1939 85 HP Help Please

1925 Coupe

1925 Coupe

New member
Ford Flathead V8??? How to Time? Oil Filter?
Have my 1939 Ford Deluxe switched to 12Volt. As a result it much easier starting. Also added a SpeedWay 3 Bolt Electronic Distributor #910-8353

Now I have 2 questions for those with V8 Flathead experience.


1. No timing marks on the crank pulley (and no pointer, if there were marks) so it runs and I can turn the dist several degrees with no huge effect. Will I get pinging if too far advanced, with the low compression and high octane pump fuel (to get some with no ethanol)?

2. No oil filter, so if I buy a remote do I want a pressure relief or not? Currently the gauge shows about 15psi.

Running a stock two barrel with everything stock except what I just added. [Guess if I had it to do over again I would add some timing marks while the old dist was in. But way too late for that.]

Thanks for any help/advice you can provide!
 
I hate to be critical, but I think you did yourself and that flathead of yours a disservice with the changes you made. 6 volts were more than adequate and the original distributors were bulletproof. Oil filtration is subjective depending on the driving you will be doing and the conditions you drive in. Many strong flatheads out there with the oil pressure you indicate....
 
The distributor is timed off of the car and then bolted on. Only minor adjustment can be made on the car (this is with the stock distributor, yours may have more adjustment). The aftermarket distributors normally need to be checked over by someone with the proper equipment and knowledge to adjust them for correct advance curve and timing.

The oil filter system needs to be a by-pass type as was used originally (they were optional on many years). The by-pass systems bleeds off part of the oil (using a restricter in the input to the filter) so over time all of the oil gets filtered. To add another type of oil filter requires modifications to the block while it is dissembled.

Timing marks and a TDC indication are not required on an earlier flathead engine, but can you useful. They are much easier to establish with the heads off but it can be done with the heads on.

I would strongly suggest some basic reference material on the flathead engine so you can get a feel for how they work. I could provide some suggestions if your interested.
 
About all you can do is advance the distributor until you get knocking and then back off a little and lock it in. The stock distributor is more than adequate and has the vacuum brake which is helpful in tuning. There is a pressure relief valve built in to your engine. Lots of flatheads are running around with no filter. Change oil more frequently.
 
petehoovie said:
I hate to be critical, but I think you did yourself and that flathead of yours a disservice with the changes you made. 6 volts were more than adequate and the original distributors were bulletproof. Oil filtration is subjective depending on the driving you will be doing and the conditions you drive in. Many strong flatheads out there with the oil pressure you indicate....
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All the changes are reversible if desired. I got tired of being stranded...
 
I understand being tired of getting stranded. I look at things a little differently with respect to my 35. Back in the day, these cars worked fine and were fairly dependable so if mine starts letting me down, I ask why. I don't try to solve a problem by modernizing elements of the car, I try to solve the problem by making the original elements work as they should.
 
I have one of those Speedway electronic distributors on mine and its been great its been in a few years now and I drive mine almost daily. You need to vacuum time it. Mine sits at 21" but depending on your engine it might like a little less..
Change your oil regularly and drive the hell out of it don't worry too much about the oil filter.
 
Capt Kirk said:
I understand being tired of getting stranded. I look at things a little differently with respect to my 35. Back in the day, these cars worked fine and were fairly dependable so if mine starts letting me down, I ask why. I don't try to solve a problem by modernizing elements of the car, I try to solve the problem by making the original elements work as they should.
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EXACTLY! - Some excellent engineering behind these cars when they were originally manufactured....Most 'modern' improvements will just cause more headaches....
 
I think you did good modernizing your flathead. In 2004, 21,000 + miles ago I put a Mallory electronic Distributor. Since then I installed a high pressure oil pump and a remote oil filter. I also went with a 3/4 Isky cam, 1/8 bore, Red's headers, dual 97's, Vintage A/C, Offy aluminum heads. Henry Ford would have done the same thing if he had the technology (well at least Edsel would have). It runs great on Synthetic Shell Rotella 15w40. I have a Gear-Vendors O/D and 3.78 rear gears and it gets 17mpg at 65 mph and feels and runs great.

The way I timed it was turn the engine over with a whistle in plug no.1 to find top dead center. Then I filed a mark on the main pulley and the block next to it and dabbed a little white paint in the grooves. Now with a timing light i can get an idea how to time it. With many adjustments I found mine runs best with the distributor rocked counter-clockwise completely. Anything but that I get ping on a long hill and harder starting. Good luck on your project and let us know how it's doing.
 
All the "Flathead Ford" aftermarket Mallory ignitions I've played with had way to much advance, infact it is a sbc advance curve in them. All of them required taking around half the advance out to get proper initial advance and proper all in advance. I then usually put the lightest springs I can get in there so I get full advance at around 1500 rpm for a light car and 2000 rpm ish for a full size car or pickup. This usually get the performance back to what a good crab cap type ignition has standard.
Soit you ain't confirmed the ignition curve your giving away hp. Last one I did had about 35 degrees advance all in!!! That needs 10-15 taking out depending on your engine. At least they are adjustable.
Martin.
 
I agree with the Captn' get your ignition system properly tuned and working and your fuel system working good and you should have no reliability problems. There are a few folks here on the barn that will properly set up and time your original distributor.
 
Capt Kirk said:
I understand being tired of getting stranded. I look at things a little differently with respect to my 35. Back in the day, these cars worked fine and were fairly dependable so if mine starts letting me down, I ask why. I don't try to solve a problem by modernizing elements of the car, I try to solve the problem by making the original elements work as they should.
Click to expand...

Good advice but finding replacement parts like the originals that actually work is many times a problem.
 
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