I have just taken delivery of a 1950 F2,here in England. Perfect rust free cab,doors,chassis. It is all original. The engine however is completely seized. It hadn't been run since 1980. Would it be cheaper to rebuild the original flathead V8 or swap it for a more modern powerplant. I already have a narrowed stainless 9 inch rear end to fit. So was thinking of turning it into a rod. Any suggestions?

 

Here in the "Colonies" a stock flat head is held in reverence by most of us enthusiasts. Most of the old trucks have been "*******ized" long ago with engine swaps.
IF I were in your situation I would at least try to free the engine and start it. Pull plugs and pour a few tablespoons of solvent in the plug holes. Let it set a few days and try turning the engine over. A wrench on the crankshaft might break it loose. If no success at first try more solvent and let it set a few more days. Might try putting the truck in gear and rocking the truck. Do not force anything. I have seen engines that were stuck clean up and run fairly decently although in most cases they do require disasembleld and at least new rings. The rings do stick in the pistons and sometimes will break and or scuff the walls. After putting solvent in the spark plug holes do not put the plugs in until the engine turns over freely. If you get the engine to turn freely change the oil and filter before trying to start. Post back if you get this far. Good luck, ray

 

Given the fact that you have a completely orginal truck, It would be a shame to hot rod it. In my opinion, the flathead 8 is a very strong and durable engine. People post these engines all of the time. Right now a friend of mine has a merc flathead 8 for sale. Bottom line, It might even be cheaper to keep it orginal rather than swaping in a new engine. Anyway have fun and don't think about putting in a ch*vy craptrain.

 

Truthfully,is just a matter of opinion, but to
change engines and transmissions not intended for
a vehicle is not for a novice,and can become a
money pit and perhaps a dissapointment if not
done correctly. Parts are plentiful in the United
States for flathead V-8's, but you might have to send some parts
to shops over here for machine work. Lots of
"period" competition parts are available too,if
you desire to add some power to your motor.

 

Hello Ray, have had the Bores soaked in rust penetrating oil for the last 4 weeks. The engine is still completely frozen. Not giving up though. I'm going to take the heads off this weekend.

 

Since penetrating oil didn't seem to work for you
I'll offer a slightly more violent disassembly
method. I have used this successfully on many
occasions.

First off, keep in mind that your pistons are
trashed anyway at this point. You will need to
overbore the block and replace the pistons.

What you want to do is pull the block, put it on
a stand upside down (after pulling the heads).
Find the connecting rods nearest the bottom of
their stroke and remove their end caps. Now take
a *large* brass drift and a 3lb hammer and pound
the pistons out. You'll want to get the drift
on the underside of the piston just where the
wrist (gudgeon) pin is. You want to pound the
piston where the most strength is. Continue
until everything is apart.

Yes, a violent method, but I've used it
successfully on engines that have sat since
late late '60s, on engines that have been filled
with rain water and thought to be unsaveable,
etc.

 

The reason you start with the connecting rods
that are nearest the bottom of their stroke
is that they'll be the easiest to pull the caps
off of. Ideally you'll be able to turn the
crankshaft before you get to the rod caps who's
nuts are in unaccessable locations. If this
isn't the case you can turn the engine over
and loosen things up by pounding the remaining
pistons down into the bores. You don't want
to go too far though -- the object of the game
is to get the pistons out after all.

 

If you haven't gone to the 'violent' disaasembly yet, try loading the cylinders with diesel or stove oil. This seems to work better than penetrating oil in rusty situations.

 

I have now removed the heads from the engine. There was some gunge in the rear two cylinders.But after cleaning it out there is no wear or rust in the cylinders at all. In fact I should be able to just hone them. The rear valves and seats however are rusted. The pistons all seem to be free as if you tap them on there tops with a mallet they do move slightly. So it looks like the engine has a problem either with the crank or the camshaft.

regards,

Alex

 

It's entirely possible the cam or crank is damaged. But I doubt it, if you had garBAhGe in the rear cylinders it's possible you've got a valve or two or three rusted in place. I had two, in my flathead. The machinist ended up chiseling one of the valves off. Check for rust going in the outdoor, (in the intake side) and in the outdoor (down the exhaust) caused by your gunk. If so you may have stuck valves and because it's not overhead it is near impossible to crush a lifter.

 

Hi:

I have 2 flathead engines for sale - both are 8BA engines - made in canada from a 1950 Mercury trucks.
Mark
hadleym@cadvision.com