Should I put a flathead in my 1950 mercury?

We,(51 farmtruck and my other son and I), build our cars to drive and drive Hard, we have made the 750 mile trip to Bonneville in 12-13 hours many times, so we use motors that will get us there with no trouble and will run 70 -80 MPH all day long. I have had two Flathead powered cars and they would never had held up without spending a million dollars, Thats the way I see it!!! Chris

 

A Bubba distributor, an electric fuel pump and a 3.00 final drive ratio and any flathead in good condition will run 70+MPH for hours on end. I have 2 of them that do it regularly. That being said, if you dont already have a nice running flatty and have to build one with all the trimmings. I think I would consider other options and a SBC would be one of them.

 

my opinion is run the flatty... with the overdrive. funny how most of the problems people complain about are with the carbs or ignition,,, could be a problem with any engine... I am also lookng for a merc overdrive

 

I'd go with the flathead. I have put almost 10k miles on my Shoebox in the last 2 1/2 years with no problems.


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Cost to build, cost of overdrives (Columbia or adapted AOD, 700R4 etc.) un-availability of easily found replacement parts pretty much anywhere in the country, a heavy car, 70-80 mph highway speeds blah blah. For a grocery getter or ZIP code car flatheads are ok. They sound really neat. I don't even like the way they look. Overheads are JUST AS TRADITIONAL as a flathead. The first hot rod transplant of a 1955 265 SBC happened about 2 hours after they first hit he streets in 1954. Reliable, cheap, parts anywhere parts are sold, loads of power available. Whatever.

 

Traditional in what respect, are you going for a certain era build?

 

obviously the zip code argument is for those with strong words for a weak mind..I have driven my "zip code hotrod" half way cross the country for 7 years. You cant take offense to the refrence of the zipcode hot rod, we have been callin it that since before I had it on the road. If you will also read,, he said he was planning on using the merc overdrive,, no adaption costs. that combo works! take it or leave it!

 

My 51 convertible has been on several out of state trips this year already. Stock Merc flatty with a Bubba converted Chevy dist.and an electric fuel pump stock 3 speed trans NO overdrive but I did swap to a 3.00 rear. It will cruise at 70+ all day long. I am not saying that they will make more power than a modern OHV motor or are cheaper to build but to say they wont or cant power a big car at highway speeds for any distance is just wrong.

 

this thread is kinda funny. a guys getting slammed for wanting to run a flatty? if youre not looking for fast. id have to say the pros are everything will fit without fabrication. big plus IMO on a build. drivetrain is finished. personally id run the flathead. if you were going for a full custom type of early 50s period piece then youd be challenging to yourself to stay within that time frame but your flatty fits that profile as well

 

i parrot that - ditto

 

First thread I've seen in the years I've been on here that someone got slammed for wanting to run a flathead in a flathead car.

1950 Mercury, a well built flathead with the carb, fuel and electrics that go with it done right and in perfect shape will make long runs across the country and back just fine. A friend of mine has done that with at least one of the Mercs he has or has had several times and the car had air along with the flathead. It is a damned well built flathead though and not just a run of the mill used engine with a set or rings and bearings thrown in to freshen it up. The thing is that it is probably going to run several thousand bucks to have that parts car flathead put in shape that you can really trust it on those long runs. An older and extremely Hamb Friendly Olds or Caddy engine like a couple of guys suggested would run the same to go completely through.

A sbc while boring as hell to many is also boringly reliable if you have a good one. Run the pee out of it and remember to check the oil once in a while and you are good. Same with a Small block Ford. Still a bit too boring for many but reliable and just as easy to get parts and service for if something happens on a road trip.

I had a 51 Merc for 32 years and would still have it if things hadn't happened the way they did at the time I sold it. The last engine I had in it was a 72 350 Olds two barrel engine that pulled 17 mph on the highway running 80 mph for hours on end. It was a high mileage engine when I got it that had been put in a 63 Chevy pickup that my buddy gave me because he thought I could use the engine. With that engine the car served as my wife's daily driver for a while and my daily driver for several years and made a number of trips around the state and one trip to Texas and Bonneville in 1988.

Of the later not so Hamb friendly engines a 350 R would still be my engine of choice for an engine that could pull reasonable fuel mileage while running with the big dogs for hours on end without a worry.

 

I was just thinking the same thing... Shouldn't the usual suspects be cheering this guy on?

Fuck, if you're really worried about fuel efficiency and reliability just buy a Camry, right?

 

Just saying, if he's going for a specific era build maybe another power plant fits better. A friend was thinking of doing a Ford 312 with a T5, he said it would fly in his '53 Ford.

 

Don't think the OP is getting slammed. As you well know, here on the HAMB, once you ask for opinions you've opened the floodgates. The OP wanted to know what we thought about him using a flatty. He also mentioned the use of a SBF. We all have opinions that we are entitled to and mine has, is and always will be that the use of a widely manufactured OHV motor (re: SBF, SBC...not a 324 Olds, Nailhead whatever)) will give the most reliable, easy to use, easy to fix along side the road 800 miles from home etc. with plenty of power and can be relatively inexpensive.

I live north of Seattle and am 850 miles away from everywhere. If we want to go to more than 1 GoodGuys or local seen-the same-cars-for-years show, we have to travel a LONG way. I want cheap, reliable power. The expense the OP will have to get his flatmotor done in a quality fashion should tell the tale. When he gets the final bill for his quality rebuild, including running gear (someone mentioned Columbia overdrive I think) he will be shocked. Makes a 350, th350 and 3.08 gears look real fine.

 

I got slammed a few months back for asking a similar question. I was asking for people's opinions on the fatty or a SBC. I got a few great advise options but also a lot of hate. The bottom line was if you can afford to rebuild the fatty then do it. SBC or SBF would be cheaper and the option of parts are endless. Your car is an expression of you and there are so many different options you can go with. I just wanted to get it back on the road and drive

 

I have a flathead ('47 Ford coupe, stock and restored but driven) and a SBC ('56 Nomad)

I've driven the Nomad 300,000 miles in 21 years. It seldom breaks down and is usually an easy fix

I've driven the coupe maybe 1,000 miles in the 3 years I've owned it and it breaks down all the time. It's always something different but it's always something.

I will keep the flatty but I'm not gonna give it any awards for reliability nor will I take it on any long trips unless a buddy is following with a trailer.

 

Kevin Lee has a flatty that he calls the toaster. He found it under a bunch of old cloths in a thrift shop and it is in its second or third vehile now. he drives it hard everyday. I have been on here since '03 and I think we got it running that year.

 

Put in a SBC. Leave the flathead out at the curb and I'll come by and pick it up for you.

 

Yea but he had a good reason for what he said for the most part. While I disagree with some of what he had to say at least he came up with a logical reason.

By the way gearhead, that 265 went into a '34 coupe and drove itself to B-Ville in '55 and was owned by a teenager.

Respect gearhead.

 

Moonshiners preferred them too...

 

But mostly because the local county sherrif was chasing them with a six cylinder Chrysler product....

 

Absolutely. I have one in my 49 cpe. 276 CI ported polished relieved balanced Racer Brown cam 650cfm 4bbl Holley headers 3 speed OD with 411 rear. Full flow oil pressure system and 20 50 Mobil 1 and run 55 psi at cruise all day and 45 at idle. Flywheel lightened 10lbs. Any questions email

 

I drove my 1950 merc as daily driver for 14 years and it never made me walk home once.

 

I will admit I may have been rash at my use of the term "cookie cutter". But think about ANY mixed car show you've gone to... The percentage of SBC's there compared to other makes is usually an easy 30-50%. Of all the 30's and 40's fords I have seen in REAL LIFE, at least 50% of them had a SBC. What about that isn't conventional? I don't appreciate being condescended to, being called a "parrot" because I hold a different opinion. A PARROT repeats what he has heard. I make JUDGEMENTS based on what I have SEEN.

I suggested a more modern Ford engine, because it is better suited to a ford product. I wasn't really thinking about "traditionality"... The ford mill shares all the benefits and strengths with the chevy, and is still at home in that car. Yes, the chevy is an easy mill, but so would be rattle-canning the car black and painting the wheels red. Some things should receive a little more consideration...

Don't get me wrong, I love small chevies. And I am a firm believer that their are applications where no other choice should hardly be considered, such as:

-Cars from makes that never produced a V8
-Custom off highway vehicles
-Pretty much any import (You guys will probably prove me wrong)
-Go karts
-Pornography
-Things never intended to have a v8 (washer, coffee grinder, lawn mower, etc.)

I also believe everyone should have at least one thing on that list at one point in their life.

Again I'll say that if it was my car, it would have a flathead. Only because i want one feverishly bad... But it isn't, so don't let me or anyone else tell you what to do with it. Besides if the hood is closed at shows no one else including me would know the difference or give a damn.

 

I'm pulling my SBC at some point and doing a carbed LS-based engine, I want to be able to drive anywhere in the USA, have 400rwhp, ice cold air and run almost in the 12's.

 

^ Yawn.

 

if you plan on driving it to and from local shows, why not. if you plan on driving to the James Dean run i'm not shure i would.

 

Totally agree. The only negative I see are your own expections. After driving "modern" equipped cars you might think "theres something wrong with this flatty".

 

It is really surprising how many people recommend a small block Chevy to me. I do not believe that anything is easier than a small block Ford. The cost to build the two are very close. The Chevy distributor is even more of a problem to deal with due to clearance issues. What made me really see how blinded people were happened this weekend. At a car show the other day, I was looking at a really nice 32 Ford Sedan that was powered by a 327 SBC. I was commenting on the paint and for no reason the owner just spoke out and said that he chose to run the Chevy because it was cheaper. I said really, was the Ford car cheaper to build than a 32 Chevy?? He didnt really have an answer. The other point that I really do not understand is how these guys speak of the cost differences between a SBF and SBC , when they are putting it in a can that cost 40k to build. This car had a radiator in it that cost 995.00. See my point???

 

I'm not chiming in on a preffered brand of engine, instead I'd like to offer my experience for what it's worth.

I put a small block chev in my Willys (pic in my avatar), I had to notch the oil pan. If I would have had a small block ford, i wouldn't have had to do that. There is more to consider than just flatty vs. OHV, FoMoCo vs. Chev, "Traditional" vs. Practical. There's room in the engine compartment, steering gear interference, cooling considerations. So it might just come down to one of those circumstances making the choice for you.

Whatever you chose, remember it's YOUR choice.