Projects flathead vs sbc engine in a ford coupe

Over rated?? They are what stared hotrodding.....it's impossible to be over rated. I have thousands if trouble free miles on mine. And it still runs like a top. They are as dependable as you want them to be. It's all about how you take care of them and weather or not you running a stock never touched engine or a rebuilt one that has has some upgrades .



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Soo ....two of us are anxiously awaiting the information on the flathead magician who can make streetable/reliable 300 horse.... It better not involve one of those 1980s style serpentine 144 b&m blowers either!

 

if you want to get to the car show SBC.

 

Do you understand what NA means? Naturally aspirated....... The builder is in the midwest, his name is known.

 

I was Crusing back in the 50's with my 50 Merc & had the Flat head in it
but in the Late 50's I had the Chance to get a Olds J2 engine wich I put in the Merc
and I was King of the Road
untill I got Beat by a 55 Buick with a Supercharger on it
so than I was Second Best & the Third Man was a 50 Ford with a Cad in it
now you guys are talking about Tradision
I lived it & FH were Good but if you wanted Speed run a SBC thats what I have in my Merc now the one in my avatar 327/300 HP stock
Just my 3.5 cents

 

Id still like to know what is more traditional....... one you built yourself even though its got a serpentine belt and weiand blower or one you had built by someone else in their pristine big buck shop, fuck it for me Id rather go the former than the latter. And yes it does go but not near 300hp but at 85 the truck don't care ................. hummm

 

Oooh.. sorry I thought it was" not applicable" ... Lets see ...I have heard of Rick schnell,Vern tardel, Ed Bingelli amongst a few ... I don't believe any of them claimed 300 streetable horse with dyno sheets... Does this mystery builder offer a 3yr 36,000 warranty too?... Why the suspense?... I want to have him build me one..

Carl, if you made your own drive that is bitchen! , and takes some know how and talent and very awesome but most of the whole argument for the flattie is to keep it traditional so how is having a flat motor with a road runner blower and a late 4bbl carb and a 5 Spd. More traditional than a hurst mount Chevy with 3-2s and an adaptor to a 39 trans more traditional ?...
Now if you just happen to love flat motors weather they are new old billet or not that's a different animal....that's cool too ....just don't use the traditional argument half the guys on here are.... I know I could probably pickup almost 10hp with a Holley 390 on my flat motor but I run a pm-7 and 97s... And if I were to ever run a blower it would be an old one with a handful of v-belts 'ala Tom Beaty , but thats what i like... traditional stuff...

And the keep a ford in a ford guys... The SBF is a 60s motor..period. Def. not more trad than a Chevy, olds,cad ,poncho,stude,Plymouth or Chrysler an FE or y-block.... Just so happens the SBC is the best performing compact one that bolts in WITHOUT cutting up the car, and a flat motor can always go back in and be restored

 

I've had '40's with flatties and SBC's. Sure, the SBC is cheaper and easier and easier to fix on the road. If you want a dependable ho-hum belly button car, go with the SBC. If you want something unique, go with anything else.

 

Where an engine is built has nothing to do with being more or less "traditional". Pretty sure there were speed shops back in the day that built engines for guys that wanted to go fast.

 

Flathead motor is over rated? Crate motor isn't?


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Yeah this is over rated and not traditional. Go down to Autozone and get ya a choked China built crate motor!


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Why does the mention of a SBC always lead to cheap crate engines? Are you Flathead all butt hurt from the damage the 265-283 did to the flattie in the 50's?
Seriously though, build what you want.

 

i have nothing to add on this subject , just building my post count

 

For 7K I could build a flatty that would dyno 300 hp....one way or another!!

 

Careful f'ing with the flathead boys.

 

No you are correct. Nothing wrong with a built 265 or 283. Lots of crate engine talk above.


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I second that. Nothing wrong with a vintage small block Chevy ...
But a summit/autozone cheap crate engine is a joke in my eyes. It my be cheap and work, but it throws the workmanship of a hotrod out the window


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Imagine back in 1956,a hot rod show......All the belly button flathead V-8's says the few guys with a SBC

The flathead is very nice and the average "affordable" build with 180 HP is more than adequate for an open wheel 30's hot rod...

But the sound ,feel and pull of a nicely built SBC is second to none.

 

Yeah your right. Pop that hood and lets see that 350.. Man thats something. Look at that electric fan and multiblade fan setup. Check out that Eldelbrock carb and where is your fuel pump? Oh electric? Man O Man thats nice... That sound of that low compression motor with a giant cam.. Oh boy! Problem is you dont see a 55' era sbc very often. If done right its cool..

 

Easily the most sensible comment so far in what has deteriorated into yet another argument over nothing....

Here's a question for ya'll....What's the cut off date for "traditional" engines.
Would not both flathead and overhead engines fall within this category??
And, most importantly, why does it matter.

It's been proven countless times beginning in 1932 that both engine design philosophies can be completely dependable, reliable, and make plenty of power for any given application.

In 2010 Nebulas Theorem ran 306 with a flathead making something like 600 HP.
In 2001 Ron Main ran 295 in Flathead.

Soooo.....Making power in FH is definitely doable and the record books are full of the proof.

The whole discussion is a moot point.

They both make lotsa power.
Neither one makes lotsa power without lotsa money
They both can be very dependable.
They both look and sound great.
They're both traditional.

Best part about this thread..???

My post count just grew by three

 

"Why does it matter?" Because this is in the traditional Hot Rods forum not the traditionally "styled" Hot Rods forum.

 

Here's a pic of the 276 ready to go back in my roadster. I loaned it to friend of mine to make initial de-bug runs in his belly tank a couple years ago. It ran 137 at the three mile mark on it's first run.
It's a very dependable street engine.


Here's a pic of a friend of mine's '29 roadster. Historic car built in '49 that has a well documented history. Sits on a Pete Eastwood chassis, saw years long duty as the push car for a altered drag car "Monkey Motion", survived the billet craze, and still wears it's 40+ year old lacquer paint. I'd say it's pretty traditional relative to the engine and how it's set up in the car. It's dead dependable and makes very good power for a street driven car


OOOPS It's a 350 and has a funky overflow can.

It really doesn't make any difference whether you go with a Flathead, a SBC (or whether your SBC is a new crate motor dressed with traditional accessories). They both meet all the criteria of a traditional car and the money..in the final analysis.. is neglagable.

Have fun......
that's the real bottom line with old cars.

 

In an effort to please everyone, one of my cars has a SBC and one has a flathead. I like them both. The flathead is quiet and smooth, like floating on a cloud. The SBC spins the tires in all four gears. No matter which one I drive, I always have a big smile on my face as I motor down the road. It's all good!

 

Well said.
I have two FH powered model A cars, a 283 in my '36, and a 261 inline in my '51 AD pickup.

I have fun in all of 'em...in equal measure

 

Exactly!!!!

 

fyi for the traditional police the first sbc transplant was a crate by doan spencer in the dream truck in nov 54 when he was working in a chev dealer

 

You mean factory replacement? So a Autozone or Summit crate motor is a pre 64' old new stock? Okay


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I can still get 180-225hp in an SBC for free, to under $400.

How much for that in a flathead?

 

Yeah but the flathead burns more gas.

 

The thought of another SBC in a ford is enough to make a guy vom.what's wrong with a 351windsor.great engine and money is close to a SBC plus its a ford in a ford

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