Projects My First Flathead... NOW WHAT?

So, over the weekend, I purchased this 8BA out of a 37 1-Ton that had been sitting for a decade to a quarter century (it wasn't quite clear). I got the 4 speed (with PTO) and the radiator too.

It turns free and everything's there (except the distributor cap I broke).


Then I shuffled over to a neighboring state and bought a couple LaSalle sideloaders (and a parts unit too).

I think I scored... NOW WHAT?

 

There is a bellhousing (I think by Offenhouser) that will bolt the LaSalle to an early flathead. Then you would fill the space on the 8BA with the truck bellhousing ring. But, I think that Offy bell is hard to find. I've only held two in my lifetime, and bought one of them for my project.

Search the HAMB for many LaSalle threads, and some of them have links to articles which describe the method of shortening the tail for use on a torquetube rearend.

 

Well, I've got an open drive F1 rear end. The guy I got the transmissions from told me early Plymouth shafts had a slip joint and would be an option.

My neighbor took a look and told me that he and his buddies used to make adapter plates out of steel to run LaSalles on their flatheads, so I might enlist his help.

 

If your flathead came with the short bellhousing that the trans box bolts to, you could just unbolt the trans box and make the plate to adapt the LaSalle. Most of the LaSalle conversions used the Ford throwout bearing snout on the front side of the adapter. Usually the adapter (or Offy bellhousing) has a ring to retain the input bearing on the front of the transmission.

 

The 4 spd that was on there looks to be a 1 piece. I tend to think it's a late 30's box (was a 37 truck) and the engine was a replacement. The clutch lever and throwout reside with the case.

 

Look for a truck bellhousing that is basically a flat-ish dish. It will have the round front pattern to bolt up to the back of the engine (truck ring on your 8BA), include the throwout shaft in it, and will have a flat surface on the back to mount your homemade adapter plate to. Not sure what year they came on, but they are a lot more common than an aluminum flatty-to-LaSalle aftermarket bellhousing.


Edit: Here's a pic on the bottom of the page of the bellhousing you could use: http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_trans-adapters.htm

 

Change of plans, I'm shelving the LaSalles for now (I might sell one); I just picked up a 39 box and will probably build closed drive.

I also scored a triple deuce setup for the 8ba this week.



This leads me to the big question, WHAT ELSE DO I NEED NOW?

What can I get away with on the cheap (minimum)?
Can I run the stock heads?
Are there any Ford heads that I can use to gain performance with this setup?
Can I run the stock cam?
Can I run the stock fuel pump?
Are there any good low-buck, low-tech, & low tooling tricks I should look into?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

You open your wallet wide up, shake out cash, buy one large cup
If coffee, five vintage car mags, an Edelbrock catalog, the HAMB'a'dex, a copy of little deuce coupe (best on vinyl) and read true them all, when listening to BB and drinking coffee.
Watch; the sweet sickness.

Edelbrock ain't the only one, but one of the good ones.

Crack you piggy bank
And your savings account.

Mercury 4" crank is a good Ideer.
Call Bubba for ignition.

And according to Vic Edelbrock a mercury T5 cam lacked 8 degrees, do well. According to Edelbrock, made in the USA, book.

Denver heads, Colorado heads or Canadian heads, work better then stock

Nothing is cheap with flathead, except talk. So remember to ask before purchase.

But the satisfaction in look, feel, respect and pleasure per mile, can't be beaten. Not even by SBC!

 

A Sweet Sickness is on my list for sure.

Merc Crank & Pistons is off the table with this one, at least this round. I am thinking I'll hit the Cam nest though so thanks for the Edelbrock suggestion. I'll get to researching heads now that I've got terms to search, thanks!

Actually, I'm finding flathead stuff isn't as bad as I was bracing for so far but I've been lucky. I also live in New England and there seems to be a flathead in every third shed up here for anywhere from $50 to $5000.

 

Sounds like you scored pretty good.

 

I really did, I'm only about $500 into this engine build so far, all in... (not counting the stuff I'm not going to use)

 

I would get a couple of those $50 flatheads.Can't have too many.

 

have you checked the block for cracks yet....??

no point throwing money after something that may be broke.



k

 

If I had more places to stash them I'd have all of them already

They're not common at that price but it isn't totally unheardof for an ugly one (more often I see them in the $350 to $500 range).

I'm trying to focus my budget on the one I've got right now though

Anybody got more cam suggestions?

 

I didn't get the low tech part before I posted.
They ain't un-pay-able, they just cost more then SBC. But most things cost more then SBC parts LOL

I'm not up to swap meet prices in the us, but it should be possible to find a some good used parts. But I think it should be easy to find a cheap new-ish Edelbrock signature head, cheaper then a vintage Edmund or cyclone head.
I have no ideer what performs the best, but cheap is better, for anything below racing standard.

But three deuce set-up is beyond cool. So the rest deserves to be.
The three heads I mentioned earlier are held in high estime on the HAMB, so are Edmunds and Cyclone.

But people in the rest of the world might feel different about them. So if you want them cheaper. Look at eBay and Craigslist, somebody has something and take it for junk.
Instant score.

 

Not yet, I haven't had time to pull it apart yet. Holidays kept me out of the shop since late October. If the block is an anchor, I'll need to find another. It has coolant in it and a little oil, so I'm hopeful. I've got my eye on several others locally just in case. I'm really just trying to get a build plan idealized with this thread. What I've spent, worst case scenario, I can get the bulk of it back because someone always wants and needs parts, particularly a multi carb setup.

 

I think you did well to shelve the CAD trans idea. They were once the hot item when there wasn't anything out there. I had a few through the years and eventually couldn't give them away. I sold two for $15 each. (One 39 top shifter and one side shifter.) They weigh a ton and no parts available. I'm not sure The Pure Traditional hot rodders would even mess with one unless there was no floor in his car to show it off. The Flathead ,yes you can see it, but who cares about the trans unless you need a Lenco or Jericho for your 1500hp Alky burning flat motor.
I have a great running flathead in my '51, but that's how I got it. But I wouldn't build one these days. I have had many, and the days of water pumps at Pep Boys for $12 are over. Good luck !

 

The side shift LaSalles seem to be going for about $400 for a complete core from what I can tell now ($700+ for rebuilt ones). That seems to be the high dollar though. The Cad/LaSalle resto guys are starting to need them I think. The top shift boxes are going for moon money however. Last one I saw went for almost $2k.

ALSO, on the subject of this buildup, I'm starting to wonder, If I run this setup triple carbed, with an as of yet undecided CAM upgrade, would it be worth my while to find a set of EAB heads, or just stick with the 8BAs?

 

Read,read,read! At least when you're done you'll SOUND like you know what you're talking about.

Nothing wrong with running the stock heads and bottom end. As long as they're in serviceable shape then use the stock crank and rods. Maybe look at some piston if you have to overbore ( which is likely).

As long as the block is good, save your money for the top end. A simple Isky Max1 cam will give some more umph and still be streetable and mild enough for a stock motor. Set up the carb right and it'll be smooth sailing. Have Bubba set up a dizzy with electronics too.


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I've been reading, but really just around the HAMB; I'd like a good book on the subject. There are a bunch of them and I don't need all of them. Mike Bishop & Vern Tardel apparently have one coming out (How to Rebuild and Modify Ford Flathead V-8 Engines) but it's not available until June according to Amazon.

 

first, as others have said, make sure that engine is useable. next, i think 3 carbs will be a bit much for a small, unmodified engine. a 4-barrel or two 2s might be better. stock heads will work great--good breathing that you're looking for in a flathead--but they don't have the "wow" factor of finned aluminum. for a cam, a stocker is ok if you're using a blower, but something like an isky max-1 (with kit) probably would make you happier. and the stock fuel pump will likely work with two deuces, but offenhauser makes a high-output pump replacement. only thing is, the ford-type fuel pump is prone to vapor lock on hot days. good luck!

 

Thanks @dan c , It had occurred to me that the triple setup might not pan out, so capping the center off has crossed my mind. I'd like to make it a runner on all 3 though. I don't mind making something a little unfriendly for the street with this go round. I want something I might have a chance of running at TROG to be honest.

 

Not much to report on actual WORK on the flathead yet but I DID manage to get the bell, clutch, & flywheel pulled so I could mount it up on a stand. It took a lot more time than I had expected because of how it was sitting on the pallet but I finally found a block of wood to sit on and cut part of the palette so I could get a wrench to that last bolt on the starter. Also managed not to break a toe when the flywheel popped off.



On the parts front, I sprung for a set of EAB heads that were fresh from the machine shop.

 

Would suggest getting a exhaust mount adapter to hang the motor on that stand. Flatties don't like to hang all the weight from the BH. The 8BA is a little more forgiving because of the short BH but still not a good idea.

Next step is to pop the heads of and lay an eyeball on there for cracks.

 

This. Especially one that is a long block. Others will chime in and say they've done it for years, but why risk it? Flathead blocks are not getting easier to find.

 

I just noticed, you also got EAB heads. These are the best "stock" heads Ford made so that is a plus. I'm not sure a Max 1 would clear the valve pockets in stock form . Check and recheck if you decided to go this route. If not, there are a lot lower lift cams to choose from Clay Smith for one makes a bunch of low lift performance cams.

 

Head over to the Ford Barn forums. Ol' Ron and a couple other guys will set you straight.

Personally, I'd pull the clean-out plate off the oil pan, check for sludge etc., then set the motor down on an old tire and see if you can get it to fire.

 

Regarding your engine stand, I'd be more worried about it tipping over. The flathead is heavy and that style engine stand isnt the greatest. In my pic you can kinda see my engine stand. I got it from Harbor Freight for about $100 and it's a lot sturdier and has a wider stance. It held my flathead for months and is now holding my friend's 428 Pontiac.

 

I was going to try that when I got it home but I smashed the distributor cap unloading it and haven't replaced it yet. The main idea getting it up on the stand as it sits was to get it off the floor and reclaim my shop so I can actually DO things in there. I'm planning to get an exhaust mount for it but it wasn't in the cards this round and I needed it mobile ASAP. No, it's not the most stable but I haven't found it to be unstable at all for storing and moving it around. I'd imagine that my mind might change when I start trying to remove things. The stand was the 1000lb capacity one from JEGS, delivered for $65.

 

Too bad you're not a little closer to me. I've got my old distributor laying around with a new cap and points.
Either way, I wouldn't sweat the exhaust mount stand adapter. Good luck! I finished my Flathead last year.