New to flatheads, some questions

Mike in AZ · Apr 12, 2017

check some of the posts of TomT/Williamsburg......he's made some long distance runs at freeway speeds, etc.....set up correctly, a flathead can last a long time....Mike

Talkwrench · Apr 12, 2017

Driving mine daily to and from work ... and using it!

Ol' Ron · Apr 13, 2017

That was a rumor, started by the chevy fans.

Adam/Mill Valley CA · Apr 13, 2017

My '36 isn't a daily driver but I do drive it most every week, and frequently use it for chores since I don't have another truck. It's very reliable. If you want to get an idea of how really usable these old flatheads are, look up some of Old Henry's amazing travelogues, complete with gorgeous pictures and videos. They are awe-inspiring!

Adam

Seth Swoboda · Apr 13, 2017

62Sunliner said:
I'm interested in flatheads and would like to buy one to drive. Some of my mechanic friends tell me to avoid these cars like the plague because the blocks will "disintegrate" after a few thousand miles and "can't be rebuilt". This leaves me scratching my head.

Who has the most miles on a flathead? How long can they be used before they're junk? Has anyone daily driven a flathead Ford?

Your "friends" gave you some ill advise.

The flathead V8 will not disintegrate after a few thousand miles. Lets think about that for a minute. Would Ford have manufactured the flathead if it would only last a few thousand miles? Would this engine have been so successful and Ford having utilized it for 21 years if it were "junk". No they would not have. The flathead V8 is a very good engine. At the time they were introduced they were the cutting edge of cast iron technology. They were even used on the drag strip.

As for your question "how long can they be used before they're junk?", how long can you run your small block V8 before it is junk? Depends on how you maintain and use it. The flathead is no different than any other engine. Treat it well and it will serve you well.

I'll ask my grandfather if anyone has ever driven a flathead ford as a daily driver. He was born in 1930. I'll ask him if folks back then just bought them to park in their garage to look at.

Do a little research on the flathead Ford V8 before you buy one. Educating yourself about the subject matter goes a long way in prosperity.

chap52 · Apr 13, 2017

If you open the hood and find a flathead and you feel a tingle inside, you are probably catching the fever. If you see an old Ford somewhere and look under the hood and find a "sbc" and feel a like you just lost an old friend, you're probably catching the fever.
If you find yourself going online to sites like, www.GoCatSpeedshop.com just to hear some sweet sounding flatheads running (click on pictures to open videos) ain't no doubt about it, You're addicted...

47Sooner · Apr 13, 2017

I'm fairly new to flatheads too even though I'm in my 60's. I bought a 47 coupe about a year and a half ago and just bought a 36 pickup a few weeks ago. I've had all kinds of cars over the years but waited till now to get a flathead. I enjoyed the 47 enough to go ahead and buy the 36. Maybe someday a 32-34. You'll enjoy the flathead.

biggieou · Apr 13, 2017

chap52 said:
If you open the hood and find a flathead and you feel a tingle inside, you are probably catching the fever. If you see an old Ford somewhere and look under the hood and find a "sbc" and feel a like you just lost an old friend, you're probably catching the fever.
If you find yourself going online to sites like, www.GoCatSpeedshop.com just to hear some sweet sounding flatheads running (click on pictures to open videos) ain't no doubt about it, You're addicted...

I walk by in total disgust when I see that combo.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

GB SISSON · Apr 13, 2017

My case has become so advanced, I rarely think of anything else.

chap52 · Apr 14, 2017

I look at this Forum as my "FA" (Flathead's Anonymous) Support Group
Hi, call me Chap, and my diversions of choice are flatheads ...
Welcome aboard

36coupe · Apr 14, 2017

bruce lee said:
Hey biggie those computer guys are called technicians, not mechanics. A real mechanic can fix anything without a computer right!!! Flatheads rule and if done right and maintained right they will live forever.

Yeap, plug and play, most have never rebuild an engine. Same with HD.

CSArno · Apr 14, 2017

Most "modern" engine shops won't even unload a flatty off your truck but there are many old timers around that will work on a flathead though it is a dying art and most young people want to work on newer stuff. Thankfully you are buying a later version flathead with insert bearings. I can't imagine the trouble it would be to find someone to do poured babbit bearings. Atleast here in the northeast. Those guys retire and no one wants to learn what they know.
You have come to the right place to have all the of the knowledge of Flatheads and vehicles that you could ever want. Good luck.

Curt in AZ · Apr 14, 2017

Lawrie said:
we have just done a 7000klm trip in our 1933 ford towing a caravan,,some in 42C and some in pouring rain,never missed a beat,
Lawrie

Lawrie, I'd like to pull our 1,800 lbs trailer with my 53 F100, but haven't heard any encouraging words. How much does your caravan weigh? Curt

Old Henry · Apr 15, 2017

Adam/Mill Valley CA said:
My '36 isn't a daily driver but I do drive it most every week, and frequently use it for chores since I don't have another truck. It's very reliable. If you want to get an idea of how really usable these old flatheads are, look up some of Old Henry's amazing travelogues, complete with gorgeous pictures and videos. They are awe-inspiring!

Adam

Pilot31135 · Apr 15, 2017

chap52 said:
I look at this Forum as my "FA" (Flathead's Anonymous) Support Group
Hi, call me Chap, and my diversions of choice are flatheads ...
Welcome aboard

I spent most of my money on Flatheads, women and booze. The rest I just wasted!

willowbilly3 · Apr 15, 2017

There are thousands of good running ones around. I don't know much about owning one. I know they are expensive to rebuild. As one friend of mine put it "I've never paid so much to go so slow"

rotorwrench · Apr 15, 2017

Automobiles manufactured prior to WWII and immediate post war years were all vehicles that required regular maintenance and had schedules for the multitude of points that needed service over time and/or mileage. Modern cars are made with planned obsolescence and don't have very many points that can be serviced. If properly cared for and maintained, the old cars can last a lifetime.

I'm a mid century Mercury owner (2 each 1951 Mercury Sport Sedans). These cars are about as heavy duty as any car made in the flathead era. They don't have ball joints or many rubber bushings in the suspension to wear out so the king pins and A-arms need regular lube service. When in good condition, they are among the smoothest riding & driving cars Ford ever made. With standard exhaust, you can hardly hear the motor running. If the car has overdrive, you will enjoy normal highway speeds with no difficulty.

The only draw backs about owning them that are worth mentioning is that they like to rust in certain areas and no trim kit supplier is currently fabricating interior kits for them. FoMoCo didn't primer dip the cars back then so if your car ends up being rust free, I would suggest taking every action you can to keep it that way. If yours is rusty, there are a few fabricators out there that can supply floors & rockers for them. Original type factory fabric materials are available for these cars but restoring the interior would have to be done by an experienced trim shop if you don't sew. LeBaron Bonney makes trim kits but only for convertibles in the Mercury line up.

5851a · Apr 15, 2017

Pilot31135 said:
I spent most of my money on Flatheads, women and booze. The rest I just wasted!

This is a mentor!

DavidG · Apr 15, 2017

How would your 'friends' explain away the remarkable survival rate of these 'disintegrating' flatheads?

corvette8n · Apr 15, 2017

Flatheads are still being raced on round tracks, drag strips, and Bonneville even today, if they weren't that reliable Edelbrock and Offenhauser and others wouldn't be making speed parts for them.

New to flatheads, some questions

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