Hello, I am looking at purchasing a 1949 flathead it's still in the shoebox ford. My questions are was this a good year? What should I look for , (problems with that year)? I know the motor hasn't run in a long time. Motor has been under closed hood but out side. Will see if it turns over soon. Being new to flathead I guess I'm just looking for more info. Any help would be appreciated. The motor appears to be stock. I can get the car for $900. What is the average price of a non running flathead ( if it turns over? The car is a four door but in decent shape . My thoughts were to get the car take the motor and tranny then sell the rest. Any thoughts?
If possible a compression test and maybe a oil pressure gauge fitted when it is running would be helpful. Check the coolant for exhaust gas incursion and pressure test if you have the equipment. The experts will know better than me.
49-53 flatheads are the 8BA motor. Usually 239 cu in in a Ford, 255" in a Merc due to a 1/4" longer stroke on the crank. First see if it's loose. How much will he let you tear into it? Be good if you can remove the intake and heads to look for cracks between exhaust valve seats and bore holes. Little cracks between headbolt holes and water passages are usually ok. If you can get that far into it, you can rotate and check valve action for sticking or stuck valves. Good luck!
Thanks for the info. He is a good friend, I don't think it would be any problem to tear into it some. Good info. I will be checking it out. Thanks
I think they are one of the best engines series to buy myself,,,,but,,I might be prejudiced somewhat. I just bought one a couple of months ago,,,,it has turned out great so far. So,,,,I think there are still good candidates left out there. As far as that goes,,,if you just want the engine,,I am sure others could use the body and parts there ? Good luck man ! Go for it ! Tommy Sorry,,I left out some information. Mine is a 49 Mercury. I gave 600 for mine,,,just the engine,,,but it has turned out awesome. Well worth the money to me,,,maybe I got lucky.
Probably positive to ground and 6 volt. IF the engine turns free by hand through at least two revolutions, you could hook up a battery (positive post to ground), plugs out, oil in the engine and do a compression check (as previously mentioned) to see if there's oil pressure. Then plugs in, spray starter fluid to see if it will bark a bit. Then start tear down if all the above fails. Was carb covered while sitting outside? Cylinders can get well corroded if weather got in. Mice also love old exhaust systems.
Thanks for the info. The carb is covered and the hood took a little effort to get up. Top of motor did not look to bad. But I also know nothing about flathead. I've got some good info. To get me started in the right direction now, much appreciated. The body on this car besides having surface rust is real clean. Was told the car ran real good but was parked years ago because they got a new car. But that's the second hand story. Looking to possibly put this in my model a frame. Thanks again Jimmy
What RB35 said and to do......change the oil.....just because it's been sitting and will give an idea how's the motor down there.....fresh oil and clean the points - should fire up....might be a miss or two - then it might be the valves sticking.
They are good engines. But like said above, you gotta look for the cracks. I've pulled two apart that looked like they had been running even with pretty serious cracks. I've got 2 of em running good now and I love them. If you buy the car and part it, I need some of it.
I've got to go back over there and pick up some other parts he's got and I will check the motor out some more and go from there. He has three 49 shoebox ford one four door and two, two doors none have titles just parts.
Mine ran good once I filed the points. Haven't ran thru any heat cycles, so really unsure. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Have a marine Paxton blown 302 & C4 just in case things go south. Fuhh.... I love this stuff!
Hoping the best for you. But a blown 302 sounds good and fast also. I've got a lot to learn about flathead but this seems to be the place for great knowledge and info. Sharing.
You say hasn't run in a Long time. Sounds like years to me. Nobody has let you in on waking up a motor that's sat not running for an extended time. I will tell you this, If you think just giving it Fuel and Spark and Lighting it up as is is a good idea you may very well turn what might be a good motor into just a good Core Motor. Long before you even try to turn it over by hand you should at least give the Rings a small chance of not destroying themself. At the very least pull the plugs and give each cyl a good shot of Marvel Mystery Oil and let it set for a few hours. There is a lot more to it than just seeing if it will run. Pull the dip stick and see if the Oil level is way high above the Full mark. That will indicate water in the pan. You don't want to power crank water through the motor do ya? Also do not suck anything in that Old Gas Tank up and into the Carb. It will not like it. If you engage the starter Bendix into the Ring Gear on a motor that won't turn you just created a very Big problem. Those are a fly in bendix and to reset them the Motor must spin faster than the Starter is turning to reset the Bendix OUT of the ring gear. Without that happening you can't get the starter out of it's hole without taking the starter apart while in place. That is a F-- up thing to have to do. Don't go there. Get smart and don't take what might be a fair running used Motor into one you Must rebuild.
I think that with an "off-hand" judgement like this, you may miss out on a lot of good deals. Also, remember the engine comes "wrapped" in a solid car. It may be a Fordor sedan, but if is anywhere near complete, there would be a lot of value in parts (or maybe the entire car). If I were in the O/P's shoes, I wouldn't let the price deter me from doing some further investigation. Being in a car with a hood versus being out in the open is a big plus.
Agree 100 % Denny, If I had done that I would have missed out on a jewel. It all goes to the inspection,,,and what kind of condition it is in,,,and how it has been stored. I got to see pics of my engine with the heads removed and the bores ,,,with the carbon still in the head chambers. It is definitely worth a going over,,then go from there. Tommy
i cant believe you need to buy a whole car just to get a motor. at any givin time there are about 20 of em on mpls craigs list, most in the 2-3 hundred dollar range. i have an 8ba supposedly overhauled, runs perfect in a stand, bought for a grand off cl. come and get it! personally if going in a model a i would look for the earlier 59a motors as they fit better.
Alot more good info. That's why I like it here. Much appreciated. I will definitely be checking it out before I ever try to turn it over. I do not want to ruin a possible good motor. Thanks again.
I hear ya, I been looking around here some they do pop up from time to time. Now that I got a frame to put one in, not seeing them as often. I will check out info. On the 59a motors. Thanks
For $600 buy the whole affair, check the motor out later, and sell what you don't need. You really won't know what shape the motor is until it is fully disassembled, cleaned, and checked for cracks etc. Investing all this effort now for that price seems like a waste of time especially if you can sell stuff and recoup some of the cost. Just be aware that rebuilding these buggers is an expensive affair, and $600 is a fraction of the overall cost depending how far down the rabbit hole you want to go.
When it comes to used motors I've always thought, give it a chance. Make it run again if it will but do it right. I also believe doing it in place is the best place. I can tell you that doing a total rebuild in todays shops start about 5K and go up, sometimes real fast. Ask yourself if you really need a fresh new motor in a toy that may see 2K miles a year. Way to many projects that start with a bare frame come to a total stop when you do a total tear down of the power plant. Unless you have an unlimited amount of $$$ to spend don't step into places that aren't necessary. Do some home work, go talk to your local go to guy and ask what am I going to spend in rough numbers to do this, then add another 50% you'll end up close. They want the work so are often careful on quotes but never stop short of a total job. The missing link in all these long term projects is the never ending rise in prices of all the things it takes to get them done.
Figure out a way to buy this one just posted for sale on Fordbarn. You will save a boat load of money in the end. Pay it up front and be done.Yes, there are other used engines that you may find but, if you have to rebuild them more cash will be required. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274630
Sound advise. Thanks May head over there tomorrow and dig a little deeper see if I can figure something out. Using this info.
This is an outstanding deal, https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274630. Grate info 19Fordy
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