Technical Flathead Ford Engine & Radiator Questions

New guy with some basic questions:

1. Has anyone put a flathead Ford into a non-ford car?

2. If so, what have been some of the ways to desk with the radiator?

3. What are your thoughts on the French Flathead? I have an opportunity to get one local to me.

4. Does this qualify as traditional hit ridding...I hate to keep posting in the wrong place. New to the game.

Thanks, E

 

You might want to take a look at this. http://www.btc-bci.com/~billben/french.htm
As in anything on the net you have to dissect it a bit and check other sources.

What I am seeing is that you would have to do the same things you would do with a 49/50 or early 51 Mercury block with the early style bellhousing cast into the block.

Radiator, you either have your radiator modified if it can be modified or you order a custom radiator to fit the application and engine.

If you are thinking about putting a Ford flathead in the Hudson to me that is a waste as Hudson 308 flathead six with some performance mods is no slouch in it' own right. You had to have a pretty strong hopped up V8 Ford to keep up with one back in their day.

 

i think there are a few members of the hudson modified club that have ford engines. also a mid 70's dodge van rad is close to a bolt in for a stepdown car. so to answer your first question though, no one has ever put a flathead ford engine in a non ford car.

 

A fella in the Air Force stuck a hopped up V8-60 with a open drive 3-speed and a Halibrand in a Chevy Vega 30 years ago or so. And innumerable flatties were stuck in non-Ford chassis through the 20s-30s-40s-50s.

 

Well, maybe not so fast! DD

 

I am in the process of putting a flathead in a 36 Terraplane. For the rad, the stock one could not be modified so I am going with a custom one.

 

i've heard that a few moons ago guys were putting flatheads in early mustangs and falcons!
not exactly what i'd call a "sleeper."

 

Over heating was the downfall on all the early flatties. I think the 49 and newer engines pretty much cured this problem. I drove a 53 ford for over 100k miles and it never overheated. My roadster has a 53 engine.

 

Wives tales. Not at all the truth. Early engines will stay cool also.

 

I have a '40/'41 99T in my sedan and it runs around 160...winter and summer. On a long grade it'll hit 180.