications: 1948/51: F3 226 Parcel Delivery & F5/F6 226 COE // 1950/52 F6 254 COE // 1953 P350/P500 226 Parcel Delivery.

If it's the same as a 223, then this will work:

Header - Flathead 6 Cylinder [2988] - $210.00 : Red's Headers, Speed Equipment For Old Fords

thanks for the info guys and merc 52, i will pm you soon. now i am a little confused because albuq f1 says there is a header for a 223 but numberdummy posted a 226 or 254. Ford surely didnt make a 223 and a 226 did they? and what color is it suppose to be. it looks like a faded powder blue?

223
 

223 is a ohv inline 6 that replaced the flat 6 226 in passenger vehicles the 254 was only used in heavy duty and industrial applications i do not know if the 226 and 223 share the same header they didnt make the 223 till like 53? 54?

Mark - Actually the 223 was the OHV six that followed/replaced the 215 that would have been original to your truck. Stu

I think Ross typed 223 when he meant 226. If you read the description of the part in the link, it says it's for the flathead engine. The ohv 223 would use a different header. The ports are on the opposite side of the engine, even if the ports and bolt patterns were identical, which I'm sure they aren't. ;-)