FLATHEAD V8, Ford made this engine for 21 years. 136, 221, 255, 239, 337
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 พ.ค. 2023
- Today on what it’s like Discussion episode we are going to talk about the flathead ford V8. Loads of information in this one enjoy =)
If you’d like to get in touch with me shoot me a comment in the comment section below or check out our Facebook group by clicking the link below if you don’t have Facebook and would like to reach out to me send me an email at what_its_like@yahoo.com
 groups/70769... - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Is the song Hot Rod Lincoln by commander Cody?
Yeah buddy congratulations you got it!! =)
@@What.its.like. I would like to thank my mom for looking up the artist for me, for I recognized the song but I knew not the artist.
=) awesome team work
@@CreatorCade I'm glad you got it. It'was driving me nuts not knowing . Thank you Josh and Mom
My favorite song
OH man...My mom drove a nice,( but rusty!) 53' Ford Custom 4dr sedan to work for several YEARS!..was reliable, but blue smoke when accelerating. I learned how to drive when 11 yrs old! I handled that HUGEAGH steering wheel & 3-on-a-tree manual like I was BORN for it!!
Thank you so much for sharing those memories =)
WAY DOWN INSIDE! That engine needs a whole lotta love, Zepplin
My Dad's first car was a 1940 Ford with the 221 V-8. In January, 1944 he & my Mom drove it from New Jersey to New Orleans (on "borrowed" gas coupons) where he sold the car before he was shipped overseas to Leyte Gulf. He had bought the car new in 1940. It was a great car as long as the temperature was below about 75 degrees outside. Overheating problem---yes. It was quicker than Grandpa's 1939 Chevrolet.
Great story thank you so much for sharing that memory =)
Yeppers, the overheating was from the exhaust running too far through the blocks/coolant areas... Ford flathead racers reverse the flow and take the exhaust out quickly through the short intake port...
The thermal issues, air flow, and not the least of the issues, cracking the block, demonstrate just what a challenge it was to produce reliable engines that had power. Today, we take engines for granted….but getting here was trial and error…..no computer simulation programs. Let alone, doing calculations by hand or on a slide rule.
Nice report…well done!
Thank you so much for adding the issue of the cracked blocks I totally forgot to mention that it was a colossal issue in the very beginning. Not sure what they did to fix that or if that was always just a lingering problem with those engines.
It is interesting to think about all the advancements made _before_ computers!
@@What.its.like. That was a big problem on the 1932 engines, but by 34, was pretty much a thing of the past, until the 8BA of 48/49. It would crack if overheated too often. The 81A and the 59A engines were not prone to cracking. The 59AB was the best of the bunch.
The 38 - 48 LB and 59A engines were pretty good that way, but the 48- 53 8BA was known for cracking fairly easy.
The 136 Flathead engine continued to be made available in passenger cars for over two decades by Ford of France, later Simca, and ended its life enlargened to 2.4L in Brazilian made Simcas. The last development of the small Flathead was the 2.5L (153ci) Emi-Sul V8 in 1963, which was heavily reengineered with OHV and Hemispherical combustion chambers, and produced up to 140hp. Ironically Simca would then be bought by Chrysler of all people.
Awesome thank you so much for that information I should’ve change the title for the American market because what happened in foreign markets was totally different but that’s awesome that that engine went on for that long. I think the small engine is cute =)
So which one was the best, the most reliable?
Ford was putting flathead engines in vehicles from 1906 to 1980's...
Louie Chevrolet was a race car driver and never allowed a weak flathead engine under his hoods... all powerful OHV engines only...
I rode in a Simca Vedette back in the early 60's, boy, was that a gutless flat head, in Australia people were writing in to motor magazines asking if they could swap out the engine for a Holden 6 and that at a time when that OHV old grey motor was only good for about 70 HP.
The LB and the 59AB.
My dad said son you going to drive me to dranking if you dont stop driving that hot rod Lincoln...i love it cause my fender was clipping the gard rail post the guy beside me was white as gost.. 😆😆😆😆 i guess thats work's...if ya take your foot off the gas an man alive i shoved down into over drive....
Most people know days dont know nothing about none of that .all most know now days is its got 8 cylinders an use them all ...great video 👍👍👍 👍
Haha great song =)
When I was about 9 years old, my dad showed me 100 miles per hour on a very unmodified '53 Ford Victoria. An old mechanic who fixed my car in the 1970s once said if a flathead Ford had oil, it would run. Period.
Awesome memory =)
100 mph was very impressive for a 1953 car in the low price field.
Was also not too shabby for a 70s V8 car, as they had much less power than a 60s V8.
Outstanding overview of an icon. The smaller V8, iirc, was developed for Ford of Europe for fuel efficiency (especially after the B 4 cylinder ended production). Easy picks for me - 1933 Tudor as it was my dad’s first car. The 1940 Ford is among the most beautiful automobiles ever assembled to my eyes. And you are so right, one of the most beautiful sounds in the world is an “uncorked” Ford flathead V8. Thank you as always ~ Chuck
Glad you dig this episode chuck =) it was supposed to get released yesterday but I didn’t get it finished going to shoot some really cool stuff this week I can’t wait. 72 demon is coming tomorrow 72 demon is coming tomorrow =)
Fun Fact: The truck version of the 239 block, as well as the 221 block before it, was also used in a few transit bus designs produced by Ford themselves, though they only lasted in that business from the mid-30's to the early 50's.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing that information =)
Improved crankcase ventilation did not improve cooling. What DID improve cooling was relocating the water pumps from the heads to the front of the blocks. The 239 came out in the new 39 Mercury and started being shared with Ford in 1946. It made 100 horsepower just like the 48 - 51 version. In 1949, the Mercury was given a stroked version, 255 cubic inches. It made 110 horsepower in 49 - 50, 112 in 52, and 125 horsepower for 52 and 1953.
I fucking love the sound they make no other engine sounds like they do
Such a nice sound I will add though if you have a muffler hooked up to it doesn’t make much of a noise.
Crazy but true story about the 1932 Ford Flatehead V8 was gangsters of the Great Depression like Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger used to steal Ford V8 cars when ever they could because they could outrun the police. John Dillinger even sent a letter to Henry Ford thanking him for his creation and how wonderful a car the 1932 V8 Ford was.
Thank you so much for sharing a story =)
Except Chevy OHV inline 6s of same year made more power than Ford flathead V8s... '76 Pontiac Iron Duke 4 banger makes more power, twice the MPG, and vastly more reliable...
Clyde wrote to Henry Ford.
@@patrickcannell2258 - Huh ?
32 Chevy made 60 horsepower, didn't it? I think the 33 and 34 made 70. The new for 37 216 made 85 horses.
40 Ford looks so nice. i wish they could offer cars with such style today, at that price. The Flathead had great durability because they had so few moving parts compared to the overhead valve motors. Ardun was a beauty.
34 & 40 Fords. You do an excellent job on your blogs, thank you for sharing with us!
Great choices thank you so much glad you dig this episode =)
I had a 1949 Mercury with a flathead V-8. I completely rebuild the engine and the enclosed drive train. Changing a water pump would be easy. Those engines had double everything the most interesting of which was the distributer. It is mounted on the front end of the cam and has dual points. It is timed with a square when you first put the distributer in. After the belt is on and the engine is in the vehicle retiming the engine would be quit a job but one of the two water pumps would be easy. There was room to work on those cars.
That was a great review of a Great engine
I want to do more engine episodes maybe I can get some engines running in the next installments
Glad you dig this episode =)
Very interesting. When you showed pictures of the 1933 and 34 fords you showed two 34s. The 33 has curved louvers on the hood sides.
Thank you so much for that correction I typed in 33 and just looked for a good angle. Thank you for catching that
They are so similar I didn't even notice.
The way I have always told the two apart is a 1933 ford has a curved grill almost like a skateboard ramp and a 34 is more straight up and down with no curve. There is also differences in the V8 emblem but I don't remember which is which, the louvers like you pointed out I believe the door handles and the cowl vents are different again I couldn't tell you which is which I just know there's differences between the two.
I could never afford them at least not as a cool coupe or roadster so I never learned all the differences.
I just saw a vehicle with this in it, went to an abandoned small town (new the land owner enough to not feel bad about it) with my brother and his girlfriend just to show them around the old town, and then the landowner came out and showed us around and told us about the town and how his dad helped build up the town and put in almost every building on the land, then showed us all the old Ford vehicles that he had(as well as some old tractors) he had a f100 that looked almost brand new as they have kept it in a shed for most all of its life and made sure to keep it running every once in a while, then they had an old Ford with the flathead v8, only thing missing was the front bumper as their son had accidentally ran into a stump or something hidden in the tall grass, it spent it's life in a shed, the dad bought the land in 54 I want to say, and it was sitting in a shed and didn't take much to get it running and they just kept it running and stored away, didn't get to see it running but still cool to see
Cool story thank you so much for sharing that memory with us =)
@What it’s like no problem, also forgot to say but it was a 1934, keep up the videos
1933 / 1940 'would you rather' section. Great narrative and description. It makes me want to tinker with my flathead! 👍😁
That’s the whole point of this channel is to be inspired to fix that project or to be inspired to get something different, glad you dig this episode
Ford Y block engine family is coming later on today
Thanks, enjoyed watching.
Thank you glad you dig this episode =)
I had a flathead 239 in my 52 F1 pickup. It was recently rebuilt and ran great. I put 2x2 Stromberg carbs on it and tubular headers. I added a mid 60s Toploader close ratio four speed transmission. The stock 3.92 rear axle ratio was kept. It would easily keep up with modern vehicles and traffic. There was no overheating issues and gas mileage was a solid 15MPG. And the sound from the dual glasspacks was unlike any OHV v8. Still have the truck, but not the flathead.
Thank you so much for sharing your truck with us that engine sounds really sweet.
What engine did you end up putting in instead and why
'76 Pontiac Iron Duke 4 banger made more HP, twice the MPG, and vastly more reliable... Your truck prolly had a big enough radiator to help prevent overheating... overheating was from exhaust running clear through engine block/coolant areas before exiting... Ford flathead racers reverse the flow and take exhaust out through the short intake ports...
Thermal Efficiency was terrible which is what caused chronic overheating issues, which resulted in cracked blocks frequently. It was made worse by Henry insisting that the exhaust manifolds be placed on the outside of block V requiring the exhaust gases to be routed through the block and coolant adding even more heat to get rid of. Had they mounted them on the inside of the V like all other Flat Head V engines they could have been a much more durable engine.
I forgot about talking about the block cracking issues in the very early cars before 1935..
In 1937, they relocated the water pumps from the heads to the front of the blocks. This was a big improvement, as the low-pressure area was in the radiator, the coolest spot. With them in the heads, the low pressure area is the heads, which are the hottest spot. Low pressure means a lower boiling point.
Yes, the overheating was from the exhaust running too far through the blocks/coolant areas... Ford flathead racers reverse the flow and take the exhaust out quickly through the short intake port...
The Oakland and the Viking both had mono-block V8s in 1930, 2 years before Ford did. Also, the small 136 cube job and the later 337 "big block" were both different engines from the 221/239 engine.
One of the reason why the water pumps were a nightmare to remove was because one of the bolts were INSIDE the pump itself and often corroded and the head would break off. You had to take off the water hose and use an extension inside the water outlet tube to get to the bolt. Another problem with this engine was overheating and the block would crack. I've only owned one Ford pickup with a flathead V8 and I hated the thing. It's been nothing but classic Chevy trucks from then on.
That bolt was a problem, but a thicker radiator core will pretty much fix the overheating. That remained a Ford problem even in the 60s - overheating issues, except on 6 cyl.
@michael I had a 67 mustang with overheating issues
@ iron clad ranch and forge thank you so much for sharing that Insight =)
@@What.its.like. -- I've owned just about every type of truck made between 1950 and 1980 except International. For some reason I never could find a good buy on International. Anyway, Ford was the WORST of them all no matter what year. When it comes to Ford trucks, I've owned a 1950, 1958, 1960, 1964, 1970, 1976, and 1980. All of them sucked for one reason or another. The Chevy's and Dodges have been the best in every category I can think of, and I've owned A LOT of them over the years. Probably the most reliable was this ugly 1965 Dodge 3/4 ton pickup I owned back in the early 1980's. I used it for work. That truck simply wouldn't die, even if I wanted it to. It had the slant I6 engine, probably one of the best engines ever made. That is saying a lot considering my favorite truck is Chevy and my favorite engine of all time is the Chevy straight 6, another reliable engine.
Built 16ft inboard in 1969,installed a 1953 cusomline V8,if my boat had wings I reckon it may have flown,water was pumped up through the engine and out through the 2 exhausts,boy what a sound. Australia 🇦🇺
That boat sounds pretty awesome
The early V-8 flathead had overheating problems. A man named Charles Alberdun. Discovered the problem was in the heads. He cast 400 Alberdun heads to sell to Ford. He discovered his heads increased the horsepower. He brought them to Ford and they weren't interested. He sold a set of heads to Chrysler and he sold the rest of the heads to Hot Rodders. A Flathead engine with Alberduner heads dominated for many years as they were a hemispherical design. Crysler offered a hemispherical engine in their 50s Dodge division 331, 354, and 392 cubic inch offerings there were single and double rocker arm engines offered in the DeSoto, Plymouth, and Imperial divisions. 🎉😮😊
The overheating was from the exhaust running too far through the blocks/coolant areas... Ford flathead racers reverse the flow and take the exhaust out quickly through the short intake port...
Arkus Duntov came up with ArDun OHV heads for Ford flathead blocks...
Well done these is a good video 👍
Thank you glad you dig
it was a very haunting sounding motor. my favorite was the 8EL 337...❤
Other than the cooling issues, it was a great motor. Early hot rodders treasured them. The "Y" block was a better motor. Geez...I love the looks of the 32, and who cannot like the 40'. They're American icons!
Yeah ford made some of the best cars in the flathead v8 era Y blocks are cool they have oiling issues early chevys had the same issues
Hi Jay. I'm afraid you failed to mention the 2 biggest upgrades to the Ford V8 for 49 - 53. First, Ford V8's up to 49 had the bell housing cast integrally with the block, while for 49 and later the bell housing was a separate casting, as per the way everyone else was doing it. Secondly, pre 49 engines had the distributor inaccessibly mounted on the front of the motor and driven directly off the camshaft. For 49, a 'normal' distributor was fitted, which was mounted just in front of the right head. There were a couple of iterations of the early distributor, but the last of them is said to resemble a crab. I prefer to think of it as resembling the first phase of the monster from Alien.... the one that grabs your face and puts a proboscis down your throat.
Hey Peter Anderson thank you so much for sharing all of that information that I’ve failed to mention really appreciate it =)
My two favorite Ford body styles EVER were the 1934 2-door roadster with rumble seat and 1940 Ford coupe. Those are my choices!
Great choices =)
Very interesting video of a hallmark engine. Well done Jay. You've outdone yourself! '52 Ford for me.
Glad you dig this episode they’ll be more engine episodes coming like I wanna do one on the slant six Chevy stove bolts six And do episodes on people behind the cars I think that would be really awesome
@@What.its.like. Excellent idea. I'd love to learn about all the other engines and engineering involved with the early cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
Those old engines had respectable torque. Some body should rebuild and modernized 255 flat head engine
Interesting and informative video! I'd take the '34 and '52 😎
Sweet choices =)
the 53 ford I remember them as a kid
52-54 for is my favorite 50s era of ford
@@What.its.like. Me too Jay! OHV 'Mileage Maker' 6!
In todays Hot Rod environment, the cooling issues of yesterday can be addressed in many modern ways. Extractors [headers to the Americans] reduce nasty heat building back pressure, alloy heads dissipate heat better, electric fuel pumps help overcome vapour lock & an adequately sized, lightly pressurised radiator will help enormously. Using the engine in something light, such as a Model T, A, or a 32 HiBoy will reduce the need for sustained high power settings. These things in a rebuilt engine with a sterile clean block [no rust in coolant areas] & the payoff, with carbs & mild cam, is good performance & a dinosour engine that will outlive us all.
Very true.. just know that these were notorious for overheating back in the day and now that they’re almost 100 years old I’m sure they still do the same thing. Without any Modifications or anything like that
I do not care which years you do. I always learn something from your videos. The later flatheads had a separate bell housing because Ford was developing an automatic transmission.
Aw thank you so much for the positive vibes =) glad you dig this channel
Great overview, Jay. I learned a few things! And I'll take the '34 and '40 Fords.
Glad you dig this episode going to do more like Chevy stovebolt 6 and mopar hemis
I gotta say, i love this concept of using flat head engine ! But it sadly wont pass euro 6.
Wait look at the crankshaft, it is the same concept as an harley davidson twin, that's why they sound so good.
I was like this episode wasn’t supposed to air until 430 I must’ve won early sometimes it happens lol
Great information. =)
@@What.its.like. idk, im french so this may be why i am here so early.
You mean 4h30m ?
This episode was supposed to air at 4:30 Eastern time it’s all good though
All V engines have a crankshaft like that... Harley sound is from the narrow V... most V8s are larger 90 degree V... as is a Ducati, which is vastly smoother engine than a Harley...
I’ll take the 34 ford just based on looks thank you
Sweet =) I think the 34 looks really great 32 might be a bit overrated..
33 ford my favorite
40' Ford all day - 39-40' Ford and Mercury's my favorites of all time.
Great vid............ 👍👍
Thank you I’m glad you really enjoyed this video going to do more engine episodes in the future
@@What.its.like. Cool!!!!!!!
Lincoln only used the 337 flathead from '49 - '51, as an interim replacement for the flathead V12 while they were developing their OHV V8. The 317 OHV was introduced in '52, along with the new Lincoln body style. Ford & Mercs also got a makeover for their bodies in '52, but their OHV V8s would have to wait until the '54 models.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing =)
The 337 continued to be used in larger Ford trucks until 1954.
Lincoln only used the 337 V8 through 1951. They switched to their own 317 Y-block in 1952.
Ford trucks also discontinued the 337 in 1951. They switched to a 279 V8 based on the Lincoln 317.
How would crank case ventilation improve the cooling. You sure about that statement?
I always thought the flathead was a really neat engine. Edna still runs a flathead bored 60 over. Fairly stock other than that
Led Zeppelin Whole lotta love..
I'll go with the '33 Ford and the '52 Ford.
Now I want to do a little research on V8s vs straight 8s.
That sounds like an awesome follow up episode
"Way down inside" 10:55 "you need me" 🙂
Haha yeah buddy =)
'40 with an Ardun conversion!
My 50 Ford had the flat head V8 which was an excellent engine that Ford quit producing. Now I buy only Fords with the 5.0 which I strongly suspect the bright new engineers at Ford are doing their damndest to delete as an option. Buzz on with the electrics but I am not buying.
I had a French Simca Vedette that was sold new here in Australia in the early 1960’s and I bought it for peanuts a few years later as they were too expensive up against the Aussie built Valiants, Ford falcons and Holdens etc when new and wouldn’t pull a sailor off your sister as they had basically the Ford V8 -60 but with a bit more HP, Ford USA gave the design to Ford Europe when the US stopped building it and Ford in Germany used it for their Ford Vedette before selling it to Simca in France who did a pretty good job of modernising it and it was quite a well built car before the English Rootes group bought out Simca and then Rootes group sold out to Chrysler who then gave it to Chrysler Brazil who built it and modernised it again and turned the what was originally a sidevalve V8-60 into a mini Chrysler Hemi with overhead valve conversion and other mods and sold it right into the 1970’s I believe, so a long life and with quite a few owners!
Awesome story thank you so much for sharing those memories
👍👍
👍👍👍👍👍
Video Idea... 1:30 all but one of those engines had Metric spark plugs. How about doing a video on why spark plugs had metric threads way back then?
Another video idea along the same line... now all cars are all metric, why do tire sizes still have the rim size in inches?
Awesome ideas
1933 and 1940 ford . A thought 🤔
1940 V-8 Ford was the most important production car produced !!!
100 horsepower and did 100 miles per hour?
Today's super cars produce over 700 horse power if not more ??
By 1940 Ford performance standards today's Dodge should do 650 miles per hour 🤔😂 Lamborghini should do a 1000 miles per hour if they are as good as a 1940 FORD !!!!!!!!!!! 😂
Just a thought from the old school..🤠✌️
FACTS!
And the accident rate today is horrible. If we didn't have airbags, collapsible steering columns, etc., the death toll would be almost like a war zone. I say a 1904 Curved Dash Oldsmobile is fast enough for most of the motorists today. It had a 1 cylinder engine, and the car could reach about 25 MPH.
I got to drive a 40s Ford last summer I think 80 miles an hour will be the end of the world for that car I drove 50-55 mile per hour and that was plenty fast fir it
Driving a flathead V-8 is a different experience than the V8 that we are used to even the Y block is a different driving experience
@@What.its.like. Trust me, it will do more than 80 MPH. You are just used to the super-tall gearing of today's cars.
There are a lot of misconceptions in car culture about Henry Ford's opinion of the I6 that need to be rectified. I6's naturally balance the primary and secondary forces, and can run very smoothly. While the Model K was an expensive car, the financial reports from 1906 to 1908 suggest it was actually the car that kept the company afloat for those few years. Ford's I6 in the Model K was a fine piece of machinery, but too expensive to produce *sustainably.* When Chevrolet came out with their "Stovetop" I6 in 1929, they marketed it as "A six for the price of a Four." Chevrolet started gaining Ford customers, so Henry did what Chevy did: an Eight for the price of a Six. Ford even built a racecar using a Model K's I6 -- unfortunately, the engine was too good for the car, and blew out the right rear tire, and wrecked. There's a fella in the Horseless Carriage Club of America who has done a lot of research on this topic -- he has a very nice "Alphabet Collection" (a car of each model), and I'll send you the articles he wrote, if I can find them.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing all of that
It's my understanding that Henry swore off the 1906 Model K six cylinder as the flimsy crank had a nasty habit of breaking. Just poor engineering in that department I guess as the inline six is not a flawed design & worked well for everyone else.
The first Chevrolet six was about 1910 or'11 & it was a side valve. Then came Billy Durant who bought the company & the first "GM" Chev was an OHV four in 1912.. The first Chev OHV V8 was in 1917. [Model "D"]
The lowly Plymouth had full pressure oiling & 4 wheel hydraulic brakes in 1928, long before Ford ever adopted these features. Chrysler gifted the third Plymouth off the line to Ford & they still have it in their museum.
Ideal car as a driver? !932 Model 18 Deluxe V8 Coupe with 'improved' driveline. I would use a 1936 engine, [slipper mains & crankcase breathing, I like the early engines] headers, twin 94 carbs, [Much better than 48's or 97's] mild cam, finned alloy heads, 1939 gearbox with Zephyr gears [much better 2nd gear ratio] hydraulic brakes, pressurised radiator & electric fuel pump under the rear. These last two address the boiling & vapour lock problems. Oh yeah, later 1932 rear axle with pinion support bearing & 12 volt upgrade as well.
As far as early Fords go, .... perfection achieved.
"Stovebolt" not "Stovetop"
@@johneckert1365I think I'll have some turkey and Stovebolt Stuffing for dinner tonight. 😁
1932 Ford for me.
Who doesn’t like the good old flatheads
Dyed in Wool Chevrolet Sycophants !! 🤔 🤫 😂I am not one of Them. I get Upset when these Mindless Chevy Sheep 🐑 Put Chevrolet Engines in Ford or Chrysler 30's Street Rods. There is no Excuse to do so. Unless You lack Imagination & Taste.
The V8-60 had very small bores, i wonder how much of a real world fuel economy boost it provided?
Two water pumps double as engine mounts. Changing them is not unduly hard, engine has to be supported with a jack under it. Bolts affixing it to block include one inside water neck, not catching that could be bewildering.
The early ones, 32 - 36, had the water pumps in the heads. The 37 and later ones had them in the blocks where they doubled as engine mount pads.
The flathead engine mounting system was really only a cheap & nasty convenience at the engineering stage. Chrysler had a patent on their Floating Power system from 1932 which was the standard of the industry & was still in use till the last of the side valve sixes in the very early 1960's
The problem with the flathead is that the exhaust runs through the water jacket. This makes this design run hot in higher power applications. They still sound good though, even if they really cannot make the power that a 2.0 liter four cylinder makes today while having good drivability and clean emissions-
Totally agree =) these sound amazing
yeahhh...... they were so bad that only millions were made, and totally owned the affordable hot rod market into the 1960's.......
@@chrisgermo1956 They still had some glaring engineering faults that made them obsolete. But they were dirt cheap and readily available.
A 2.0 4 cyl doesn't make any torque though, and sounds like, ... a sewing machine 4 cyl.
Mine runs fine.
Ford still made the V8-60 in French and English Fords until around 1950
Awesome that’s crazy it went that long
@@What.its.like. yes indeed! Especially when they already had a new 6 in line, but I think the 6 was too large for the smaller European Fords
I seem to recall that the flathead V-8s had some HUGE counterweights inside.
Any thoughts on that? It seems like anything hugely heavy would limit acceleration.
Mine runs just fine, and its fast. Not stock though, 3x2s, Navarro heads, Cyclone intake, Ross high dome pistons, Winfield cam, Johnson tappets, lightened flywheel, Bubba distributor.
@@garycamara9955 Great to hear! Did you ever have the engine open, and if so, did you see the crankshaft? And, if so, did it have unusually large counterweights on it? (I'm just curious; I haven't had an engine open since I was in my teens)
Old engines were under square engines with small bores and large strokes, so large counterweights for crankshaft balance...
@@BuzzLOLOL Also some cars used iron instead of aluminum pistons which would be heavy and require more counterweight on the crankshaft.
There was a huge aftermarket for OHV conversions for the flathead. Word is that when Chevy with their OHV straight six started outselling Fords with the flatheads, the Old Man went nuts. If he heard of an engineer working on an OHV six, he would go down to the engine lab with a sledge hammer and smash it.
Chev outsold Ford from 1936 onward.
Although Studebaker had an excellent *SMALL* V8 in their 259/289 it's a shame that they didn't continue to develop the Packard V8 as the "Studebaker big block". They took the _'el cheapo'_ approach of bolting on their corporate supercharger instead.
I agree with everything you said I’m thinking about doing more engine episodes in the future definitely going to do one on Studebakers V-8 I was waiting to grow the base a little bit more before getting into those episodes but those have always been an idea since day one I also want to dive in deep with engineers and designers. I’m hoping one day that this is one of the go to Classic Car channels for finding information out about Lost and forgotten cars
Studebaker should have enlarged the 259 V8 eventually to 401" like Chevy did with small block...
@@BuzzLOLOL Not possible. At 289ci it was nearly maxed out. They had a 304.5ci version and that was it. The Packard V8 had the potential to be 500ci however.
@@Matt_from_Florida - Chevy used tricks to get the SBC to 401"...
@@BuzzLOLOLIt was actually 400 CID, not 401. AMC made a 401.
I'll take the 32
Sweet choice =)
Why is the 337 so over looked ? Thats the big block flat head !
I'd take the 40, and the 52 Fords.
=) awesome choices
My father bought flathead V8 Ford truck in 1937 in Croatia he told me the engine used to overheat and crack head.
I got to drive a few cars with flat heads in them last year the engines OK I would have to drive a car with a six cylinder from the time. To really get a just of whether or not the flathead is overrated because it’s kinda sorta like you can’t over rev they like to overheat not very fast or at least it wasn’t a 40 Ford but I’m not sure what version it had either it could’ve had a small version and that’s why I didn’t go very fast. 50 miles an hour is that car sweet spot 45-50 any more than that it seems like you’re pushing it or at least the 40 ford that I drove was like that
WYR? 40 - 53 And truly you haven't lived until you changed a water pump with a corroded center bolt.
Great choices I heard changing those are a real pain in the ass lol
With all the casting issue why did Henry persist with what was already an archaic engine Would have been easier and cheaper to cast an OHV engine. Others had made them. Which would have been more powerfull and more efficient with less overheating issues. Especially with 8 exhaust ports!!
If GM had made pressurised oiling the Ford V8 would have been around for a couple of years
Yeah really makes you wonder why they just didn’t go for overhead valve from the GetGo same thing with the Y block Ford had two tester engines the flathead V-8 in the Y block it wasn’t until the FE engine that Ford had a winner The MEL engines were good too but those weren’t found in Ford’s
Henry Ford was stuck in his ways...
Didn’t John Dillinger say nothing beat a Ford. Flat head? BTW, he served time with John Lam, as in “on the Lam”.
Bonnie and Clyde said something very similar Clyde loved the Ford V8 because it was fast and it wasn’t expensive per se they were very readily available to steal..
Ford should have been the first to have an overhead valve V8. Studebaker and Oldsmobile had one before Ford.
I agree one day we’re going to do an episode on both the Oldsmobile and Studebaker‘s first V-8
So did Chevy... but Henry got stuck in his old ways and was cheap... '76 Pontiac Iron Duke 4 banger makes more power, twice the MPG, and vastly more reliable....
Buddy Holly - Not fade away
Great Guess but no I believe it’s a one hit wonder I’ll have to look it up for sure
This band had 5 songs in the 70s
01:24 - Ford was not the first to mass produce a V8.
Cadillac introduced their first V8 in September of 1914. They sold over 13,000 in the first year of production.
There had been V8 aircraft, marine, and racing engines prior to that.
Hispano-Suiza, Benz, Renault, Curtis, and others made V8 aircraft engines by the thousands during WW1.
Ford was the first to mass produce affordable V8
Chevrolet also had an overhead valve 286ci V8 in 1917 & 1918.
Chevy had OHV V8 in 1916...
@@What.its.like.
"Affordable" is a relative term.
Didnt french company (SIMCA ) buy the licence to build the flat head v8.
Idk that’s interesting
34 - 40
Awesome =)
🥝✔️
1940 Ford. Shine runner!
=)
34 Ford, 1952 Ford
Sweet choices
Why would you use the Commander Cody version and not the amazing Charlie Ryan version of Hot Rod Lincoln?
As far as I know he is the originator of the song and he actually had four or five parts of the song It's a really good story if you're a gearhead that likes rockabilly and hot rods.
As for the cars I will take the 1940 Ford coupe any day of the week.
I would imagine most people choose the 1932 Ford because of its value and it's icon status. But in my opinion the 1939/1940 (and 1941 pickup) Fords are the epitome of cool at least with the coupe roof line or the pickup cab.
Myself when it comes to fendered Fords, 28/29 roadster, 30/31 pickup, 40 coupe, 25-27 T roadster.
I guess in all reality It doesn't matter which pre 1960 Ford you get they're all great, 1941's and 1958s having some odd looks.
I used Commander Cody version because when I googled it his name was the very first one that popped up
Awesome choices =)
Yep 1955 -
@@What.its.like. Commander Cody's was definitely the most popular by a long shot So I could see how it came up first. I remember hearing it when I was young kid in the 1980s on the so-called "oldies" station here in Southern California...
I didn't learn about the original version by Charlie Ryan until I was in high school and thst was only because I was reading about his hot rod A coupe as he had brought it out of retirement so to speak (I think that was 1994). I was probably 19 or 20 before I learned that Hot Rod Lincoln was actually a series of songs all wrote between 1955 and I think 1961, they are definitely worth looking up if you enjoy classic car culture.
52 Ford
Sweet =)
Rolling stones It's all over now ?
Good guess but no that’s not it when you find out what song this is you’re gonna slap your head to the top your forehead it’s an iconic song
After Midnight, Eric Clapton. Just a guess.
Good guess =) but nope
You forgot the 239
It’s in there
The 1934 and then the 1940.
Sweet choices =)
1934, 1940
Sweet choices =)
If the flathead V8 was made for 21 years, what was it used in 1943-1945?
Generators
Air compressors
The engine was used for commercial purposes
1940 ford
Sweet =)
Compression so low.
So low I wonder if it would run off of diesel fuel.. or other fuels easily with such a low compression
@@What.its.like. Diesel requires high compression. Ford did want to run cars on ethanol, but prohibition put a stop to that. It is said that was the main reason for it.
Gasoline then had very low Octane which caused the engine to knock if compression raised. Leaded fuel stopped that, but caused a toxic environment.
Did anyone make a kerosene conversion kit for the Ford flathead? Kerosene could be used as fuel in certain old Briggs & Stratton engines,there was a special carburetor that transferred exhaust heat to the fuel,the engine needed to be started on gasoline and warmed before switching over to kerosene.
I think low compression is a must for kerosene running in a spark plug type engine.
Lets face it. It was a cheap, compromise ridden, weak, POS.
Just like yourself.
34 ford
Sweet choice