Projects Messing Around With an 8BA Flathead

I agree,,,,,no grinding unless you are gonna rebuild it ,,or disassembly .
You could never get all the grit out without a complete tear down and cleaning the block .

The kerosene idea will work good,,,,or diesel fuel .
It’s not very expensive and will clean well ,,,and you are just trying to get the most of it out .
Rinse it all down into the pan area and then clean the pan .
I would remove the oil pump and clean it well,,,and the pickup screen .

Tommy

 

if you are going to rebuild it you can do the molasses in a 55gal drum trick to clean it out then you can call Tim at Hanford Auto and Machine for info on machining or whatever ya may need. Didn't look like much of a ring ridge on the cyls whats your bore? and how does the crank look and measure out??

 

Would sanding the deck and heads with sandpaper be a good idea? If so what grit???


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Don't think I'd do it. You want to keep it as flat as possible and then what about the grit from the paper. Sounds like you really want to take it apart and spend as much money as possible. I know, that's the fun of getting your hands inside an engine.
-Dave

 

No sandpaper. You can wire brush the deck, and area around the valves. Then wipe it with solvent. No grinding/sanding.

 

So far all I’ve used is a razor blade to scrape off the old gaskets & whatever adhesive they used.
-Would you suggest wire brushing too before I put the new gaskets in place or is the razor blade enough?
-Also when I do decide to rebuild this thing I don’t want to mess with hours of scraping again. Someone suggested using grease to hold the gasket in place. Will this be ok? I’m assuming it will because the gasket is really doing all the sealing???
Thanks


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These posts are really spot on for me at this time. I also have a truck 8ba that I'm using in my 32 tudor project that I'll be taking apart. Great tips for us that don't want to put a ton of money into if we don't have too!

 

I was able to get the cylinder heads & intake manifold cleaned up as well as scrape the gasket surfaces with a razor blade. I’m wondering if it would be ok to use a wire brush in a drill to clean up the pistons, valves, and combustion chambers?????


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I don’t see that it will hurt a thing,,,,,go for it .
Everything so far looks fine to me ,,,,,it should turn out great .

Tommy

 

I use a wire wheel on em every time. Wear glasses.

 

Got busy with the wire wheel today. Used 2 different sized cup wheels. One on the angle grinder & one on the drill. Worked great & made quick work of all the carbon build up on the pistons, combustion chambers, & deck surfaces. Just gotta clean out the bolt holes & I’ll be ready to put the heads & intake manifold back on. After that I think I’m going to replace all the components in the distributor & do the plug wires. Plus I’ve gotta drain the oil & flip the thing upside down so I can clean the bottom side of the motor & get the oil pan off to clean it. Also gotta figure out the starter & how to get it changed over to a 12 volt system.


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I don't know about the old Ford flathead starters, but my 1939 Ford 9N Tractor was 6 volt, and I changed it over to 12 volt with no problems. Same thing with me old Chevy starter out of a 216, going into a 235. They spun up nice with 12 volts and didn't let any smoke out.

 

Great job man,,,,,looks great !

You know not to run a tap through the head bolt holes ,,,right ?
Just use an old bolt with a groove cut into the threads long ways .
Or,,,purchase a new bolt and cut the groove into it,,,either way ,,,,it acts kind of like a tap ,,,without cutting any metal out,,,,just cuts the crud loose .

Tommy

 

Hey Tommy,
Thanks. Yeah. I’m aware. One of the guys suggested the bolt with a cut in it earlier in the thread.
Thanks for everyone’s help so far. I’m getting antsy to fire this thing up, but just taking my time to make sure everything is in order within my budget.


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When I worked as a mechanic for a local dairy in the 70's we didn't always do complete rebuilds on engines particularly on those used in yard vehicles. On those repairs we would place the heads surface down on a flat area of concrete floor and move it around in circles for a couple of minutes or so. Called it a dairy special head surface. In regards to the starter, lots of flatheads running 6volt starters on 12 volts. If you don't already have a 12 volt coil a Bosch 012 coil is a good choice. It doesn't need an external resister. Commonly referred to as a Bosch blue coil.

 

So basically you use the 6 volt starter with a 12 volt battery & 12 volt coil??? I thought you had to use a 12 volt starter as well???


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I still don't see any "part number" cracks after you cleaned the block up, and I even put on my glasses this time. That is a very good sign.

 

I've been using the stock 6V starter in my flatty-powered sedan for a decade on 12 volts. It spins nice and starts every time.

 

Josh take a good light and shine it down in the water jacket holes. In some of them you might see a lot of crap built up around the cylinders. With some kind of skinny rod you can get a lot of junk out.

 

Yeah. I’ve inspected it closely & don’t see any cracks. Looks good with my eyes.
Thanks.


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Original 6 volt starter with a 12 volt coil and battery. Good to go.

 

Does anybody repop an 8ba fuel pump stand or do I have to buy a used one somewhere?



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Here's what the bandits on eBay are asking. I'm sure you can do a lot better.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...+stand.TRS0&_nkw=8BA+fuel+pump+stand&_sacat=0

 

The Early Ford Store in San Dimas should have one. Not to far up the 57 freeway from you.
https://www.earlyfordstore.com/

 

I should have one that you can have for the cost of shipping.........call me at 9163006779

 

Be careful about getting flathead parts from Carl. Next thing you know you'll be putting a blower on it! All joking aside Carl, that's what the HAMB family is all about.

 

Just got off the phone with Roseville Carl. What a great guy!!! Thanks for all the help & info Carl. I hope that one day I’ll be able to pass on knowledge & help out others like you are doing now. This is what it’s all about.
Thanks a bunch.
Josh


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Pulled my Stromberg 97 apart & I’m cleaning it so that I can reassemble it. Someone painted some of the carb with a blue metallic paint that’s not gonna work for me. Can I soak the carb in paint thinner or acetone to get rid of the paint????? Also what does the aluminum base on the bottom adapt to. It’s definitely not for a flat head from what I can tell. Thanks for all the help with everything. I’m learning as I go.



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It looks like what was used to put a Ford two-barrel (94 or 97) on a Chevrolet or Plymouth or Dodge six.

Don't toss it, somebody will want it.

It looks like the blue paint is only on the cast iron base and steel linkage parts, so you should be able to use just about anything that works good on them. Be careful with the rest of it.

 

Acetone or lacquer thinner won't hurt any of the hard parts in that carb. Soak away. And buy genuine Stromberg rebuild kits. Uncle Max is a great source for all parts Stromberg. And rebuild labor too if there is something you can't handle. Nice guy and very helpful.