Ford Flat Head Issue

specsintexas · Jul 31, 2012

I am considering purchasing a 1951 Ford 2 door sedan from my mothers neighbor in Chico California. I am told it is his daily driver. In any case, the current owner claims that the Ford flat head V8 is in EXCELLENT condition and that it will easily cruise at speeds of 50-60 MPH on down the highway. I need to get the car back to Sacramento California, about 100 miles down California route 99, a 1950s built interstate which has a lot of high speed traffic in some sections. Will a 1951 Ford flat head with a 3 speed manual trans and no overdrive EASILY cruise 50-60 MPH down the highway? I have never driven a Ford flat head V8 and have no idea what a safe cruising speed is.

Thanks
Specs

slddnmatt · Jul 31, 2012

find out the gearing. my overdrive didnt work in my merc and i had to cruise it at about 52 mph or i was screaming the engine.. the ones without overdrive, were geared higher most the time.

Diavolo · Jul 31, 2012

I use http://www.ringpinion.com/Calculators/Calc_RPM.aspx to solve these problems. I punched in 3.73 gears with a 26 inch tall tires and 75 mph and ended up with a final rpm of 3600 rpm. Seems a bit high. 4.11 was 3984 rpm. Ouch.
At 65, 4.11 is still 3500 give or take a little. For buying a car sight unseen, I would feel a whole lot better just renting a trailer and towing it home.

RDAH · Jul 31, 2012

A friend of mine & I went to get a 50 F100 about 90 miles north of his home. I followed him with a tow strap just in case it quit. Well at 50 to 55 mph we were a traffic hazard the way people were flying past us. We agreed that Next time we'll take a trailer.

safari-wagon · Jul 31, 2012

Why not take the "blue" highways home & stay off the E-ways?

Would make for a MUCH more memorable trip back. Hit a diner & a couple of tourist traps too.

tommy · Jul 31, 2012

NO! these cars were never capable of 50 MPH so today they are probably good for a top speed of about 25 MPH. They tire easily as they get older. Remember nobody drove across country prior to 1955 when the SBC came out.

KCCOS · Jul 31, 2012

Yes you will be fine. Just drove my 50 Ford with a flat head V8 in it 175 miles one way non stop at 60MPH with out OD. Ran perfect and it was almost 100* out.

Koz · Jul 31, 2012

tommy said: ↑

NO! these cars were never capable of 50 MPH so today they are probably good for a top speed of about 25 MPH. They tire easily as they get older. Remember nobody drove across country prior to 1955 when the SBC came out.
Click to expand...

Your kidding, right?????

tommy · Jul 31, 2012

Koz said: ↑

Your kidding, right?????
Click to expand...

No doesn't your car tire easily when it get old? Perhaps a little Geritol in the gas tank.

Some of you guys would have a heart attack if you saw what we drove around in. I drove my old 36 Ford P/U from Pittsburgh to Wash DC right after the seller got it running from an old barn. It was a genuine farm truck. worn out 8BA motor from who knows what. I wrote a story about that old truck about how it was a contankerous old fart when we started that trip and how it came to thank me for the exercise and the love that grew between the old truck and the young hotrodder. He was so grateful when I fixed the worn out clutch pedal bushing. New cars break too. There is a learning curve that takes place with every new old car. It's tough to take off on a long trip without some experience with the car but it's a great adventure that you will remember the rest of your life. Either way. If it breaks down you will remember that. If it performs flawlessly, you will remember that too. Don't be sckird.

dirty old man · Jul 31, 2012

What the Hell? 50-60 mph sustained too much for a flathead in decent condition? No way, Jose!
I'm 74.5 years young and grew up driving/riding in those cars and they did just fine @ 60/70. In 1955 I bought a '30 "A" roadster in Odessa, TX for $130 and ended up driving it back home to GA, 1500 miles one way.
Keep an eye on the temp gage and keep it full of oil and you'll be fine @ 50/60.
Dave

wbrw32 · Jul 31, 2012

tommy said: ↑

NO! these cars were never capable of 50 MPH so today they are probably good for a top speed of about 25 MPH. They tire easily as they get older. Remember nobody drove across country prior to 1955 when the SBC came out.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to disagree with you here Tommy...I drove a 40 Ford from Ohio to Texas at 60 mph,many times..Then a 39 coupe the same trip,same speeds...also a 41 coupe.
same trip,same speeds...also in the early 50s,so dont say NOBODY drove cross country in those days..

tubman · Jul 31, 2012

It al depends on the car. I would trust my '51 Ford more than a lot of newer cars, because I've had it a long time, I know it's been maintained properly, plus, I have a "box of goodies" in the trunk, just in case. In 1994, I drove this car from the twin cites to Chicago for a car show. On the way down, we took the freeways, because we wanted to get there quickly. This is a bone stock car, with no overdrive and a 3.55 rear end. I had no problem keeping up with traffic on the interstate. It was a lot more pleasant on the way home, as we stuck to the "blue roads" and took our time.

Long story short, it doesn't matter much what kind of car it is, but what shape it's in. Give it a good looking over, and you should get some idea of whether you should take the chance.

I once bought a restored '36 Ford in Texas and drove it back to Minnesota. I made it in two days, but it was an adventure that I still remember to this day. Looking back, I'm glad I did it, but a couple of times stalled on the roadside because of crap in the tank, I wasn't feeling too confidant. (I finally figured out that keeping the car at least half full all of the time solved my problem.)

RMR&C · Jul 31, 2012

Pretty sure tommy was being sarcastic (and funny)......

Jeez, is everybody afraid of everything nowadays?????? Drive it!!!!

alchemy · Jul 31, 2012

tommy said: ↑

NO! these cars were never capable of 50 MPH so today they are probably good for a top speed of about 25 MPH. They tire easily as they get older. Remember nobody drove across country prior to 1955 when the SBC came out.
Click to expand...

Funny!

The OP said the car was the seller's daily driver. Of course it should be good to go 100 miles. Maybe not at 70 MPH, but it should get him down the highway.

Lot's of worry warts on here today.

mtflat · Jul 31, 2012

Tommy's serious? If you knew what he has under the hood of his avatar you wouldn't even have to ask.

Thanks for the laugh this am Tommy!

specs, I agree with some of the other comments - take the two lane road and you'll enjoy the trip more. The flathead will be fine - make sure the brakes work! You won't believe how many idiots see an "old" car coming and will pull out in front of it. Enjoy the journey!

aaggie · Jul 31, 2012

You could always choose to drive in the right lane and enjoy the trip home. I'm old enough to remember driving flatheads around South Texas on really hot Summer days. Keep water in it and don't run out of oil, it should be fine.

On the old Fords with front mount distributors if you overfilled the radiator it would pour water over the distributor and short out the spark plug wires. About the time the wires recovered it had cooled down and you were back on the road. Kind of like Natures way of telling you to take a break.

Mike51Merc · Jul 31, 2012

First get yourself a AAA gold membership, then hit the road. What's the worst that can happen?

terryble · Jul 31, 2012

tommy said: ↑

NO! these cars were never capable of 50 MPH so today they are probably good for a top speed of about 25 MPH. They tire easily as they get older. Remember nobody drove across country prior to 1955 when the SBC came out.
Click to expand...

That is hilarious well done!

40FordGuy · Jul 31, 2012

Drive it !!!!!!!!!!!! People DID drive all over the country, almost as soon as cars were invented !!!!!!! In fact, there was an epic "race" in 1907 from New York to paris... Check out the book "Against All Odds" from the National Auto Museum in Reno Nv.
That Ford will run 50 as long as you keep an eye on things,.. Hwy 99 is the better route, by the way,....Because there's a lot of stopping places along the way. I-5 runs roughly parallel, but it's miles and miles,...of nothing but miles and miles by comparison.

4TTRUK

hombres ruin · Jul 31, 2012

some people think the flathead is made of leggo and paper mache..its a work horse of an engine,get in and drive the friggin thing like they did back in the day and still do today!..WTF is wrong with people and there flatophobia!

Larry W · Jul 31, 2012

tommy said: ↑

NO! these cars were never capable of 50 MPH so today they are probably good for a top speed of about 25 MPH. They tire easily as they get older. Remember nobody drove across country prior to 1955 when the SBC came out.
Click to expand...

Yes it will,They would back in the day,and they will today. Sorry to tell you we drive our flathead at 70mph. If the tires are shot and the radiator is pluged thats another story...

62rebel · Jul 31, 2012

you have to have a guy walk ahead of you waving a red flag during the day and a red lantern at night. you have to pull over to let horse drawn wagons and coaches pass. in some villages an additional warning of "heigh-ho" is required before entering the town limits. otherwise, you're a-okay.

Petejoe · Jul 31, 2012

wbrw32 said: ↑

I'm sorry to disagree with you here Tommy...I drove a 40 Ford from Ohio to Texas at 60 mph,many times..Then a 39 coupe the same trip,same speeds...also a 41 coupe.
same trip,same speeds...also in the early 50s,so dont say NOBODY drove cross country in those days..
Click to expand...

You fellows don't know Tommy with a response like that....
He eat sleeps flathead pudding.
I read that Tommy before I seen who wrote it, and just about fell for that one....

53CustomlineFlathead · Jul 31, 2012

In this year of 2012, I drive about 112 miles round trip to work with Flathead power. I travel between 65 and 75 mph with a 4:10 rear end and 3 speed overdrive. (60 - 65 without overdrive)
Am I doing something wrong here? Should I be Carrying a small block Chevy in the trunk just in case?... lol

StrickV8 · Aug 1, 2012

without attempting to drive it, you'll never know what a safe cruising speed is...ask your mother if she she's the car leave every morning and come home every evening. that way you'll know if it is truly his daily driver.

tommy · Aug 1, 2012

Sorry but some of you guys are just too gullible. I tried to make it so outlandish that anyone would get the Joke. An engine getting tired from old age? 25 MPH top speed?

I still remember the night in Hershey probably 25 years ago now, when the old timer told the story of bringing home an old Ford. I can't remember the details now but he came across the state with only 7 operating cylinders and thought nothing of it. He was the one that came up with the line that street rodders think that no one drove across country before 1955 and the SBC. I never forgot it.

s55mercury66 · Aug 1, 2012

And if you pick up a spare flathead you can change them out occasionally and they get plenty of rest.....

Koz · Aug 1, 2012

I'm enjoying the humor here. There's another flatty thread going on here where there are some posts damn near as ludicris as Tommys', and those guys are serious!

By the way, the 8ba is still the most fun power anywhere, bar none!

tommy · Aug 1, 2012

Koz said: ↑

I'm enjoying the humor here. There's another flatty thread going on here where there are some posts damn near as ludicris as Tommys', and those guys are serious!

By the way, the 8ba is still the most fun power anywhere, bar none!
Click to expand...

Usually they are just ignorant. People are so afraid now a days. People are afraid of generators and anything that is not a modern kit or something. They probably are swapping web sites where the new stuff can be ordered with a credit card. I got my 8BAs from a guy putting a SBC in his 51 Merc. I believe it is still running the streets. I assembled the car in 1997 thinking I might have to rebuild it later. Last I heard it's still doing great.

Bearing Burner · Aug 1, 2012

If your worried take the back roads sienic route.

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