I have now finaly gotten around to assemble the Flathead for my AV8. I have a 39-42 Truck/Merc block. Gone use a 4" Merc crank and 8BA rods. The rod followed the block when I purchased it. 7 of the 8 rods have a small hole trough the "large end" see pic below. The question I have is what this hole is for? I have a theory that it is there to squirt oil on the cylinderwall. If that is the case shall the hole-side of the rod be pointed towards the exhaust side of the cylinder where the temperature is the highest? Anyone of you Flattie-gurus have any info on ths matter? I have not yet had the time to go trough all my litterature, but a brief look came out blank. Hoping for some answers. Paul
The hole is to squirt oil towards the cam. The factory decided it was unnecessary and deleted it somewhere along the way. The rods with and without the hole may be used interchangeably and you can ignore the whole issue!
8BA rods are numbered on the big end, both cap and rod, numbers 1-8. The numbers go on the same side and are installed so they face outboard. IE. #1-4 face toward the passenger side, #5-8 toward the drivers side. Don't mix up #7 and #1 caps like I did; it won't turn over and will make you crazy! The holes just point where they point; probably are to lube the cam. Bruce knows more than I about that stuff. pigpen "I just be a flatheadin' all day long" (Song I may write someday.)
I have this old car/motor mechanic in the family that helps me out on the assembly. He wanted to mount with the numbers outwards like you say. He is the kind of motor-guy that is close to extermination. Scilled as he... but with no detailed Flatty experience, so we where a bit pussled by the holes. I had a machine shop hone the large end with all numbers matched up, so this outgh to be nice. Matched them to the new bearings. Boy is there a lot of details to think of when putting this baby together. Wish I had the 350 fever instead and could go buy a crate-mill, and just add externals. ..........THAT I DID NOT MEAN I love this old mill of mine. Can't wait to hear it run. Paul
Crate motors are easy. Did I ever tell you that life would be easy? Take the hard way and learn something. Wisdom from the pig sty. pigpen (pic courtesy of www.thepigsite.com)
"Take the hard way and learn something" is the deal here. Soo right. ...and most of all a lot of fun. I had a complete Flattie, that would have been running with just a clean up. I know cause I talked to the guy I sold it to. He had it running in just a few days, for almost no cost. Would be an easy way to a running mill I could have put my Flattie parts on. ....but no, I felt more like building this Hot Rod engine from scratch. It has separated my project from the road with a year or two extra. I'm incredibly sick. Paul
That extra year or two will be lots of fun. You will come out knowing things that very few know anymore. Good luck. pigpen How cold is it in Norway? In Texas it gets colder than a Botox smile on a 5th ave. socialite!
I have choosen not to worry over the building time. Whant a car without any compromises to my dreams. That has to take time when your not loaded with cash, have a house, garage in progress, 2 kids, a wooden boat that needs a lot of work every spring, work that includes about 500 hours extra every year.....bla bla The daydreams on the other hand, is nourishet by building time. it's to cold over here. I live in the south east part by the shore, where the winters are mild (usually most of the time). Climate vary a lot here. Today a couple of centib\grades above freezing point. Paul
My last build, a '27 T roadster with a '52 flathead and light green primer, has taken almost three years now. It's completed as far as it's going to get except for the fenders which are optional; it's running, driving, tagged, and inspected. One or two deg. C isn't too bad. Not quite as cold as a Botox smile. If you could transfer that extra 500 hrs. to the rod, it would come together quickly. Happy flatheadin'! pigpen
[ QUOTE ] Right on! Remember the hotrod philosophy: "Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess!" [/ QUOTE ] Bruce, do you think you could drop by my place and convince my other half of that? She thinks I'm, "A brick short of a full load!" Cold = -32 C with a wind chill of -52 C!! (-40 C = -40 F)
I've been to Norway & I've been to Canada - both in the winter. I have to say Goose Bay wins hands down for the coldest I've ever been! The high was -23F, the overnight low? -66F (no wind chill - I don't think they even bother calculating them anymore at that temp!) Whoever named Goose Bay's little town "Happy Valley" musta been on some "happy pills"
I'm in no place to nag about temps. These parts of Norway have a much higher average temp during winter than a lot of other parts. If it wasn't for the Golf stream that sweep along our long cost, we would be scating over to visis you Brits.
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