53 f100 for street, setup advice needed
 

Brand new to this forum and to flatheads and can use some advice. I have a 53' f100 with original 239 8RT. It has an electric fuel pump and has been converted to 12 volts. All else is totally stock. She smokes alot (blue smoke and uses 1.5 quarts per 100 miles). All the old timers here say she needs rebuilding and a little reboring. I found a great guy nearby who knows the flatty who has all the tools and can do it. I want to make it a daily driver and am at the point of deciding between a 4 barrel carb/intake setup or a 2x2 carb setup. (Sure like the looks of the 2x2, but wondering about the hassle factor of 2 carbs and fuel usage.) Any advice or ideas? Thanks!

First of all, welcome to the forums, nice to see another flathead owner here.

While it loses points due to not looking "traditional" on a flatty, the 4 barrel is probably going to be your best bet. A little easier to dial in than multiple carbs, and might get better mileage than 2 2's. The 2 2's look great, but they require more work than the 4 barrel setup. Plus with multiple carbs will probably be using 50-60 year old carbs, you can buy a brand new flawless carb for the 4 barrel.

Thanks 46fordtruck for the advice, guess I better go with the 4 barrel. Do you know anything about the linkage and size of the 4 barrel carbs that would be bests? The throttle linkage on my old holley (original) setup is on the right side (passenger side) of the carb, but on the 4 barrels I have seen the linkage is on the left side of them. Also I have found several 4 barrels on the internet: Holley has one with 390cfm and Edelbrock has 500, 600 and larger ones. I am thinking that the 390 is probably my best bet given that my engine is pretty stock and will just be bored out for repair, but not to really hop it up.

Welcome to the FTE

The 390 CFM will be your best bet for a stock or slightly warmed over Flathead.
Your gas milage should be technically better with the 4bbl, of course this is effected by the foot-in-carb delight of a Flatty winding out.

PS have you stopped by the 48 - 60 Truck fourm? Great bunch of people.

Dick

the old flatie mercs had what was known as a pisspot holly 4 barrel it was tall and small square on the base .
i have done several includeing my own 53 that i just sold . i did rebuild the motor . went to .060 over . droped in a 49 to 53 merc crank adding 1/4 inch to the stroke of the 239 the pistons were for the merc motor with a relocated wrist pin location. you wind uo with about 261 ci give or take a few 10's or so.
the camshaft i used a old iskie cam. offenhauser alloy heads which the mrec stroke and ob gives about 10 to 1 or abouts and a intake for 2x2 holleys . they dump down right over the intake ports and most have little or no problem setting them up.

http://www.btc-bci.com/~billben/flathead.htm and http://flatheaddrag.com/index.html and do a search for reds headers as red also has alot of parts around and si where i got all mine from good luck man a good running flatie has it's own sound that you will become proud of

Dick, thanks for the information, advice on the 390cfm carb and form link!!! I need to speak with the guy doing the real motor work for me to see what he thinks I may end up with in ci once he is done. And CPT Charlie.....thanks for the websites and as far as the sound....man, I love it

man thats a sound that will not leave me. nothing else makes it. learned how to drive with one in a 1950 2 door sedan. waht i would not do to have it back as we had shoe horned a truck 337 flathead 8 into it. no hp like we now know about but man could that car burn rubber and blow 3 speed tranies

Did you find a solution for the linkage? Turn the Carb 180 degrees or ? I have a 49 Mercury truck that has a 239 and I am hoping to install the 390cfm holley. I would like to use the stock throttle linkage.

If you go with a four barrel carb or 2X2 keep in mind the vacuum advance on the factory distributer will not work properly so you will need to budget in a new distributer. If you run a rochester 4GC carb it will bolt directly to the 4bbl intake without an adapter and depending on the model range from 486 cfm to 600cfm I think. Any way the manifold was designed for this carb. If you can afford the merc crank it would be best to stroke it. The isky max1 is a good street grind camshaft.

i too have a 53 that was my daily until i ripped the chewed up nasty old wiring out of it a year ago. i was just running it like it came except for the duals and headers . the dain factory 94 is / was a pos if you ask me , and when and if i get it back up this year , im running .... egads a rochester 2 jet , and a chevy dizzy we cut down and converted to electronic , otherwise just like she was . the linkage i, somewhere have the whole setup off a 55 i got my hands on as it is a left side hookup like the 2 jet , and figure with a little tinkering and fooling it'll work . welp back to work to pay for the parts ........................:-X21