flat head question

good morning to all

i have a line on a flat head V8 engine, i still have to go and look at it this week
is their a casting number in it that i can run on the computer to find out what year it is and how much horsepower it has

the other question that i have is can i put like a common th350 or 700r4 behind it........or a manual T5 or even a 4 speed from the mid 60s era

if so what else might i need to make the conversion

i have no knowledge on flat heads so any help would be great, i really want to put a traditional motor in my next ride and i am starting to gather parts now

thanks and have a great day

 

ooo

 

Most of your flathead put out on or about 100 HP. There are several companies that sell adapters to use the trans you mentioned. The T5 is a great choice and Flat-O-Matic, Flathead Jack, Speedway, and several others sell these adapters. With a call, they will lead you through the process and sell you what you need. Rebuilding a flathead is not cheap, but worth it in my opinion. Nothing looks cooler than a Flathead.

 

24 stud heads are the ones to get. Water outlets at the front of the heads means a late motor, 1949-up. 3CM on the heads(and some others) are 255 Merc, very desirable engines.4" stroke. Distributor sticks up right front. No extended bellhousing. Of course, the heads could have been switched.
59A, or C, cast in the extended bellhousing area, means a 239 cube pre-49 engine. Good find. Water outlets back beside the carb, front mount distributor.
21 stud heads, better for restorers, not so much for rodders. Any engine with the water pumps in the heads are better left alone.
Then there's the V8-60! Cute little flattie, but limited power potential.

 

Some advice....I wouldn't pay much for a flathead without pulling the heads and looking close for cracks. Some don't matter, like the ones from the center bolt hole to a water passage hole, that one is said to have a Ford part number! Haha. But any cracks in the cylinder walls and ports are the kiss of death, some can be fixed but horribly expensive.
The only cracked block I'd actually buy would be a Merc, if the 4" crank was good. It will fit any 235 with a little work, and the difference in power is surprising, especially at low revs, lots more torque.
The "stick" distributor on the later engines should be swapped out, it has no centrifugal advance and will not work well with any but the stock carb.

 

This is probably more than you wanted to know (assuming you are looking at a Ford):

Identification of the early flatheads is best approached in terms of the block. There is an unbelievable amount of interchangeability for the accessories over the years. Count the number of head studs.
1) If there are 17 studs it is a V8 60 used in vehicles between 1937 and 1940. This engine was also used in the French built Simca in the sixties but I don’t know what occurred between these two periods. Look for casting numbers and stamped steel water jackets in the side of the block. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine.
2) If there are 21 studs the block was built 1932 to 1938. The transition to 24 studs was late in 1938. Check the water petcocks on the front of the block next to where the lower hose from the radiator enters either an inlet fitting (1936 and earlier) or the water pump (1937 and later). It the petcocks point straight down it is a 1932 block. If the block is not a 1932 next look for a vent from the crankcase area out through the front corner of the oil pan. If there is no vent the block is 1933-34. If there is a vent it is 1935 or later. As a matter of interest, the 1936 engines were the first to use insert bearings. Both insert and babbitt bearings were used throughout 1936. The insert bearing engines can be identified by LB cast at the top of the left front face of the block or by the letters LB stamped into the surface where the intake manifold attaches. Some engines were not stamped and in other cases people tried to inflate the price of their blocks by stamping LB into them when they were sold. Be careful. Now check for the location of the water pumps. If the water pumps mount on the block the engine is 1937 or later. All engines beginning in 1937 were inserts. Frequently you will encounter a 1937 block with factory block off plates held on by two bolts over the water pump passage at the front of the block as it was common for Ford dealers to install this engine as a replacement in the earlier cars. Of course there will be slight transition periods at model change over with the older blocks usually going into the commercial vehicles. There may be subtle differences between the 1933-34 and the 1935-36 engines but I am knowledgeable enough about these years to know what they are. The casting numbers on the flywheel housing will also help identify the exact year of the engine. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine.
3) If there are 24 studs the engine was produced between late 1938 and 1953 (1954 in Canada). If the distributor is mounted on the front of the block the engine is late 1938 through 1948 (1947 for trucks). If the distributor comes up at an angle and appears more like a modern distributor it is a 1949 (1948 for truck) through 1953 (1954 in Canada). The casting numbers on the flywheel housing will further identify the exact year of the engine. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine.
4) There are a lot of additional foreign and industrial applications of these engines but the preceding covers the domestic US automobile production.

 

The engine with the dist on right side is 1949 thru 1953 this one could use the Speedway adaptor it use a Ford 3speed auto trans c4,Flatomatic is for use 1932 thur 1953 also c4.I,m running a Flatomatic with 12 volts and it works good, quite and never miss a shift.AOD i think its to much for motor.

 

thanks for all the info

this guys is 84 years young and i have been told by him that 2 motors were outside covered up, 2 motors are in the barn, he said he has a ton of parts, fenders and a bunch of other items.......i will be calling him tommarow to go and see his collection of items.......i will post up some of the stuff he has for sale as well.........he also has a ford leatherback as well.........

i think i may have found my barn find guys with lots of extra parts.........

i will keep you all posted