I ran my 8BA flathead for the first time today, and I have some questions. I'm hoping ya'll will give me your opinions.


Back in early spring of 2010 I bought a Ford F-1 that had been sitting in a field for a very long time. To say it was "crusty" is an understatement. I rebuilt the undercarriage first. Then I needed to decide what to do for an engine. I didn't think the flathead could be saved, but the machine shop said 40 thousandths would do it, so I rebuilt the flathead. It is the most money I've ever spent for 100hp! The engine has a new original grind camshaft, the original carburetor rebuilt, a replacement mechanical fuel pump with new pump shaft, two new water pumps, a new radiator and a full-flow oil system with modified oil pump.


Today I got up the nerve to try and start the thing. I was really worried because I've heard a lot of stories of wiping out the cam lobes if the engine doesn't start right away and the oil doesn't build pressure quickly. The first try it turned out that the condensor wire connector was sticking up too far an it broke the rotor. I cleaned up the original old rotor and tried again. This time I found I had the plug wires out of order, of course. Then ... IT FIRED UP! OMG, it is running! I was super thrilled. Now I have some questions.


I was planning to use an temperature gauge I had laying around for testing. When I put antifreeze in the radiator the sender for this gauge started leaking. So I plugged the hole with the original sender and decided to use my infrared temp gauge tool instead. The trouble with that is I'm not sure where to measure so as to be sure it is running at a safe temperature. Where should I point the gauge and what reading should I be looking for? I'm concerned it is getting hot because when I shut off the engine, a lot of antifreeze comes out the overflow tube and onto the shop floor. I had filled the radiator while cold and the engine had not yet been run. It is an LMC radiator with the matching radiator cap. The engine paint on both sides of the intake manifold, just over the two center exhaust ports, are changing to a very dark color from the heat. Normal?


Another concern I have is the oil pressure. The oil pressure gauge I used for testing has the small white plastic tubing I attached to where the original sender unit would be on the back of the flathead. When I fired up the engine, I got a glimpse of the gauge and it said about 40psi. As I ran the engine more, I checked again and it had gone down to 20psi. I have a very small gas tank attached, so the engine shut off before I got any further readings. I know that the oil is flowing through the spin-on oil filter because the lines in/out of the filter are very hot. What could account for the readings? Is the sender/gauge to be suspect? How can I be sure I am not doing damage to the engine to run it further?


This is exciting as it has been a long time coming. But I can't afford to have this engine damaged. Help is appreciated. Thanks. Don

 

Congrats on first fire!

I used a thermal infrared gun on my heads and thermostat housings, on a very hot (97-deg) day after a good long run. Both sides were about 195*. Not a whole lot of difference other places on the top of the heads. If you have steel radiator tubes, you can shoot them. What were you seeing?

Burping some water out is normal on first start. The radiator should only be filled to an inch or inch-and-a-half below the bottom of the filler neck when cold. There is bound to be air in the heater that will burp out once things get flowing good.

Don't forget to re-torque your head bolts! May have to do it 2x or even 3x.

The little 1" oil pressure gauges may or may not be very accurate. With your full-flow set up, I'd guess hot idle OP at 20 is more than enough. Pressure drops as the oil heats.

What type of full-flow conversion was done? Does it have a hose coming out the side of the oil pan? (Motor City Flatheads conversion) If so, it is very important to use the right kind of oil filter. And from what I've heard, if you pre-fill the filter, it can prevent the pump from picking up oil?? Who knows, I'd chek what kind you should be using, as I recall it needs to be one without a bypass valve, or no anti-drainback valve, something like that.

 

ALBQ-F1, thanks for the response. I can't remember how high the temp was exactly. I was checking all over the engine. I don't think I saw more than 200. I'm going to run it again and make better measurements when I get back to it.


The full-flow oil system came from this company: Full Flow Oil Conversion Kits - Flathead Speed and Machine


I used the fuel filter they recommended. I think it was a Motorcraft F1-A.

 

Keep in mind it will likely run a little hotter until the rings and bearings seat. Just make sure you watch the water level as it burps.

That oil kit is what is referred to as a "Motor City Flatheads" style, as they were the first to commercialize it. As I recall the F1A is what almost all remote filter setups use.