You know what would be a good episode that would get millions of views dunk test the difference between the portjob you have now to an all out fully race ported engine that be really cool
Glory? It can't even crank out 160 horsepower..... What is this engine's glory? Answer, its old. Time has passed, the inevitable march of time, what happens whether or not something exists or not. That's the Flatheads claim to fame. The Earth went around the sun a bunch of times. So much wow.
@@ekscalybur You wouldn't know how to appreciate nostalgic machinery if you tried. You have zero respect or awareness of what has happened before YOUR time that led to where we are today. You are the type of person that takes what you have for granted. The blood, sweat, and tears of those that have gone before you, probably mean nothing....
When I started watching this upload I just about got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Boy, how we'd have loved to have adjustable lifters in those days.....I swear that getting the gap right on those flatheads is the reason I am bald today. The last one that I built had aluminum "Denver" heads, Jahns pistons/rings, Clevite bearings, an Isky "3/4" cam, was ported and relieved, with a stroker and enough bore to clean it up. My buddy and I argued over Navarro vs Edelbrock intake and finally settled on Navarro. Money dictated Stromberg 94's over 97's, Lincoln Zephyr gears, 4.11 rear end. We stayed away from any chopping/chandelling or radiused wheel wells. It was in a '52 "double bullet" Ford Crown Vicky (love that chrome around rear window and the split front windshield). There is no sound like that of a flattie or a Hemi.....they have sound fingerprints that can't be mistaken for anything else.
@@davidcaskey4669 It's 50+ years ago and that was many cars ago. I did all the work in those days and for timing I would push timing ahead until it "talked to ya"...slang in those days meaning "advance until it pings and then back it of a degree or two". With the varying of fuel quality back then, everyone was timing that way and it really worked.......going racing? Put in ethyl and advance the timing. Also, I had re-curved the distributor to come in quicker and limited the mechanical advance. As far as lift/duration on cam again it's been too long.....it was actually called "Isky three quarter cam" by Isky and it still manufactured by someone else and is called by the same name. So, you should be able to find it....he also mentioned it in this upload. It pulled with gusto in the midrange and then finished out fairly strongly(not strongly like today). But it met the needs of the engine even with porting and relieving but you needed a good manifold and a 390 to 450 cfm Holley 4 bbl. I used the Strombergs at but the Holley(different manifold - 4 bbl) was so much stronger and easily tunable. I also used a 500 cfm AFB as I really like Will Carter's AFB secondaries. Sourds small but 90% of guys over carb them anyway. Sorry I can't be more specific but it's just been too darn long as I am 74 now. Most any headers helped the car breathe with a dual set of Cherry Bombs or other glasspacks and a cross-over in the exhaust helped it flow. With the 4.11:1 and stirring the box with a Hurst Mystery Shifter it really got with the program. Wish I could help you more, doggone it......hard to remember. Oh, yeah, I had cut-outs in the exhaust, too.
@@bigboreracing356 Yes. I was racing a Y-block 312 against the other guys in high school when a '55 and a '56 Chevy showed up. The '55 was 283 with Power Pack motor and the 56' was a 327. As I sat on the hood of my smoking hot (and seized )Ford and drank a couple of beers on a warm summer night on the 4-lane out of town, I sadly realized that it was all over for the Fords and others if they did not put out a engine to compete with the Chevy small blocks. Actually very sad...cried in my beer so to speak. I worked 3 part-time jobs that summer and ended up with a '67 Nova with an LT-1 the next year......I took any job that would make me money and saved every dime. Loved the car. Probably the strongest runner I ever had was a '57 Ford into which I transplanted a 427 side-oiler(much later).....then I realized what real power was.....
@@unicornsteaks6769 Nostolgic factor is off the charts tho. No amount of money is too much for the experience that is the Flathead in a Rod. 260ft/lbs in those lightweight chassis is a whole lot of fun.
I built a flathead for my father almost 40 years ago, I was in the tenth grade!! It was sweet , it had an offenhouser three duece intake and heads blowing thru custom headers and 12” glasspacks. I will never forget driving this on my last day of high school!!!
I wish as a kid I could have worked around guys like Keith, I love working on engines but never had the tools as a kid. I love watching the professionals work.
That "lawnmower engine" made decent hp. No GM or Chrysler engine of that time would make that kind of power with those simple mods. Also none sounded no where as good. Also Ford Flathead/L Head & 4cyl L Head for the Model T made the Top 10 greatest engines of the 20th Century. GM had 1 engine SBC that's all American made engines made the list. The World Record Flathead made 700hp & holds Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Record of 300mph. Watch the past Power Nation when Horse Power TV when they built a Blown Flathead made around 350hp with a 4-71.
Great video. love the sound of a Flathead. Always thought one would be awesome in an old Falcon because it would be different. Everyone puts 302's or chevy small blocks in them, but a Flathead would be something totally different because I have never seen one in a car like that.
I had one in 1965 , 1953 Ford flat head my dad and I rebuilt it he was a diesel machanic in the navy it brings back many memories.you made a great video I love it 👍
That is a great sounding flattie! Really nice looking and runs excellent. Those torque figures blew me away. Great idea to relieve the block from valves to the combustion chamber. A 1950's engine mixed with today's tech makes a winning combination.
Flatties have a sound that is music to any gearhead's ears. I love the sound of a big block or a Coyote revving to 8000 rpm but the flat head will always have a spot in my heart. Any time I see the Dorton name, I think back to Randy Dorton and those that died in the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash.
Growing up as a kid in the 50s and early 60s, my dad and uncle raced at local tracks here in New Hampshire. They had a Ford Tudor that they hauled with a 48 Ford F-2 that had a small wrecker body. Both were flatheads. I grew up with the sounds of flatheads ringing in my ears and to this day, I still compare every engine to the looks and sound of those flattys. None better looking or better sounding to me.
That Ford Flathead V8 with a cam, tri-power and headers put out 159 hp. My stock 2002 SVT Focus, 2 liter F.I. 4 cylinder, put out 170 hp! Times have indeed changed!
But that focus, no matter what you do to it,, will never have the sound, class, go, cool WOW factor that,, that flathead and whatever vehicle it goes in will
@@edzimdahl1158 - I was simply pointing out how things have changed in 90 years. I'm not saying one is better than the other - they couldn't be more further apart in technology if they tried. The flathead was an iconic engine for sure, giving Ford a V8 23 years before Chevrolet had one. While no other auto engine has the unique, guttural, booming sound of an American V8, it is not the only moving sound an engine can make. If you haven't heard the smooth, but lovely mechanical sound of an SVT at 7,000 rpm, you can't appreciate what I'm saying. Trust me, it aint no V8, but it is no less a marvelous sounding power plant in its own way!
I was helping a new friend with his car. March 2023. In his shed, I counted no less than 6, flathead v-8 fords. The one I acquired, appears to be a 1949- 100 hp- 1/2 ton truck motor. Complete. All there. With clutch.
I love that the engine builder guy taught his son. What a legend. Such a great skill to work on mechanical parts. It helps you out with everything physical in this world. Love the old school builds. I love history.
There were two brothers from Hartford or New Haven West Virginia who were well known for building flathead Ford engines and racing Indian motorcycles. The Fields Brothers, Lenord and Ray. I was Blessed to meet both of them and became friends with them. Ray lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. Both were an inspiration not only for Ford Flathead engines and Indain motorcycle but in life itself. Ray taught me there has only been one perfect man in this world and He has scars in HIs hands. A man I will NEVER forget..
Thank you so much for this informative video. I really enjoyed it very much. I rebuilt my 1st flathead when I was 15 years old. I'm now completing my flathead rebuild for my 51 Ford f2 pick up & I'm only 72 years young now ! Lol. Thanks again.
Great interesting and educational video, the little over a half hp per cubic inch makes you appreciate what a big deal it was when factory engines were first rated at one hp per cubic inch in '56 + '57. I can remember going to the drags for the first time in '63, and even then the flathead drag cars still received a great deal of interest...
A friend of mine back in the 60's and 70's bought up every flathead performance parts he came across. He got them for pennies on the dollar. Had had/has aluminum heads, both flathead and over head (several sets of original Ardun not the later ones) , multi carb set ups, and even early superchargers. Now when he needs a few bucks he'll put something up on E-Bay and let the bidders fight. Nice additional income for retirement. Always cool to see a running flathead.
I had a 53 Ford F100 pickup with the 239 flat head engine. It idled so smoothly you could set a cup of water on top of the air cleaner without spilling a drop.
In my humble opinion, I believe that the flathead V-8 and the 300 six cylinder are the best engines Ford ever produced. That little monster sounds like music compared to the crap they make now.
I just haven't got words for this old build,Keith you are amazing with lots of skills concerning these old motors,son,you must carry on with my legacy,keep me proud !
I work at a scrap metal recycling facility as a maintenance supervisor in Australia one day an old farmer trucked in a load of engines and just tipped them out. Six flatheads one 409 one 460 and two 351 Cleveland, and one Harley Davidson Panhead engine, I payed my boss scrap value and dropped them off to a old mate of mine who is a hotrod and Harley Davidson fanatic, I’ve never seen this man ever get emotional, It was hilarious how out of control he was! He payed me $300 scrap rate. best deal of his life. Ps every engine was stored undercover in a shed and was in good condition.
Thank you for putting an Isky cam in it. That is what it would probably have had. Worked there in the late 70's and was amazed how concerned they were about quality.
Regarding oil filtration on a flathead, many, many engines had an optional bypass oil filter with replaceable cartridge. So there was more filtration than just the screen!
They used to sell a filter cannister that held a roll of toilet paper. They claimed it was able to filter smaller particles than a regular filter. I don't think it had a bypass tho.
How sweet it is, I loved my 53 ford sunliner ,I built the motor with bolt on stuff ,and a nice sounding little cam, nothing sounds as pretty as an old flathead to me.
When he got hired on was when the network got bought out by ABC Sports, previously on Spike TV, previously TNN… with a new network they did a rebranding to try to be a little more technical with their work then it just slowly became the same thing it had always been
@@TheFARM2019 you mean the shleping to whatever corporate overlord throws the production company the most money? yea, that didnt take too long. the production company got the same mindset wheel dealers did - too technical was costing them viewers, dumb things down skip the big builds or chop them down to as little episodes as possible
Lordy this reminds me of people restoring steam trains in the UK! Wonderful machines, but absolute dinosaurs! Lovely to watch the workshop skills, but also a little sad to realise that this is not going to last very long. Hopefully TH-cam will archive such activities so that our children and Grandchildren can wonder over them.
I have built a few flatheads, mostly stock. The factory horsepower rating varies from 90ish to 105 or so, every dyno is different. I really expected more from that 304cid combo but I never ran any of my motors on a dyno.
Considering that all-out combos often get around the 180hp mark naturally aspirated I'm not surprised what it made. Much lower compression, rpm, port efficiency and available cam timing make these old 8's far less powerful than our modern wonder motors. But are they still awesome? Hell yeah! Long live the flatheads!
@@boingkster had a bloke roll into my machine shop with a scat crank, asked if I could mill a keyway into it for a blower pulley...why the hell not? broached his pulley to suit and sent him on his way. 6 months later a ford coupe rod rumbles into my drive with this supercharged EFI direct port flathead. this thing sounded like nothing else. I was no fan of flatheads until I heard that thing
@@jdshqs that sounds insane ! and im sure the engine sounded wonderful too ! As a tech for a toyota dealer, i love the new efficient motors but i love how easy and soulful older units are and how close they can come when you get the combo right !
Starting at 110 stock, that's a 45% horsepower increase. About the same as stroking a 350 chevy to a 383 and getting 435 hp, also a 45% increase over the stock 300.
Because it was built for street use... So that it's reliable. You can squeeze more out of it. But at a higher probability of failure... Something my friend learned building one in the late 70's....
I remember building 1 of these engines back in the sixties... While I wish still in High school.. That was 55 years ago. Yes I used out the blockheads and 3 douche Carburetors.. Thank you for the memory
Awesome Flathead build… you guys nailed it. Good to see you did an oil system upgrade. Did mine at the pump. I need to watch this several more times, thank you so much. 🍻👍👍👍
A nicer finish to engines can be achieved by painting the bare block and head before core plugs are fitted. This goes for any other parts like oil filter housings, water pump, sump ect and assembled with new zinc bolts. Painting over bolt heads can IMHO look a little tacky. A perfect rebuild and a pleasure to watch.. 👍
I had a 1950 Ford F2, a 3/4 ton pick up I rebuilt the engine in 1988, and used adjustable lifters, a very smart thing to do. Had it bored .030 over just a 2 bbl carb had ok power, around town about 12 MPG, on highway 15MPG. I ADDED dual exhaust, and a paper air filter I'm not sure if that helped gas mileage or not. I used 2 glass pack mufflers
The blurb said 110hp stock. I'm not sure all that work was worth the extra 50hp. At 304 ci it's quite a bit bigger and a performance cam plus all that block work I'm a bit disappointed. I blame the carbs
If you look at old episodes I think when it was Horse Power TV they built a Flathead with a Blower. It was a single carb like a 4-71 roots style. There is a company that remakes the original Paxten SC from the 40's 50's that's V belt driven. They make 6 pounds boost or you can get them modified to 8 pounds. There experience though. I like to see a build like that using remade nostalgic parts.
I’m not certain as to when they came stock from Ford, but I do know that unlike he says in the video, the 1953 239 CID Flathead came with a Can Type oil filter and cartridge. It required that you use a syringe to remove the leftover oil in the canister after removing the oil filter cartridge, unless you wanted to unbolt and remove the canister to remove all the used engine oil.
Had a 48 2 door sedan with 39 transmission that old flathead ran so quite and smooth at idle you had to open the hood to show it was running. I sold it in 1963 to a guy that drove it to California and back from North Dakota, after work one day he was going to show how much dig it had started out spraying gravel then hit pavement and blew transmission parts all over the road. He pushed it thru junkyard gate for 35.00 sad ending for so little damage.
Pat with hair!, I've always been curious as to what show he was introduced on.... must have been a audition show to see the chemistry between him and galley.
Intake sound is part of the overall package. A sweet burbling at idle with easy breathing flow as much possible with the convoluted flow in the 32 Ford cast iron V 8. Experiment with various air pressure blower booster designs of engine driven and exhaust driven types. Also direct cylinder injection fuel system might be interesting with computer control fuel air mixtures.
I just want to add my 2 cents worth to all the negative comments I have been reading about cost vs. power with the Ford Flathead. Have to admit most is true, 160 HP from 300 cubic inches with all the mods is beyond a joke. Then we have to remember we are looking at a design that's getting close to 100 years old. In 1932 the average HP for cars was about 25. Ford's 221 V8 was rated at 65 HP climbing to 85 HP several years later. For me, 160 HP from a design originally rated at 65 HP isn't too bad.
They said they wanted a smooth running street engine. They could have got more horses out of it, but then it would not be a smooth docile engine. And the average horsepower in 32 was about 50 - 60. 25 horsepower was typical of the early 20s.
my favorite sounding engines are old ford Y blocks they sound so raspy and they're such an improvment over the flatheads eventhough the flatheads were super cool!
Be cool to experiment with an app that would allow sound tuning for exhaust note. Try pipe diameter, configurations, muffler, length etc. at a touch to find the sweet spot of sound. Then implement the system that sounds best in stainless steel.
8:41 That seems crazy that the valve lifter height-adjustment screw doesn't have a jam nut or some other means of locking in the adjustment.. I guess the lifter rotates freely enough to not allow the adjustment screw to rotate independently?
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You know what would be a good episode that would get millions of views dunk test the difference between the portjob you have now to an all out fully race ported engine that be really cool
As a Chevy guy I still very much appreciate those old Ford flathead engines. Even the Cadillac flathead engines as well.
Cadillac was first
I love to see an old, rusted engine lovingly brought back to its former glory. Excellent job.
Glory?
It can't even crank out 160 horsepower.....
What is this engine's glory?
Answer, its old. Time has passed, the inevitable march of time, what happens whether or not something exists or not. That's the Flatheads claim to fame. The Earth went around the sun a bunch of times. So much wow.
@@ekscalybur more hp than your daily rice burners and much easier to work on
@@ekscalybur you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. They are built to last and have over 300 horses. But this aint gonna be stock.
@@vintagesavoiur damn right
@@ekscalybur You wouldn't know how to appreciate nostalgic machinery if you tried. You have zero respect or awareness of what has happened before YOUR time that led to where we are today. You are the type of person that takes what you have for granted. The blood, sweat, and tears of those that have gone before you, probably mean nothing....
When I started watching this upload I just about got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Boy, how we'd have loved to have adjustable lifters in those days.....I swear that getting the gap right on those flatheads is the reason I am bald today. The last one that I built had aluminum "Denver" heads, Jahns pistons/rings, Clevite bearings, an Isky "3/4" cam, was ported and relieved, with a stroker and enough bore to clean it up. My buddy and I argued over Navarro vs Edelbrock intake and finally settled on Navarro. Money dictated Stromberg 94's over 97's, Lincoln Zephyr gears, 4.11 rear end. We stayed away from any chopping/chandelling or radiused wheel wells. It was in a '52 "double bullet" Ford Crown Vicky (love that chrome around rear window and the split front windshield). There is no sound like that of a flattie or a Hemi.....they have sound fingerprints that can't be mistaken for anything else.
Thanks for sharing that, Tom.
The Isky cam you spoke of what is the lift an duration and what kind of timing did you use to get the best power
@@davidcaskey4669 It's 50+ years ago and that was many cars ago. I did all the work in those days and for timing I would push timing ahead until it "talked to ya"...slang in those days meaning "advance until it pings and then back it of a degree or two". With the varying of fuel quality back then, everyone was timing that way and it really worked.......going racing? Put in ethyl and advance the timing. Also, I had re-curved the distributor to come in quicker and limited the mechanical advance. As far as lift/duration on cam again it's been too long.....it was actually called "Isky three quarter cam" by Isky and it still manufactured by someone else and is called by the same name. So, you should be able to find it....he also mentioned it in this upload. It pulled with gusto in the midrange and then finished out fairly strongly(not strongly like today). But it met the needs of the engine even with porting and relieving but you needed a good manifold and a 390 to 450 cfm Holley 4 bbl. I used the Strombergs at but the Holley(different manifold - 4 bbl) was so much stronger and easily tunable. I also used a 500 cfm AFB as I really like Will Carter's AFB secondaries. Sourds small but 90% of guys over carb them anyway. Sorry I can't be more specific but it's just been too darn long as I am 74 now. Most any headers helped the car breathe with a dual set of Cherry Bombs or other glasspacks and a cross-over in the exhaust helped it flow. With the 4.11:1 and stirring the box with a Hurst Mystery Shifter it really got with the program. Wish I could help you more, doggone it......hard to remember. Oh, yeah, I had cut-outs in the exhaust, too.
@@bigboreracing356 Yes. I was racing a Y-block 312 against the other guys in high school when a '55 and a '56 Chevy showed up. The '55 was 283 with Power Pack motor and the 56' was a 327. As I sat on the hood of my smoking hot (and seized )Ford and drank a couple of beers on a warm summer night on the 4-lane out of town, I sadly realized that it was all over for the Fords and others if they did not put out a engine to compete with the Chevy small blocks. Actually very sad...cried in my beer so to speak. I worked 3 part-time jobs that summer and ended up with a '67 Nova with an LT-1 the next year......I took any job that would make me money and saved every dime. Loved the car. Probably the strongest runner I ever had was a '57 Ford into which I transplanted a 427 side-oiler(much later).....then I realized what real power was.....
@@bigboreracing356 I've heard that really motivates the little Foxbody. I've been thinking about that, too.
I absolutely love the flat heads. I don't think that there has ever been a prettier engine ever built.the sound of them is awesome too.
Yep. Too bad they don't make more power. That's a lot of dough to make so little power. But they do look cool as hell.
@@unicornsteaks6769 Nostolgic factor is off the charts tho. No amount of money is too much for the experience that is the Flathead in a Rod. 260ft/lbs in those lightweight chassis is a whole lot of fun.
Yeah, flatheads are cute little engines with stock heads and stock head bolts... smaller bores than the little Buick OHV aluminum 215" V8s...
@@BuzzLOLOL Cute and little is anything but what a hot Flathead's sounds like and they look so cool. Especially with that induction!
They sure lack on performance though.
A 302 Windsor with that amount of work would make 350-400 hp rather than 159.
THAT GUY IS A LIVING MASTER MECHANIC. HAVE LOTS OF RESPECT
Love these old flatheads. It is amazing to me that these days it is no big problem to get one hp per cubic inch. The evolution has been unreal.
These guy's are so experienced with building race engines it's like playing with Legos 😎👍
Absolutely love those flatheads, they look great in those 60s rods with a triple carb setup.
I built a flathead for my father almost 40 years ago, I was in the tenth grade!! It was sweet , it had an offenhouser three duece intake and heads blowing thru custom headers and 12” glasspacks. I will never forget driving this on my last day of high school!!!
Nice to see old bits of kit like this bought back to life. Also nice the skills to do so are still around!.
How old is this episode that Pat had to be introduced? He's an Engine Power/PowerNation staple.
Yeah I cant imagine engine without pat 🤣this must be pretty old
At the end of the episode its says the year in Roman numerals MMXIV = 2014
I first remember him from a driveway rescue episode years ago
Ive been watching since Stacy David was on Trucks!… To me Pat is still the new guy…
@@TheFARM2019 STACEEEEEE
TY Keith Dorton for your expertise, and good flathead build-----! AND Pat Topolinski, TY as well.
Keith Dorton is a legend! Much respect to that man, he's been doing it since before most of us were even born.
I wish as a kid I could have worked around guys like Keith, I love working on engines but never had the tools as a kid. I love watching the professionals work.
That’s a powerful lawnmower engine
😂
You mean you havent upgraded your old briggs yet?? Everyone's done it!
Nope has more power than your Honda Civic
@@velezdragon3574 Ok grandpa, let's get you to bed.
That "lawnmower engine" made decent hp. No GM or Chrysler engine of that time would make that kind of power with those simple mods. Also none sounded no where as good. Also Ford Flathead/L Head & 4cyl L Head for the Model T made the Top 10 greatest engines of the 20th Century. GM had 1 engine SBC that's all American made engines made the list.
The World Record Flathead made 700hp & holds Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Record of 300mph.
Watch the past Power Nation when Horse Power TV when they built a Blown Flathead made around 350hp with a 4-71.
Great video. love the sound of a Flathead. Always thought one would be awesome in an old Falcon because it would be different. Everyone puts 302's or chevy small blocks in them, but a Flathead would be something totally different because I have never seen one in a car like that.
I had one in 1965 , 1953 Ford flat head my dad and I rebuilt it he was a diesel machanic in the navy it brings back many memories.you made a great video I love it 👍
Oh Yeah... Built one of these with a buddy in a stripped down '42 Ford. Won a lot of money back in the sixties in Pasadena, Ca.
I've had several flatheads. A 1941 FH in a speedboat, another in a 34' ex-USN launch, another in a '46 Ford.
What I would love to see is a build up of a flathead six.
The best hotrod motor EVER! as sexy as it gets
That is a great sounding flattie! Really nice looking and runs excellent. Those torque figures blew me away. Great idea to relieve the block from valves to the combustion chamber. A 1950's engine mixed with today's tech makes a winning combination.
They are some good sounding engines, but for power, an inline 6 can easily beat the flathead V8
@@bertgrau3934You miss the point.
@@michaelbenardo5695
Yep
@@bertgrau3934So true. Factory stock Ford flatties topped out at 110 HP. The Mopar FLATHEAD SIX in those years made 115.
The Flat Head is such a cool engine, even if i don´t have a car, i need one for my living room decoration.
Flatties have a sound that is music to any gearhead's ears. I love the sound of a big block or a Coyote revving to 8000 rpm but the flat head will always have a spot in my heart.
Any time I see the Dorton name, I think back to Randy Dorton and those that died in the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash.
Most historical engine ever.
Very cool.
Growing up as a kid in the 50s and early 60s, my dad and uncle raced at local tracks here in New Hampshire. They had a Ford Tudor that they hauled with a 48 Ford F-2 that had a small wrecker body. Both were flatheads. I grew up with the sounds of flatheads ringing in my ears and to this day, I still compare every engine to the looks and sound of those flattys. None better looking or better sounding to me.
Had s 348 chevy with 3 2bl carbs,changed the vacuum linkage to progressive linkage,good strong motor,good gas mpg.
That Ford Flathead V8 with a cam, tri-power and headers put out 159 hp. My stock 2002 SVT Focus, 2 liter F.I. 4 cylinder, put out 170 hp! Times have indeed changed!
But that focus, no matter what you do to it,, will never have the sound, class, go, cool WOW factor that,, that flathead and whatever vehicle it goes in will
@@edzimdahl1158 - I was simply pointing out how things have changed in 90 years. I'm not saying one is better than the other - they couldn't be more further apart in technology if they tried. The flathead was an iconic engine for sure, giving Ford a V8 23 years before Chevrolet had one. While no other auto engine has the unique, guttural, booming sound of an American V8, it is not the only moving sound an engine can make. If you haven't heard the smooth, but lovely mechanical sound of an SVT at 7,000 rpm, you can't appreciate what I'm saying. Trust me, it aint no V8, but it is no less a marvelous sounding power plant in its own way!
Quizas los chicos de PowerNation puedan hacerlo mejor y conseguir mas Horse power de ese Flat head si se lo proponen.
I was helping a new friend with his car. March 2023. In his shed, I counted no less than 6, flathead v-8 fords. The one I acquired, appears to be a 1949- 100 hp- 1/2 ton truck motor. Complete. All there. With clutch.
Love it, a clone of the first engine I built in 1965, I was 16 and never did get the carbs perfect.
I love that the engine builder guy taught his son. What a legend. Such a great skill to work on mechanical parts. It helps you out with everything physical in this world. Love the old school builds. I love history.
So very cool flat heads got to be the best sounding motor
There were two brothers from Hartford or New Haven West Virginia who were well known for building flathead Ford engines and racing Indian motorcycles. The Fields Brothers, Lenord and Ray. I was Blessed to meet both of them and became friends with them. Ray lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. Both were an inspiration not only for Ford Flathead engines and Indain motorcycle but in life itself. Ray taught me there has only been one perfect man in this world and He has scars in HIs hands. A man I will NEVER forget..
I have an original 37 Ford service truck with Holmes body. Can’t wait to hop up my 24 stud flattie. Thanks for showing
Beautiful. Like watching a portrait being painted. Really nice engine. And yes, the flatties do indeed have a unique sound, which I also like.
As. Retired. Mechanic. I. Loved. The. Sound. Of. Those. Ford. Flatheads. Good video
I had a smile on my face from beginning to end. What a great build!!! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this informative video. I really enjoyed it very much. I rebuilt my 1st flathead when I was 15 years old. I'm now completing my flathead rebuild for my 51 Ford f2 pick up & I'm only 72 years young now ! Lol. Thanks again.
Great interesting and educational video, the little over a half hp per cubic inch makes you appreciate what a big deal it was when factory engines were first rated at one hp per cubic inch in '56 + '57. I can remember going to the drags for the first time in '63, and even then the flathead drag cars still received a great deal of interest...
A friend of mine back in the 60's and 70's bought up every flathead performance parts he came across. He got them for pennies on the dollar. Had had/has aluminum heads, both flathead and over head (several sets of original Ardun not the later ones) , multi carb set ups, and even early superchargers. Now when he needs a few bucks he'll put something up on E-Bay and let the bidders fight. Nice additional income for retirement. Always cool to see a running flathead.
I had a 53 Ford F100 pickup with the 239 flat head engine. It idled so smoothly you could set a cup of water on top of the air cleaner without spilling a drop.
Yes this way cool, but Keith's and his knowledge are definitely the coolest.
In my humble opinion, I believe that the flathead V-8 and the 300 six cylinder are the best engines Ford ever produced. That little monster sounds like music compared to the crap they make now.
PCV valve the oil filler neck, add crankcase vacuum. Drill and gromet the filler neck. adds high RPM performance and keeps oil clean of gas.
I just haven't got words for this old build,Keith you are amazing with lots of skills concerning these old motors,son,you must carry on with my legacy,keep me proud !
Imagine what Keith and his late brother, Randy, could do! RIP Randy.
14:18 Forget the ENGINE! That's an ORIGINAL Leatherman Wave!!
I work at a scrap metal recycling facility as a maintenance supervisor in Australia one day an old farmer trucked in a load of engines and just tipped them out. Six flatheads one 409 one 460 and two 351 Cleveland, and one Harley Davidson Panhead engine, I payed my boss scrap value and dropped them off to a old mate of mine who is a hotrod and Harley Davidson fanatic, I’ve never seen this man ever get emotional,
It was hilarious how out of control he was! He payed me $300 scrap rate. best deal of his life. Ps every engine was stored undercover in a shed and was in good condition.
Absolutely beautiful engine, would be cool to see it in a nice project car
Thank you for putting an Isky cam in it. That is what it would probably have had. Worked there in the late 70's and was amazed how concerned they were about quality.
Great to observe the building of this fantastic old school engine. Top video.
Best sounding engine in history, flat head music makers
In1957 I ran a flat head with4 97 carbs egg in built by charily snow it was very fast in those days
I like visiting machine shop and see the work done
Flatheads are awesome!
That guy you brought in is one smart guy need to have a show with him being in it ! Call it ! The real mechanic!! ""Pat"
You guys should do a 348 Chevys very first big block Chevy
Or the 409!
Regarding oil filtration on a flathead, many, many engines had an optional bypass oil filter with replaceable cartridge. So there was more filtration than just the screen!
They used to sell a filter cannister that held a roll of toilet paper. They claimed it was able to filter smaller particles than a regular filter. I don't think it had a bypass tho.
How sweet it is, I loved my 53 ford sunliner ,I built the motor with bolt on stuff ,and a nice sounding little cam, nothing sounds as pretty as an old flathead to me.
That was in 1966 when l had that old ford , traded it for a 54 studebaker lowboy ,really wish l had them today.
Wow. So Pat's been there since season 1. I did not know that.
Me too.
He couldn't stay away!
When he got hired on was when the network got bought out by ABC Sports, previously on Spike TV, previously TNN… with a new network they did a rebranding to try to be a little more technical with their work then it just slowly became the same thing it had always been
@@TheFARM2019 you mean the shleping to whatever corporate overlord throws the production company the most money? yea, that didnt take too long. the production company got the same mindset wheel dealers did - too technical was costing them viewers, dumb things down skip the big builds or chop them down to as little episodes as possible
Lordy this reminds me of people restoring steam trains in the UK! Wonderful machines, but absolute dinosaurs! Lovely to watch the workshop skills, but also a little sad to realise that this is not going to last very long. Hopefully TH-cam will archive such activities so that our children and Grandchildren can wonder over them.
Beautiful Flathead
Them old flat heads had a good sound
Flatheads forever. Still my favorite engine. I miss mine. 50 Ford club coupe. 3 on the tree with overdrive.
Mine was a 49, the great old days.
When you had it ? What when you was 10 ? You dont look a day over 20
@@1BigDaDo it was my daily driver for a while when I was 16. I'm now 45.
Holy crap I love the amount of chapters. Kudos to the editor
I have built a few flatheads, mostly stock. The factory horsepower rating varies from 90ish to 105 or so, every dyno is different. I really expected more from that 304cid combo but I never ran any of my motors on a dyno.
Considering that all-out combos often get around the 180hp mark naturally aspirated I'm not surprised what it made. Much lower compression, rpm, port efficiency and available cam timing make these old 8's far less powerful than our modern wonder motors.
But are they still awesome? Hell yeah! Long live the flatheads!
@@boingkster had a bloke roll into my machine shop with a scat crank, asked if I could mill a keyway into it for a blower pulley...why the hell not? broached his pulley to suit and sent him on his way. 6 months later a ford coupe rod rumbles into my drive with this supercharged EFI direct port flathead. this thing sounded like nothing else. I was no fan of flatheads until I heard that thing
@@jdshqs that sounds insane ! and im sure the engine sounded wonderful too ! As a tech for a toyota dealer, i love the new efficient motors but i love how easy and soulful older units are and how close they can come when you get the combo right !
Starting at 110 stock, that's a 45% horsepower increase. About the same as stroking a 350 chevy to a 383 and getting 435 hp, also a 45% increase over the stock 300.
Because it was built for street use... So that it's reliable.
You can squeeze more out of it. But at a higher probability of failure... Something my friend learned building one in the late 70's....
They show up after the dirty work is over
Nice job on that engine. I did a flathead for my dad many year's ago. It's still running around town.
There is no engine made that sounds as sweet as a flathead Ford V8.
On a Flathead, there is a bolt that holds the water pump on that go through the inlet hose boss! This bolt must be stainless steel!
I remember building 1 of these engines back in the sixties... While I wish still in High school.. That was 55 years ago. Yes I used out the blockheads and 3 douche Carburetors.. Thank you for the memory
Awesome Flathead build… you guys nailed it. Good to see you did an oil system upgrade. Did mine at the pump. I need to watch this several more times, thank you so much. 🍻👍👍👍
49-53 8-BA great set up yall.
Awesome. Great video. Thank You and the Team Helpers
Very cool build😊
I still have the tri-power flathead Ford V8 that was in my '51 Ford before I put an Oldsmobile J2 engine in it.
A nicer finish to engines can be achieved by painting the bare block and head before core plugs are fitted. This goes for any other parts like oil filter housings, water pump, sump ect and assembled with new zinc bolts. Painting over bolt heads can IMHO look a little tacky.
A perfect rebuild and a pleasure to watch.. 👍
I had a 1950 Ford F2, a 3/4 ton pick up
I rebuilt the engine in 1988, and used adjustable lifters, a very smart thing to do.
Had it bored .030 over just a 2 bbl carb had ok power, around town about 12 MPG, on highway 15MPG.
I ADDED dual exhaust, and a paper air filter I'm not sure if that helped gas mileage or not. I used 2 glass pack mufflers
Glass paks and 6 packs gets ur heroes in blue on my rear end everytime...
@@wildestcowboy2668
My old pickup would only run about 70MPH
and I wouldn't run it that hard for long at around 60 MPH I got 15MPG
What a great engine. Perfect for a model B coupe, sedan or pick-up!
This probably would have been a setup the old moonshiners would have used to outrun the G-men. Nice build!
When Ford first built that eng it was about 60hp. That eng makes almost triple that. I'd say that's a job well done 👍
The blurb said 110hp stock. I'm not sure all that work was worth the extra 50hp. At 304 ci it's quite a bit bigger and a performance cam plus all that block work I'm a bit disappointed. I blame the carbs
Wrong they did make a smaller 17 stud 60hp from 37-40. This started out as a 110hp. Should have been up in the 180hp tange at 304cid
Sweet, need to check with some people into getting my truck restored.
Thanks for some ideas. I have a 49 and a 52 v8 flathead. For a 52 f1. Keep up the good work.
About the same as a 63 ford 260 v8 @ 164hp, 258#ft 2 bbl, stock....STILL LOVE THE OLD FLATTIE...just cannot afford to build one.
Awesome classic engine tuning
I was fortunate to work with Ed Bingly in the early 80’s at Chris Zootis Performance Center. If you know Flat Heads, you know whom I’m speaking of.
Incredible engine builders!
Thanks, Just Amazing. My first car had a ford Flat Head, A 1952 Ford Customline....
Cool build I would’ve like to have seen more offy parts on the flathead!
If you look at old episodes I think when it was Horse Power TV they built a Flathead with a Blower. It was a single carb like a 4-71 roots style. There is a company that remakes the original Paxten SC from the 40's 50's that's V belt driven. They make 6 pounds boost or you can get them modified to 8 pounds. There experience though. I like to see a build like that using remade nostalgic parts.
I’m not certain as to when they came stock from Ford, but I do know that unlike he says in the video, the 1953 239 CID Flathead came with a Can Type oil filter and cartridge. It required that you use a syringe to remove the leftover oil in the canister after removing the oil filter cartridge, unless you wanted to unbolt and remove the canister to remove all the used engine oil.
Super cool. I would have liked to see in the block ports to see their shape. I'd love to do a VSCC racing specail with one of these engines.
It's always a thrill to see a flathead on the street ,chevys get real old.
Had a 48 2 door sedan with 39 transmission that old flathead ran so quite and smooth at idle you had to open the hood to show it was running. I sold it in 1963 to a guy that drove it to California and back from North Dakota, after work one day he was going to show how much dig it had started out spraying gravel then hit pavement and blew transmission parts all over the road. He pushed it thru junkyard gate for 35.00 sad ending for so little damage.
Masterpiece art. Wonder if a bigger radiator and a much forced water flow could keep hot spots controlled. And an oil radiator, by the way.
Pat with hair!, I've always been curious as to what show he was introduced on.... must have been a audition show to see the chemistry between him and galley.
Intake sound is part of the overall package. A sweet burbling at idle with easy breathing flow as much possible with the convoluted flow in the 32 Ford cast iron V 8.
Experiment with various air pressure blower booster designs of engine driven and exhaust driven types.
Also direct cylinder injection fuel system might be interesting with computer control fuel air mixtures.
I just want to add my 2 cents worth to all the negative comments I have been reading about cost vs. power with the Ford Flathead. Have to admit most is true, 160 HP from 300 cubic inches with all the mods is beyond a joke. Then we have to remember we are looking at a design that's getting close to 100 years old. In 1932 the average HP for cars was about 25. Ford's 221 V8 was rated at 65 HP climbing to 85 HP several years later. For me, 160 HP from a design originally rated at 65 HP isn't too bad.
They said they wanted a smooth running street engine. They could have got more horses out of it, but then it would not be a smooth docile engine. And the average horsepower in 32 was about 50 - 60. 25 horsepower was typical of the early 20s.
my favorite sounding engines are old ford Y blocks they sound so raspy and they're such an improvment over the flatheads eventhough the flatheads were super cool!
Be cool to experiment with an app that would allow sound tuning for exhaust note.
Try pipe diameter, configurations, muffler, length etc. at a touch to find the sweet spot of sound.
Then implement the system that sounds best in stainless steel.
Great build and thanks for sharing
8:41 That seems crazy that the valve lifter height-adjustment screw doesn't have a jam nut or some other means of locking in the adjustment.. I guess the lifter rotates freely enough to not allow the adjustment screw to rotate independently?