I got more tappet noise than I care for with my 239 Flathead. Shop manual addresses "adjustable tappets ' and mentions them in the E series chapter, however the 239 is the R series. My panel was original with a 6 in it. Some where,... some one dropped in the 239 flat 8 in this 51 Panel. A super Flattie expert tells me he has never seen a stock V8 Flattie with adjustable tappets,..and this guy would know. I thought I would post this here on the off chance that some one may have come across what was believed to be a stock 239 with adjustable tappets.I am guessing none were made, stock, with adjustable tappets.
So my next question shall be, "Is the degree of difficulty in grinding valves stems or valve faces to achieve proper clearance as the shop manual gives, greater in difficulty than things I have managed to do so far such as: replace all suspension, springs , shocks, bushings, pins, brake drums, cylinders, lines, master C, shoes, rebuild drag link and replace tie rod ends ,rebuild old holly carbs, rewire electric system, replace fuel delivery systems, replace dizzy, and more stuff along cosmetic lines.
Part of the reason I got into this old truck thing was to stop wasting so much time with the BOOB TUBE and to challenge my self with something I have always been intimidated by like Motors.
I wont be doing any thing till after summer since I cant bring myself to stop bombin around in the old Ford. Any words of wisdom?

 

True enough, no R-series flatties of any flavor came with adjustable tappets. I have a couple loud ones, so I feel your pain.

It could be the valve seats are carboned up, which could well be the case if it hasn't had a valve grind since the days of leaded gas. First step is to pop off the intake (an easy job) and lean w-a-a-y over those fat fenders to measure your clearances (a step stool is your friend). If they are only a few thousandths too wide, you can possibly get by with a cleaning and lapping. A valve with .003" too much clearance will make some noise, a real clacking is wider than that. Grinding the seats "can" be done at home, but it's about impossible hanging over the fenders, you need to pull off the front end. If you only need a few thousandths, and the head of the valve is thick enough, you can have it ground to close the gap. The tools to grind the seats in the block while it's still in the truck aren't real common any more. A new valve with thicker (uncut) head and uncut stem may be the answer, if you can get it to seat with lapping. You could even need to cut the stem to get to right, if the seats in the block have been cut a number of times.

Or.... for a lot less trouble, you could just throw a set of adjustables in it, set them, and be done. Red's Headers sells the good ones. I'd still clean it all up when you put them in tho.

 

Ditto , Reds Headers or Speedway Motors .

 

One other thing, make sure it isn't just a varnished lifter that's hanging up.

 

There is no such thing as a stock flathead anymore - they have to have something that dont belong

Reds is the place to go they will set you right up

 

"Throw in a set of adjustables" you say Ross old chap! Is this the old,.. pull the intake, heads and valve assemblies and then throw them in trick?
How come the shop manual ain.t got no "throw them in, put them in or slide them in" section or is it just a conspiracy to further confuse the ? Can I get an amen here or how about some enlightenment. My dad use to say I wernt the brightest bulb on the porch ya know