Register now to get rid of these ads!

Technical Is this flathead recycling?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by lewk, Jun 26, 2022.

  1. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    I’m not a flathead guy, but I’ve got this flathead…. I bought a bunch of engines last summer to get a 348. It was a package deal. This early 50’s (?) flathead is the last one I haven’t dealt with. The exhaust manifolds were crumbling, so I though it might be a mess inside. Anyway, I open d it up today and here’s what’s inside. I know people love them and they’re getting hard to find but this thing seems pretty rough. Is this thing worth saving? Are any pieces worth saving? Should it all go straight to the scrap pile?

    4B33621E-DB7F-4137-BD87-1152FB0817AC.jpeg 4A247194-72E7-478A-A835-4F082CDBCDBA.jpeg B8406DF1-A1B6-4B86-A217-353F632F8EA0.jpeg 8EE984DA-3371-40D3-A756-A1B7EB32A84C.jpeg A7199CCF-81A2-4CE9-8511-DFEE3A36286A.jpeg DCDEE756-C5E7-4D7D-8BE6-F9B926FC0388.jpeg 0792E3AD-A346-4CDA-A6B9-50BA37551155.jpeg 049ECAB7-2CF4-4808-8D1D-F13BF91D0537.jpeg 0163E7F0-C27D-4311-9D92-329FFE8378D7.jpeg 8E6EE793-6CB7-4487-9481-7C443C770C94.jpeg FC9542F7-3CEC-4F64-9B20-05B434788BD5.jpeg 72DE9E0D-02C1-4880-B700-EA9A2B4DB527.jpeg
     
    49ratfink likes this.
  2. lake_harley
    Joined: Jun 4, 2017
    Posts: 2,159

    lake_harley
    Member

    Ooooh.....this does not look like a cheap rebuild.

    Lynn
     
  3. Petejoe
    Joined: Nov 27, 2002
    Posts: 12,264

    Petejoe
    Member
    from Zoar, Ohio

    It’s scrap. Remove the top loader transmission. It may be a keeper.
     
  4. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
    Posts: 6,433

    Speed Gems
    Member


  5. trevorsworth
    Joined: Aug 3, 2020
    Posts: 1,444

    trevorsworth
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Yikes, too bad!... :(
     
  6. Keep the transmission and adapter bellhousing. The rest...:(
     
    Nailhead Jason likes this.
  7. I would grab the generator, oil filter, and such, too all accessories that aren't complete junk, as they do have some value. Also that top loader
     
  8. I am by no means a flathead expert but that looks like a good candidate for yard art to me.
     
  9. krylon32
    Joined: Jan 29, 2006
    Posts: 9,397

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

    Intermediate bell housing will bring 150 to 200 cleaned up with the starter plate.
     
    warbird1 likes this.
  10. choptop40
    Joined: Dec 23, 2009
    Posts: 5,113

    choptop40
    Member

  11. NoelC
    Joined: Mar 21, 2018
    Posts: 668

    NoelC
    Member

    One man junk being another man's treasure, what they before me said.
     
  12. SS327
    Joined: Sep 11, 2017
    Posts: 2,468

    SS327

    Sell the carb and distributor, water pumps, generator mount and any other ancillary good parts like flywheel, starter and such. Junk block and heads. Or hot tank and de rust the mess and see what you end up with.
     
    Speed Gems likes this.
  13. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,390

    Squablow
    Member

    As others have said, the engine is likely garbage. But that bellhousing adapter is well worth saving, as is the transmission (if the trans is garbage, at the very least that shifter tower is valuable, it has the good "double detent" top plate on it) Maybe the flywheel if there's enough meat left to cut down, I'd also grab the carb, road draft tube, distributor (if it's not frozen in there), oil filter, and all the other little bolt-on bullshit, someone would buy all of that.
     
    SS327 likes this.
  14. NoelC
    Joined: Mar 21, 2018
    Posts: 668

    NoelC
    Member

    I recall this was advertised as a static display, mentioned in the ad to be seized up. But it sure looks good. You might want to consider it?
    0058c356-df38-4fe5-ba44-5fb05be5dbaf.jpg
     
    42merc, VANDENPLAS and SS327 like this.
  15. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,914

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Make sure you keep the bell housing and starter plate together. The starter plates are hard to find these days.
     
  16. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
    Posts: 6,433

    Speed Gems
    Member

    Sometimes you we have to let one go. :(
     
  17. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 13,174

    Budget36
    Member

    Could be, just maybe, a crack free block;). She’s rough.
     
    SS327 likes this.
  18. Ziggster
    Joined: Aug 27, 2018
    Posts: 1,697

    Ziggster
    Member

    If you got the heads off that easily and even though the block looks like a mess it might be one worth saving. All depends how much time/ effort you want to spend trying to see if it might be worth selling as a potentially good block. My C59A was all in pieces (not anything like that though), and I picked it up for $100, and it turned out the block was good. Seems to be the norm for folks to go though several blocks before they find a good one. I also got bits and pieces of extra flathead parts for sale at the moment, and no takers, including some free stuff. Markets do vary, and I do live in Canada which is not like the USA when it comes to car culture.
     
    VANDENPLAS likes this.
  19. BigDogSS
    Joined: Jan 8, 2009
    Posts: 979

    BigDogSS
    Member
    from SoCal

    Rather than scrap it, offer it for sale for like, $50. Someone may want it.
     
  20. 41 GMC K-18
    Joined: Jun 27, 2019
    Posts: 3,564

    41 GMC K-18
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    "Rust never sleeps"
    Keep all of the usable parts that you can.
    It would be interesting to see what is left of it after its hot tanked !
    Your results may vary !
     
  21. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,828

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    I'd give it to someone more adventurous than me before I scrapped it .... at least sell off the bolt on parts. I have parted out junk motors people were tossing and got good money for the small stuff..... a 216 Chevy and a Y block. made about $500 between the two.
     
    41 GMC K-18 likes this.
  22. @Mart would have that baby up and running in no time.
     
  23. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,073

    spanners
    Member

    It was a boat anchor or should be?
     
  24. lewk
    Joined: Apr 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,008

    lewk
    Member
    from Mt

    Thanks for the input guys. I’ll open the trans up in the near future and see how that looks and pull some accessories for the auction site. I’d always rather see this stuff used than melted. I’m just not sure I have the time and energy to get the crank and pistons out of that block. I’ll update with more tear down pictures later in the week.
     
  25. deucemac
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 1,483

    deucemac
    Member

    There is no doubt that it's rough. That being said, I built a 59L block that spent 30 plus years in a 1 1/2 ton truck sitting in a bone yard with the hood off. It was obviously locked up, we had to cut the valves out and drive out the guides. BUT, after giving it a loooooooog bath in the tank, the bores were not etched enough to prevent boring it to 3 5/16. Plus there were no cracks at all. I used a Scat 276 kit 3 5/16 by 4 in it and it went into a 34 hiboy roadster and the owner was extatic about it. If you find a hard core flathead fan, they may be interested, but will probably offer scrap price for it just in case it really is a rusty boat anchor. The trans, bellhousing and starter plate, and the clutch/flywheel assembly will bring good money. The transmission is a 42-52 open drive pick up truck trans and can fit flathead cars that are wanting to go to open drive. The bellhousing appears to be the truck, 11" clutch unit. Merc used a stamped bellhousing like that but only accepted a 10" clutch. Your will accept either clutch and flywheel. But until the bare block is derusted, magged, and bores measured, it's a crap shoot. Good luck!
     
  26. T. Turtle
    Joined: May 20, 2018
    Posts: 424

    T. Turtle

    What deucemac said. If you have time to take it apart, clean and check then go for it -you may get lucky. If not, well people above already pointed out the bits you could sell for good money.
     
    SS327 likes this.
  27. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 13,174

    Budget36
    Member

    If I were inclined enough to be curious, I’d pressure wash all the loose rust off. Get a 55 gallon drum and mix up some citric acid. Let it sit for a week or so. Lift it out, pressure wash it again, probably add some more CA and give it another dunk for a bit.
    It’d be fun to to spend some spare time and not much $$ to see just what it looked like apart. I mean I wouldn’t skip a meal at Burger King (and I don’t really care for fast food) because “I want to get back to the Flathead “. But it would be cool see see what’s under all that scale.
     
  28. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
    Posts: 6,433

    Speed Gems
    Member

    If you've got a half hour to kill, check out this video I found on how to de rust your block. I'm sure your engine will take a lot longer the 25 hours but won't cost much to try.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.