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Technical Best Flathead Engine of all time?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by esfoder, Jul 12, 2018.

  1. F-ONE
    Joined: Mar 27, 2008
    Posts: 3,271

    F-ONE
    Member
    from Alabama

    Lots of obscure stuff here but honestly......

    What first comes to mind when you hear the term Flathead?
    I'll bet it's a V8 and I'll bet it's Ford.

    It's earned it.
    Dance with one what brought you.
     
  2. RichFox
    Joined: Dec 3, 2006
    Posts: 10,020

    RichFox
    Member Emeritus

    i was never going to post this picture again. But F-ONE drove me to it. Plymouth rules. Well, maybe not rules. But it is cool. !cid_2CD43917-0EA3-43DA-9E8F-DA6AD77441C8.jpg
     
  3. v8flat44
    Joined: Nov 13, 2017
    Posts: 1,211

    v8flat44

    Love my 8ba and others, but my dad drove Packards in the 50's and gave them no slack.
    They were smoooth & his 1953 out ran a 1954 ohv Caddy. ASK THE MAN............ m
     
  4. None.....they are all over rated, over priced, and under powered!
     
    AmishMike likes this.
  5. krylon32
    Joined: Jan 29, 2006
    Posts: 9,396

    krylon32
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Nebraska
    1. Central Nebraska H.A.M.B.

    I've had FH Fords that ran sweet but the FH Hercules engine in my 47 CJ sounded like a sewing machine
     
  6. classiccarjack
    Joined: Jun 30, 2009
    Posts: 1,465

    classiccarjack
    Member

    I really like the Chrysler 265... And the Dodge 230... Very underrated engines.

    Sent from my Moto Z (2) using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  7. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    The first SBC was a 1918 flathead :D 1918 Chevy V8.jpg
     
    Deuces likes this.
  8. Ned Ludd
    Joined: May 15, 2009
    Posts: 5,025

    Ned Ludd
    Member

    Aren't those exposed pushrods and rockers?
     
    Deuces likes this.
  9. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Apologies. OHV, NOT a flathead
     
    Deuces likes this.
  10. 9FABCEE7-3BD7-46F5-BFC5-14932457DB88.jpeg 1448AC94-7292-43A9-A39F-6EFB010CF078.jpeg EA5FB9B0-13EB-4D3E-A2E4-2EAB6061D845.jpeg Lots of worthy workhorse flatheads talked about; I ‘m happy with my Henry Ford flatheads(v8) and with 55 years of continued experimentation,I feel confident I can build a dependable version of Henry’s magnificent engine that can power my early Ford hot rods with rapid acceleration to satisfy my 70 year itch. Flatheads Forever!
     
    Bandit Billy, Deuces and Shamus like this.
  11. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,138

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    The M3/M5 and M24 Chaffee tanks were all powered by twin Cadillac flathead V8s, with Hydramatics.
     
  12. Bill Rinaldi
    Joined: Mar 23, 2006
    Posts: 1,877

    Bill Rinaldi
    Member

    On page 1 of this post is a picture of a 337 Lincoln flat head in a rail set up for sand drags. That picture was taken at this years "The Race Of Gentlemen" in New Jersey. It is a very good looking car with a jewel of a flat head engine in it. At one point the car was parked with a flathead Ford powered rail on either side of it, there was a lot of guys looking from one engine to another trying to figure out why the engine in the middle looked like it was "on steroids". Ran well too.
     
  13. Google "Flatfire".
     
  14. Flat top.jpg
     
    Shamus and kadillackid like this.
  15. 28dreyer
    Joined: Jan 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,166

    28dreyer
    Member
    from Minnesota

    Chevrolet has never made a flathead engine.

    There may be a few others but I certainly couldn't name any
     
  16. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,709

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    Everybody seems to be forgetting the original Ford flathead--the 4 banger. Used all the way through the A models, then with some changes the 32's, and a version was used on Ford tractors all they way through into the 1950's. Rode an 8N doing my bush hogging just today....
     
  17. kind cool thinking about something as antiquated as a flathead out there still working
    I know guys still running folklifts, generators, welders still powered by em
     
  18. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,709

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    Yeah, I see forklifts all the time with Continental and Chrysler flattys, and the mentioned tractors. They were designed for rough conditions, and used good materials so that they would last, unlike a lot of things nowadays.
     
  19. Jethro
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 1,908

    Jethro
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I think the 8N , 9N , 2N tractor guys are as passionate about their flatheads as the hotrod guys are about the V8's.
     
  20. nrgwizard
    Joined: Aug 18, 2006
    Posts: 2,513

    nrgwizard
    Member
    from Minn. uSA

    & then there is the Studebaker Champion 6 that powered the Weasel - which went were the jeep couldn't go, & did things the jeep couldn't do. & the Hercules 6 that powered the US4 n US6 trucks. Almost un-killable. Most were used in the Asian Theaters in WW2 n Korean Conflict. Also way too many were given to the Russian Commies under the LendLease program - which were never paid for, at least by the Russians, although the lucky American taxpayer was allowed to cough up for that! The US4 n US6 were also used a lot in Burma, making roads that never existed, + also for the Al-Can hiway to Alaska. Marcus...
     
  21. 28dreyer
    Joined: Jan 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,166

    28dreyer
    Member
    from Minnesota

    Yes, and that Studebaker Champion 6 had forged rods and crankshaft. Was used in some midget race cars including my avatar, fuel injected.
     
    anthony myrick likes this.
  22. The best Flathead??? The one you have...... here's my pair............
    DSC01012n.jpg
     
  23. KenC
    Joined: Sep 14, 2006
    Posts: 1,045

    KenC
    Member

    And production, or at least sales, continued through the early 70s for forklifts, tugs etc. They avoided the heating issue some flatheads with adjacent exhaust valves had, by using the water distribution tube to route the water to the right places.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2018
  24. esfoder
    Joined: Jan 1, 2009
    Posts: 119

    esfoder
    Member
    from Oregon

    I have a old scoopmobile wheel loader that has a 6 banger Chrysler flatly in it.
     
  25. Garpo
    Joined: Jul 16, 2016
    Posts: 292

    Garpo

    There was a '38 Dodge here, (N.Z.) set up with a turbo charger. Very strong performer.
    Garpo
     
  26. bundoc bob
    Joined: Dec 31, 2015
    Posts: 130

    bundoc bob

    And then there is the unmentioned first Mopar 413, a 6 cylinder flathead...
     
  27. John Bradley put together some strong running flatheads for his dragsters, now Rick Schnell's is the one. And of course Barney Naverro built the best ones in the 40's and 50's
    Up til 1949 the Hudsons ruled with their 320 inch six at the track.
     
  28. Ford had their own contract to build the jeeps for the US military. The government decided that even though Willys won the competition, they did not have the capacity to build the number of jeeps the military required. The government basically handed over all of Willys proprietary information to Ford. Ford did make some changes, such as the grill, to indicate that a different company manufactured the jeeps. If I remember correctly, Bantam also got some small contracts.
    The US government made a habit of claiming ownership of proprietary information used in government contracts, until Tektronics successfully sued and right to regain and retain ownership of their information in the late 1950s.
    Bob
     
  29. BTW, my vote for the best flathead, was the twin Caddie flatheads used in the Stuart (Honey) tanks. I spent a little time in them, and they were reliable, and went like stink.
    Bob
     
  30. Flat Six Fix
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 1,270

    Flat Six Fix
    Member

    Okay you wanna see some serious Chrysler flathead 6 performance.
    George Asche built of AoK racing.
    The 33 Plymouth has a 230 and the dragster has a 265 bored out .125 to 283.
    And Tim Kingsburys 49 Plymouth with a 265.
    And my 1955 Fargo .



     

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