1st drive picture 1940 ford sedan

Was awesome except for the water gettin' hot and the white goo on the dipstick

I'm praying that it aint a cracked block.

 

2nd ride my 3 kids came with.....the youngest is 2, and she was covering her ears with her hands, but she was yelling "Faster!!"

 

...that first photo is so cool!...congrats!

 

"water gettin' hot and the white goo on the dipstick" Check head gaskets.
Cool pictures and experience. I love it.

Dale
Cleveland OH

 

I had the same problem... it's a head gasket issue. You'll know for sure when the exhaust smells sweet.

 

Thanks guys. The motor was dormant for over 4 years so I hope it's something simple. It was stored properly, and ran strong before storage.

 

I'm running straight water now, should I add antifreeze for the exhaust test to work?

 

Awesome, I'm about 2 years behind you. More pics of the car? Engine? setup?

 

1953 flathead, isky cam, early edelbrock aluminum heads, early edmunds 4 barrel intake, holley 390 cfm double pumper, '38 top loader 3 speed, juice brakes, stock rear end, drop axle and tube shocks,stock steering.

 

And I will be ordering a mechanical advance distributor from GMCBubba sooooooon.

 

And the car was originally mildly hot rodded in '58.

 

Fresh from the barn

 

You sure that's not a small block Chevy? It's orange and in an old Ford!
Love those pictures. Replace the head gaskets and head bolts. Good luck. Love it!

 

Hahaha.


Who makes the best head gaskets for flatties?

 

Yes. I run half and half.

Best gaskets of course... Some people swear by the copper core type and others like the fiber GraphTite gaskets. The old timer that I learned my flathead knowledge from uses a couple light coats of cheap silver paint in an aerosol can to coat the Graphtite style head gaskets before installation. The silver paint has a bit of aluminum in it which helps with aluminum heads I guess. Just use light coats and let the paint sit till it's tacky before installation.

 

I wouldn't put antifreeze in it until I fixed the head gaskets or whatever is leaking.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Congrats on the first drive. Always a blast!

 

Congrats. Very cool.

 

That first pic is a classic! Very nice hot rod you have there, good to see the kids enjoying it as well.

 

That first picture is way cool. Congrats on the drive!

 

Nice! Everyone looks really happy

 

I really like the stance--you nailed it.

 

Maybe I am missing something here but it looks like a fresh rebuild of the motor. Before you pull the heads, I would retorque the head bolts.

Neal

 

Sweet lookin ride-great stance-daughters comment while covering ears PRICLESS!!!! Enjoy The Ride with Family!!!!

 

Good advice, I talked to my dad last night and told me to check the head bolts.


I can't wait to get the car painted. I am really happy with the rake of the car. With the car in the garage, it was hard to really gauge the proportions, but in daylight, it has the bob McCoy stance that I was shooting for.

 

Thanks! My wife took that picture, and she will be stoked to see so many positive comments.

 

I'd concur with the re-torquing of the heads first. I can't remember where I had read it, but my understanding is that when you put the heads on, you are to torque, run it up to operating temp, let it fully cool and then re-torque.

When I had first gotten my flatty running, in the stake truck, it was leaking coolant into the oil. My aunt (whom I got the truck from) had someone working on it to get a valve unstuck, after it had sat about 30 years. I am assuming that they didn't follow the warm up/re-torque process. Since re-torquing, I haven't had an issue with coolant in the oil.

 

Thanks for the info. I can't wait to get home and see if the re-torquing works

 

Looks great congratulations.