Simca French Flathead is supposed to be a copy of a Ford V8-60? Under license of the Ford Motor Company, Check out the pics. It's for sale
You might find more about this engine here on the HAMB. It is a V8-60, built under license in France, for the Vedette and other models. The engine was later built and developed by Simca in its Brazilian factories, including a change to OHV hemi heads, almost like the little ARDUNs.
I've also heard there were *some* Simca 'V860's with production aluminum blocks. Any truth to this? If so, does anybody know anything about them - ie -what years and what models they were used in??? I was thinking if they exist and you could find one and combine the aluminum block with the aluminum Argentinian hemi heads. you'd really have something!!! Mart3406 ==================================
Oooooo that brings back memories My brother had a pet one of those he kept in a corner of the garage back at home. They were a nice little V8 and not that heavy either. I can remember that Simca Vedette engine being tried in an Austin A30 and then later a sit-up-and-beg type Ford Popular. A big problem he had though was finding out any useful information about the Vedette engine and even such basic specs as its firing order was a mystery at first.
The little Simca engines are a bit different to the v8 60s .Cubic inch is 139 Hp is 80 stock !Mainly because of larger better flowing exhaust manifolds , a small half scallop relief on the intake transfer area , a larger more ugly carburettor , a cast in baffle in the centre exhaust ports and lastly a single water pump . Things that swap with a 60 are the heads ,the inlet manifold and the snazzy iron log headers .The block casting on the Vedette seems more like steel than iron ,real good quality ! The frog motor has a weird sump arrangement that has an intermediary looneymum casting between the blocks pan rails and the sump ,which is stamped steel .This inbetween spacer also holds the rear main seal .The front of the engine has a one piece alloy timing cover /water pump housing /dist mount/front oil seal very similar in design to the rover v8 .As for parts ,make sure you have friends or relatives in France ,who are rodders ,or forget it !
The engine belongs to this car (SIMCA Vedette Chambord) Parts are scarce, we couldn't even find a rotor for the French dizzy
NEAT!! Its amazing that things that were dropped in the US were further developed in other countrys..If it was a waste of time here why was it worth the effort in other countries?
Cause you bombed the shit outa them and the least you could do was sell them all the obsolete tooling to get them (USA) up and in business again , me thinks ! Nothing personal ,just the facts.
few others reasons are the french car size, smaller than the big US sisters - vedette are not that big - Engine was cheaper because already use since decade - like in MATFORD Another good reason for a smaller engine is the TAX problem (already .. ) Some French Ford had the "big" V8 flathead in option - like in the Comete. the ignition distributor ass'y is great to use in pre 8BA V8. If someone need info or parts I can do my best here to help, but parts are rare and kind of expensive.
have a friend that have a camboard with a smalblock ford and he is a restorer the small flathead was not up to todays trafic
Dont forgrt the Beaulieu , the Chambord and that Matford was finally owned by Chrysler corp and their Brasil plant made a version of this little v8 that had Hemi heads on it and the body was similar in shape to the Australian Centura . Weird is good !
Neat stuff. My thoughts instantly wonder if any of the Flathead tooling remains in Brazil, France, etc?? IIRC, the early 60's Ranchero body tooling went to South America (Argentina?) and was produced for some time.
There are French army-surplus stocks of rebuilt flatheads. We plan to get another batch of 3.9 and 4.2 litre engines this summer.
How would you like to be speaking German or Japanese at the moment? Bombong any portion of France was to defeat the Germans.
And... if you remember anything from your history (old thread or not) American firms like Ford, GM, etc. were "awarded" Marshall Plan contracts to rebuild European industries / economies after WWII. After some time, those firms were turned over to European / national concerns - well after the American firms reaped healthy profits. Just business as usual post conflict, as any Capitalist would want. Gary
Dude,I only found this thread because someone posted at 1:36 P.M. Saturday...I posted at 9:27 A.M.Sunday.So,perhaps the guy you should be grousing is someone other than me!
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