The Flathead Rebuild: Part 3

There is nothing rational about trailering a car 2000 miles to Northern California, pulling the motor, rebuilding it, and then trailering it back 2000 miles – all in the span of 10 days. There are so many damned variables working against such a timeline that I thought it best not to go in thinking rationally at all. I went in looking for an adventure… and that’s exactly what Tardel, Joyo, Silva, and I got.

When I last left you, we had just disassembled the motor only to find a number of problems that justified a full rebuild. The main and rod bearings were toast, the 4″ Merc crank was scored, the cam was worn down, and the valve seats weren’t what they should be. Obviously, a trip to the machine shop was in order. Unfortunately, there isn’t a machine shop in Santa Rosa that has the capability to turn a crank. Thankfully, Keith had a new 4″ Scat crank on hand so we delivered it along with the full rotating assembly and the block to Paul’s Empire Head Shop in Santa Rosa. They were given orders to balance the new assembly, perform a valve job, and clean everything up for re-assembly.

Now, typically you gotta give a machine shop a week or so to get ya in their schedule and get the work done. We didn’t have a week, but Empire Head Shop promised to work as quickly as they could. They moved mountains and got the stuff back to us on the evening of the third day. Joyo, Silva, and I picked up the goods and met Keith at the shop at around 6 pm or so. Assembly began immediately and at a feverish pace.

The build sheet is simple and proven. The motor is .30 over and features the aforementioned 4″ Scat crank with standard rods and pistons. For a cam, Keith suggested I go with the ultra-streetable Isky Max 1. I then added a set of stainless valves with Zephyr springs and adjustable lifters from Red’s Headers. To protect it all, I bought a new HV Melling oil pump.

It all went together with little pain. In fact, by 1am on Friday morning the motor was assembled and painted with Ford green. Feeling accomplished, we all went home to catch a few hours of sleep. We were tuckered and proved it by sleeping in a little late. Even so, by mid afternoon on Friday we had the motor back in the car and ready to fire. And she fired right up and ran really well for about two minutes. It was then that a loud tick developed. Our perfect record of avoiding pitfalls had come to an end. Something was loudly wrong.

Keith had to run home to take care of the family and left Joyo, Silva, and myself to our own devices. We removed the intake to find a valve stuck in its guide. In no time, we had the appropriate head off and the valve removed. Proving his metal as one of the best mechanics I know, Silva was able to separate the guide from the valve without doing too much damage to either.

By this time, it was dark outside and the moonlight was pouring into the shop’s windows. Vern had stopped in to check on our progress and graciously turned over the rights to his personal lathe so that Silva could clean up the offending valve stem a bit. All of these variables added up to create what became, for me anyway, the epic moment of our adventure. I sat on the tire of a belly tank and watched a flathead valve gracefully turn away in a lathe chuck as Kevin applied friction and Vern looked on. Off to the side, Joyo snapped away with his camera using the very little available light. It was simply beautiful.

With the valve and its guide ready for reassembly, I shook off my “moment” and got back to work. We put the valve back in the block and decided it would be smart to recheck the valve clearances. As we did so, we noticed that just about all of the adjustable lifters had backed themselves off. We got them all back to within spec until we reached cylinder number 7. There, we found no compression. With exhaustion setting in, we no longer had the mental capacity for problem solving and we threw in the towel.

Keith beat us to it on Saturday morning. When we arrived at the shop, he pretty much had the entire top end back out of the car and was pinging the threads on the lifters. As it turns out, the lifter on the exhaust valve had adjusted itself so far out that the valve was not seating in it’s pocket. As a result, we weren’t getting compression. Now, I did a ton of research before I bought these adjustables from Red’s Headers. By most accounts, these are considered the best lifters on the market. Even so, ours featured an interference thread that just wasn’t stout enough. A quick tap on each seemed to stiffen them up a great deal and solve the problem.

Within an hour, we had the motor back together and ready for our second attempt to fire. The old flathead turned over to life and purred away as Keith set the timing. Once she was warm, I sat shotgun while Keith pedaled the ’39 out of the shop. Past the driveway, Keith side stepped the clutch and blasted down the old country rode that leads to Flathead heaven. The deed was done.

By the time Keith and I were back to the shop, Joyo and Silva already had the trailer hooked up. We pulled right up on it, strapped it down, and the boys and I headed back to Texas.

Ten days, four thousand miles, and one rebuilt flathead… It was an adventure that capped what might be the best 30 day hot rod period of my life – starting with the Hot Rod Revolution and ending with the rumble of a flathead. I don’t know how life will ever be able to beat that.

Thanks:

Keith Tardel – He is family… Which is a good thing as I think that might be the only reason he puts up with my shit so often and so patiently. Keith put a lot of stuff on hold for us during the week and his endless knowledge and expertise is downright incredible. Put shortly, in my opinion Keith Tardel is the best flathead man on earth. Period. More importantly, he’s the best guy I know.

Johnny Joyo – How many friends can you call and say, “Hey man, I need you and your truck for ten days and 4000 miles?” Of course, Joyo jumped all over it. He’s the best road trip partner of all time. Comedy, wit, and brilliance. And a best pal.

Kevin Silva – There is no way we could have pulled this off without Silva. Dude just has a touch with all things mechanical. He’s also a best pal, neighbor, and cohort… Plus, his farts don’t stink which is a very important trait on adventures such as this. Just ask Joyo.

Mind your pennies fellas… and the dollars will take care of themselves.