Technical when did the flathead stop being king?

It seems many of you young guys think that the Chevy V8 was used a lot in the early days... Not true. We pretty much used anything but. If we yanked out that Ford Flathead it was generally replaced with an Olds, Caddy and others.



As far as I am concerned, the flathead is still King. I take my ratty old pickup with the souped up flatmotor to a show and people will run past that row of 350/350 abominations to get to see mine...Actually it's quite amazing.

 

Here is the original question that started this thread:

I was watching American Graffiti last night and when Milner asks the guy "what happened to his flathead" I was thinking when would have the flathead not been king or a motor you would run when it came to racing? I am not talking official sanctioned drag racing but more or less in the lines of American Graffiti king of the area.

Do you really thing the flathead is the motor you would run when it came to racing? If you are racing, I am assuming you would be trying to win or be king of the area.
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Early Hemi had something to do with things too.

 

By 1960 the flathead was dead as the motor of choice in a hot rod under construction. There were a lot of early Fords and Mercuries that had flatheads but no one would choose it if they were building a car. The drag classes were dominated by Chrysler engines. Oldsmobile, Buick and occasionally a Pontiac would show up in altered and dragsters. The most popular engine by far was SBC but remember they were only 283 cu in. 348's and Olds, Pontiacs showed up in higher stock classes but gassers ruled and C gas was the class and it was SBC dominated ... Joe

 

In 1963 my fathers jalopy was the last flathead to win a feature at the Hutchison Nationals in KS and it was against some overhead engines.

 

The King is only the king if it has loyal subjects..... I guess in my book The Kind is and will always be the SIR FLATHEAD! There are much more powerful kings.... but none that have such loyal subjects!

 

You guys are aware that movie was NOT a documentary, correct?

 

This thread is effectively the story of 'The Waco Kid', wherein a returning WWII vet builds a hot flatty roadster and rules the streets of Waco, TX, until the day a new, stock '55 sedan beats him between red lights. Defeated, the little roadster went back into the garage and stayed there until it was rescued, intact, by El Jefe.

 

The fact we are still talking about them,buying parts for them,racing them,showing them,building them,wearing shirts with them on,have whole bussiness dedicated to producing them,finding ways to squeeze HP out of them.arguing about them,improving on them,and producing all sorts of parts for them..tells you of there appeal,endurance and their importance,all of these things are what make a king a king that has reigned since 1932.If you dont hold the peoples interest you cease to be king.

 

I'll let you know.

 

id say 1932

 

Yah I love my '55............

Oh it's a DeSoto hemi, waiting in the garage for a chassis and body.......

 

Imo the original spirit of this thread has been lost.

I LOVE Flatheads, built a few, still run two of 'em, blown and unblown.

I have two Hemis as well an early and a "later".

I also have a 283 in my 47 Chevy....dressed up in period gear, its cheap, reliable, sounds great and keeps the 47 all Chevy. In fact, it loks like a factory engine in the car.

I LOVE em all.

The point is we all get excited about the engines, cars, women or WHATEVER really floats out boat. Its subjective and there is no correct answer.

There is however, a correct answer to the OP initial qun. I think Blake got it in one. As soon as the SBCs became available they appealed to gearheads for a number of reasons.

Car guys, esp back then, were always looking for ways to beat the guy down the street or at the track with the latest offerings from Detroit. Chevy was the working man's car so the SBC engines were produced in the 100s of 000s and were easy/cheaper to find.

Hop up parts for the SBC quickly became available at the dealer over the counter or via the aftermarket.

All engines have inherent strengths and weaknesses - as gearheads we seek to build on the strengths and minimise the weak points. That's hot rodding.

For me, traditional hot rodding means that the Flathead is KING, because traditional hot rods means pre 1955 to me.

For some others traditional hot rodding may mean a different time period and thats kool too. I would wager there were more hot rods around with hot Flatheads in them than there were Olds, Cad and Hemis combined at the same time nationwide simply due to the parts choices in the aftermarket, the cost of those parts, the sheer volume of FHs around and the COST to the average teenage gearhead to acquire the latest Detorit engines and then soup them up.

Bear in mind Im talking about average gearheads, not pro racers/sponsored race teams with the dinero to lash out on hardcore parts.

Perhaps what does it mean to you is the qun that needs to be asked ?

Rat

 

Pork n Beaner....did you mean a 53 Merc? '54 was first OHV, in Ford and Mercs........

Flatheads Forever !!!!

4TTRUK

 

IMO 1955. I have both a flathead and a SBC. The flathead looks kinda cool, but that's all I can say for it.

 

Nail on the head I think, it's in the eye of the beer holder. Flatheads are cool but so are/ were olds v8s, sbcs and caddys which all had and still have there place in our hobby but thru each era a new king emerges. In the late 60s it was a battle between Chrysler firepower and fords and even today it's easy to say that the ls series of v8s rule the off topic or non "traditional" Hotrod crowd so I think there really is no one answer. They all are king!

 

when oldsmobile started putting the 303 in the 88 (which was the same body as a chevy) in '49, that was the beginning of the end for the flathead. i think the smallblock chevy nailed the lid on the coffin.

 

What the beginning of the end of the flathead nails on the lid of the coffin that pretty funny NOT!
Agent orange never!

 

I go with 49 with the rocket 88 303 and cady motor

 

Not all flatheads were V8. The Hudson was still kicking butt in 65. That was 10 yrs after the Chevy V8.

 

About 1 hr after some cat installed the first 265 in his roadster. Lighter than its big brothers Caddy and Olds, easier to fit in rods, and so easily modified with a cam from your local dealer for $21.00. No lie !

 

Have you discovered running water and electricity? Both are available in the OTHER 49 states, and they're great.

 

The story goes that while Don Garlits still ran a flathead dragster, he broke something, so a buddy suggested he make a pass with his '39 Ford coupe which had a Hemi. He turned a bit faster time in the coupe than he ever had with his dragster. Goes on to say he was convinced.

 

And stir you did, indeed ! ! ! Get ready for some FLAK.

 

Well, it is a small price to pay, but when you are at the top with your sbc, you will have enemies. Oh, oh, here comes the heat.

 

Resurrecting an old thread to talk shit is dumb

The whole SBC vs. Flathead argument is stupid. They're apples and oranges. Some of us like our flatheads, and we are well aware that they are slow. F*ck off.

The entire premise of brand vs brand arguments are obsolete. Chevy vs Ford vs Mopar vs AMC vs whatever no longer really holds up, does it? Half of the flagship names are dead. Now it's American cars vs Foreign cars, and Auto enthusiasts vs environmentalists, politicians, housing authorities, high gas prices, the economy, and about 2000 other things. Petty infighting over 50+ year old technology is pointless.

 

I have a flathead sitting on the ground next to my A. It will go in, never crossed my mind that it would get anything but a flattie.

 

wait a minute... Flathead isn't king anymore?

 

One day in the summer of 1961, a friend called me and told me he was able to buy 2 265's for $75 each and a 283 for $100 from Carmichel's Auto Parts in Excelsior. That was the day I quit thinking about flatheads until about 25 years ago, when I bought my '51 club coupe.