Okay, I ran across these guys tonight: http://www.hotrodcat.com/ They say: "Do NOT Throw away your Cracked Blocks! They can be Fixed!!! We will BUY your cracked 8BA blocks, provided there aren't more than 3 cracks and they are not down the cylinder walls or the oil pan rails. Cracked blocks can be Pinned and Sleeved and last another 50 years! Please email and send pics of your cracked block(s)! " Okay - if this is the case, why aren't people crawling out of the woodwork to get this done, instead of chucking blocks? This picture is from Flatheads Forever, but I read recently of a different guy that said something about how he won't built just ANY block, and how you should see the pile of rejected blocks behind his place. If they can be fixed, why aren't they doing so? Enlighten me. ~Jason
I think this is key. Fact is a lot of guys do get theirs pinned, sleeved, etc. And I guess I wouldn't mind if I was dropping a few hundred and just assembling a motor with stuff on hand. Now consider sinking a few thousand into a motor would you consider a pinned and sleeved block cool for something like that? Now start thinking in the order of ten grand plus. Still cool? My guess is there are a lot of expensive ($10,000+) flat motors out there. And if you're a respected builder you're definitely going to reject anything suspect because for better or worse, that's your name out there.
My guess it's a cost factor. I recently had a 59ab pinned and sleeved to repair 2 cracked cylinders, if it wasn't for the fact the block already was ported and relieved I'd looked for a new block. I still wonder if it was worth it, cost around $400 for the repair.
I took one over to H&H recently to have them check it out. Cracks were found along the pan rails and a few other places. They said they could make it good, the cost....$1700.00
I haven't. I just found this tonight. I'm actually going through some local folks. I'm not really building it much for show, and definitely more for go, but not THAT much go... I'd like to make it a daily, but have yet to have my block checked. There's a Merc crank in there... and at first glance it appears okay. When I spring the crank and take it in, that may be another story. ~Jason
Damn! I just can't get with the whole $10k flathead thing. Of course, I'm the type that would rather wear a $10 Wal-Mart watch than buy a Rolex, too... and use Bics instead of $100 pen & pencil sets. Nothin' against it, it's just me. I mean, this motor is just for an old pickup truck being pressed back into service, you know? ~Jason
Hey Jason, I'm guessing 10k will buy you ALOT of flathead - some of the local HAMBers here may have close to that in thier motor but then you're looking at a blown, built piece of equipment. Just buy a runner motor, there is a few even advertised here on the HAMB for a lot less then 10k. Danny
I'm just saying, the people you hear about rejecting several blocks are probably either building a pretty special motor, or just have the luxury of a large stash of blocks to pick through.
I agree with Kevin: It all depends what your application is and what else you're doing to the motor. Once you start doing serious port/relief/valve work, or new steel mains/girdle, you're investing a lot in the block (even if you know how to do the work yourself). It comes down to how much will you invest in a cracked block before you could have found a good one anyway? I've seen quite a few flathead blocks that have been hot tanked, magged and have a guarantee of no cracks (except the usual stud to water hole ones) - for about $500. By the time you buy a couple old flatheads and spend hours trying to get them apart . . . then drag them to the machine shop, only to figure out they have fatal cracks . . . the $500 doesn't seem so bad. If I was just building a runner, then a pinned and sleeved block would be a consideration, but not a fully built race style motor. Just my 3 cents!
I'm an old hemi guy, and the only flathead I own is a Cadillac, so don't know much about the Fords. But one thing I have read on this board says that the use of a traditional engine stand is a no-no on the Ford flathead, or is that just on certain versions? I noticed on the hotrodcat site that they use a traditional stand.
Yeah, I can see if someone's putting their name on it that they'd reject those blocks... can't blame a guy for putting out quality work! ~Jason
Why is that? The engine stand thing, I mean? Mine is on a wooden stand on casters... but only out of convenience (it's what I had laying around). Is there a reason I shouldn't put it on a stand? ~Jason
$$$ are part of the current flathead mystique...you gotta use a specialist and spend all the money he tells you to, you gotta throw away everything and use Chinese crank and rods, they're all cracked and only one block in a hundred is useable, etc. etc. Stock rods might have pushed dragsters into the 9's and street roadsters to 140 in 1952, but now you need all aftermarket goodies before you can back it out of the garage... and don't forget, you need a block girdle if you're going to run it over 1200 rpm ... Repairs at top side, unless they are ridiculously long and disappear into unreachable places, are purely economics: Can you find a better core for less than the fix? Pan rail cracks have been fixed and run by risk-taking lunatics (no rodders like that, right?), and make sense as a risk for a street engine that doesn't need expensive machine work. I think more and more blocks will become fixable, because the good block is becoming the scarce part of any flathead buildup. The new aluminum blocks will only feed the top end of the market and will pretty certainly be unattainably expensive for most people and too damn new for others. Real world flatheads are rather like small block chevies...lower end is good enough that you can do reasonable souping on a used engine and survive minor problems fine.
PS...Flatdog was becoming a block pinning master at the time of his death; his altered failed a rod (aftermarket) with massive block damage and was put back into action with a LOT of pinwork. I am not sure how fast it ran like that, it was still indevelopment, but I think in the 10's. Remember, a flathead block carries more proportional value than an overhead in a racer, because most of the flow work is in there.
My first flathead (although I only had it a short time) was in my 51 Ford Coupe. My grandfather who was on "Ole machinest" at Baxter Autoparts pinned my cracked block in the driveway of my parents house................and it ran great for the short time I had it. I was young and replaced it with a 327. Now with that said I agree with Bored&Stroked, and Bruce. I personally think it would depend on what kind of application you have and how hard you are going to punish the motor. Being a drag racer for many more years than I can remember has left my right foot proportionally larger and heavier than most.............and I built my flathead accordingly. I have spent a lot of my time and a fair amount of money to make sure the motor stays together and I do have a couple of spare 8BA blocks that have been tested (mag'd/pressure/sonic) to hopefully assure they will stay in one piece.......with that said, if I were building a mostly stock motor or mild build I wouldn't hesitate to use a pinned/sleeved block. The reason you want to use a side mount engine stand on the 48 and earlier blocks is that you are putting a lot of leverage/moment on the cast-in bellhousing that extends beyond the end of the block.......................and many have cracked using a standard engine stand.
I believe my block is a later one, Ihe one in the picture on the stand: is that the type that can go on a stand? ~Jason
The 8BA block, 49/53 is the one on the engine stand like normal. The other with the mount attached to the exhaust port bolts is a 59 series motor, 32/48.................it is this one that you don't want to mount to the bellhousing.
...am inclined to go with Kevin on this...your name out there is everything to you...can't risk a slight on this front...
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