I am in need of some 226 speed parts anyone out there have any leads or ghost stories of where I can start searching other than ebay
From looking for speed parts for my 254 six it might be easier to find Rooster Teeth than flathead Ford six speed parts or at least less expensive. There was a head on Ebay for a long time for something like 1200 bucks but I didn't find it in a quick search.
You'd best start fabricating an intake and a set of headers and mill the head. If there's anything left out there (Knudsen, Edmunds) you'll need some spare limbs because it's gonna take at least one arm and one leg to buy any of it.
Put out "wanted" ads on any websites that could provide parts, like Ford Barn, Inliners.org , etc....
There are a few parts out ther but they have gotten pricey. Knudsen and Nicson made 2 and 3 carb intakes and Knudsen made heads. A lot of the Knudsen heads were for marine and racing applications and do not have provisions for a thermostat housing. Red's Headers has a header for a 226 in a 49-51 Ford car. I had my stock cam reground to flathead 3/4 grind specs. Keep looking but get ready to dig deep in your pockets.
I figured it wasn't going to be cheap at all. I could just go with the v8 but the pickup is all original and want to keep it that way. besides these engines are pretty cool sounding and to add a little pep and style to it would be worth it.
I have a suggestion - and my flame suit is on... Like Dale says - figure on building your own headers and intake...but you might also consider adding a turbocharger. Done right, you could even 'hide' it to some extent and it would really make a huge difference in performance. I'd speculate you could double the hp very easily with just a few lbs of boost. Just my $.02
Find a 254 crank rods and pistons. I knew a guy who removed the ring gear and drilled holes in the flywheel radially, then put the ring gear back on. The change could not be seen. When coming out of turns two and four, it would beat anything to the end of the straights.