Evolution of installing cylinder heads

Bored&Stroked said:
Okay Frank - going to bust your stones here :) In the grand scheme of flathead things, whether the stud sealer costs $10 or $.10 . . . really doesn't matter. ;)

What matters is how well the studs/bolts are sealed in the wet deck!

Just giving you Hell a bit . . . as I've learned that I have attempted to save money on the right things in my life . . . and spent WAY too much on the wrong things! LOL

B&S
Click to expand...

I am not wealthy by any means, but what is $10 when you spend $10K on a motor? Its a fraction of the overall cost to do it right.
 
Tim, not be be argumentative, but you and I live in two different worlds. I would (or could) never spend $10,000 building a flathead. The last one I did (2 years ago), was around $2100 with new pistons. a reground crank, and a MAX-1, finished off with vintage used speed equipment. It seems to me that lately, a lot of ancillary stuff we need (such as the aforementioned PTFE sealer), have become "boutique items" sold at extreme prices by some of the specialty dealers. For some of us, scrounging and networking allow us to do a quality job on a shoestring. A good example is the sealer mentioned. I was talking to a friend who is a union pipe fitter a few years ago, and the conversation came around to the aforementioned sealer. He said, "Do you need some?". When I answered in the affirmative, he gave me a peanut butter jar full. He also threw in about 6 rolls of Teflon tape, just to be sure.

A $10,000 flathead is a luxury item, pure and simple. If you are chasing performance, there are a myriad of ways to get a lot more for a lot less. A good performing, good looking engine can be put together for a lot less. Don't get me wrong; I really like to see these top end builds, but a lot of us just can't afford them.
 
tubman said:
Tim, not be be argumentative, but you and I live in two different worlds. I would (or could) never spend $10,000 building a flathead. The last one I did (2 years ago), was around $2100 with new pistons. a reground crank, and a MAX-1, finished off with vintage used speed equipment. It seems to me that lately, a lot of ancillary stuff we need (such as the aforementioned PTFE sealer), have become "boutique items" sold at extreme prices by some of the specialty dealers. For some of us, scrounging and networking allow us to do a quality job on a shoestring. A good example is the sealer mentioned. I was talking to a friend who is a union pipe fitter a few years ago, and the conversation came around to the aforementioned sealer. He said, "Do you need some?". When I answered in the affirmative, he gave me a peanut butter jar full. He also threw in about 6 rolls of Teflon tape, just to be sure.

A $10,000 flathead is a luxury item, pure and simple. If you are chasing performance, there are a myriad of ways to get a lot more for a lot less. A good performing, good looking engine can be put together for a lot less. Don't get me wrong; I really like to see these top end builds, but a lot of us just can't afford them.
Click to expand...

Tubman, the problem is I can't afford it either. LOL!

All kidding aside, the point is one thing I learned from all this is building a flat head is a labor of love, blood, sweat and tears. The amount of effort is no where near the amount of performance you'll get, but there is no other choice of motor for me.

Somewhere down the line, I'd love to get an aluminum 427 SBC and put it in a '35 Roadster, but that is down the road a spell. Point being, that 427 small block comes in around $10K and puts out 525 hp out of the box. My $10K flat head will be lucky to get 200 hp, but I'll be smiling on every mile.

If there is a product that cost 10X's as much (Ex: ARP sealer @ $10 vs. Teflon tape @ $1.00) but is known to do even a fractionally better job, I'm picking the $10 product.

Between removing studs, humping blocks to machine shops, tearing down stuck motors, etc., if I never have to do it again, I'll pay $10 all day long.

It is also coming from the stand point that I am finding my time is valuable and in short supply.
 
Last edited:
You mean "tape" don't you Frank? Dropping one "e" in this context amounts to a serious error.
 
Last edited:
I believe the best thing is to consider options when making a move.

To not stick to some hard fast rule conjured up in the past.

I spent twelve years doing my own thing. I constantly created rules to maximize my returns of money and time. Time being of the essence. One of the important things I learned was not every intention would pay off every time.

Today I don't regret letting go of the dollars if its simpler to reach a goal.

That said I sometimes think I'm destined to do everything twice over. HAH

Thanks for listening
 
For me the best teacher was the trial and error method. Way back when there was no sites like the Barn to post question on how to do stuff those of us working in their back yards just had to figure out how to do things on our own since few of us knew anyone doing what we were doing. Figuring it out was part of the fun and now at times some of us post on how we do it while theres a few ways to do the same thing the important part for those asking and learning is to pay attention to those who actually do this and continue to do this stuff. For me sealing the stud or bolt threads is easy using a good quality pipe thread sealer or the sealer available from ARP I find each have worked perfectly not only on my street engines but also under the extreme environment of racing. Your results will be similar.
Ronnieroadster
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top