I had good luck by putting the block in a drum, and adding enough kerosene to submerge it. I stood it on end, pan, heads, and intake removed. 4TTRUK
So I'm getting more confident with my disassembly and my growing skills, thanks in large part to you guys. I sprayed PB penetrating oil on the pistons, which were stuck and now I have an engine that spins by hand. There is also no visible rust in the cylinders, so I'm cautiously optimistic that this block will be pretty clean. Next step is the crank pulley, timing gear, and lifters and cam. Then roll it over and check under the pan to see the next "hold your breath" section. Thanks to all you guys for the info and knowledge.
Yeah, dig that forum too. Honestly though I've been more of a lurker there absorbing knowledge as opposed to asking direct questions. Now that I'm knuckle deep in the flatty now I will probably become more active there too.
I think your questions have been answers with plenty of opposing opinions here. How many opposing opinions do you need? Alot of the flathead guys over there are over here. Neal
Hate to dig up an old thread but I figured that everyone who gave me good suggestions would want some closure. I got a call from the machine shop today and I guess there were more issues than expected. There was a crack that ran down into a cylinder and into an exhaust valve. There are two in that valve and some cracks in the deck. They quoted $1900 to fix so I guess this block will now teach me how to port and polish and maybe relieve. I didn't pay much for the block and I learned a ton tearing it down so I can't complain. I can't imagine that every flathead out there will cost me $2k in machine work. I don't have a car for it yet so I guess I'll re focus on acquiring a frame/chassis and body until I find another. Thanks for all the help.
A block will find you. 8BA are not that rare yet. You might throw up an ad on Craiglist. I found a couple for 100 each. I am also building a flatty for a car I don't own yet.
Yeah, I keep an eye on Craigslist. I've seen a bunch out there and that's why I decided that $2k was a little more that I wanted to spend. Good luck with your flatty.