Factory Flathead speed parts

Henry Floored

Henry Floored

Well-known member
Hey folks we all know that FoMoCo gave us a great little performer in the Flathead V8, but I wonder if we could catalog some of the factory performance upgrade parts. For example, were there additional speed parts included in a "police" package beyond the left side dual exhaust manifold? Were Mercury engines ever installed in the lighter Fords by the factory to give the cops a little advantage? Were there factory made hi perf marine parts? What's the story? Chime in if ya know = )
 
My Dad was a Highway Patrol 1942-46, i have photo's somewhere.

I think they had 1942 Fords and some ch--y's also Harleys and Indians.

At this time they were lucky to even be able to have a car much less any speed parts, no radios.

They would get outrun regulary by Packards Caddys, Hudsons etc.

They got the better of those cars very soon and they were not as fast as as the average car which was in top notch running order.

Have photo's somewhere.

I got rides on the Motorcycles, really fun.

marvin
 
It is generally believed that 39/40 had the Merc 3 3/16 engine as an option. FOMOCo had worked with speed merchants for the Indy cars but to my knowledge did not make any speed parts other than some heads for higher altitude areas.
 
Hi Mike, starting in 1940 Ford offered factory duel exhaust tube shocks and a Tachometer. There is a '40 Convertible at Don Garlits Museum that is equipped with the duals and tachometer either dealer installed or factory installed, not sure about the tube shocks.
 
Some say that the original Hexagon Tool 2X2 intake used on the front wheel drive Miller cars was done in part as a side-project of Edsel's.

Not sure I believe that and if you look at an original, the casting is crude compared to a simular OEM Ford intake of the same time period.

So I guess you couldn't consider that a "factory" option but cool theory none the less.
 
Vic Piano said:
Hi Mike, starting in 1940 Ford offered factory duel exhaust tube shocks and a Tachometer. There is a '40 Convertible at Don Garlits Museum that is equipped with the duals and tachometer either dealer installed or factory installed, not sure about the tube shocks.
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In all my research I have never seen anything that documents the above was offered and / or authorized by Ford in 1940. Installed at the dealer, perhaps, but NOT authorized by Ford.
We do possess documentation that clearly indicates Ford did not officially offer the Mercury engine in Fords until 1941. Only recently has some evidence been discovered in the Benson Ford Research Center that may indicate Ford was in fact installing a few Merc's in Fords prior to that date. Once I have had the chance to inspect this documentation I can post the findings if desired.
Hope this helps...
Mike
 
I am running a Hexagon tool twin carb intake on my car and it gets lots of attention from my flathead friends at car shows. I heard that they made the intake for indy cars for extra performance. Would have made sense to offer them for cars or trucks back then for some more hp!
 
Ford USA offered the iron "Denver" heads for high altitude or natural gas use, probably introduced as over-the-counter parts '39-41. I think they were discontinued very early...they disappear from later spec sheets, and there is a postwar bulletin trying to sell off leftover ones. They became hot items after the war for stock-car racers required to use stock iron heads, but were always very scarce because they disappeared from the parts system early on.
81AS, 99AS, and 19AS versions in various volumes. The 221 one had 60 CC chamber spec and gave quite a compression boost to a 239. The "S" in the prefix indicates a service only part, not used on assembly line.
Postwar Canadian aluminum heads were also popular for stock cars. They offered about a one point boost, and were quickly joined by Weiand replicas that looked like the Ford but with smalerl chambers.
The Canadian heads were imported in large numbers by Honest Charley speed shop, and were sold side by side in some editions of their catalog with the Weiand copies.
These filled the gap for stock car racers who could not get the impossibly rare 81AS heads.
 
How about Columbia two speed rears as speed equipment? Columbia's were authorized by Ford for dealer installation in Ford & Merc, and if you ordered a Lincoln Zephyr with a Columbia it was installed at the factory from '36 to '41 or '42.
 
I entered my truck in a local car show,it has three carb's and Offy heads. They put me in the original stock category. I won first place, after I picked up my award one of the participants sarcastically ask if three carb's was a factory option,I answered yes a police option. I don't feel too bad I was at a show where the winner of best Ford truck had a Chevy engine.
 
Wow thanks for the response guys. I have always wondered about this subject. I'm sure Edsel was aware of factory hot rods since he had some. I'm not sure how Henry would've taken it though. Seemed liked he favored practicality the most. I know that in 1935 Harry Miller went to Indy with the "Miller- Fords". Those were probably 150 hp 21 studders. Do you think that those engines passed through Ford engineering labs on the way to the Brickyard? That was a semi-factory works team after all. I just wonder sometimes how much play'in around Ford engineering did in those days and how much of it affected what they put into production cars and trucks.
 
I have never found ANY info on the insides of the Indy engines or of the "Stock" engines run in 1932-34 in stock car racing.
Sole secret shown in Indy picks is an oil cooler on bottom of pan, apparently on the intake side of the pump.
The stock engines for the bigger teams allegedly came from secret factory connections..."stop your truck behind building 34 tonight after eight and pick up the engine crate you find there" kinds of arrangements. These engines had to go through tear-down inspections, but I doubt the inspectors were very sophisticated in the ways of ports and camshafts.
These '32-33 Fords were capable of running 100MPH and averaging above 80 on complex tracks.
 
Bruce Lancaster said:
I have never found ANY info on the insides of the Indy engines or of the "Stock" engines run in 1932-34 in stock car racing.
Sole secret shown in Indy picks is an oil cooler on bottom of pan, apparently on the intake side of the pump.
The stock engines for the bigger teams allegedly came from secret factory connections..."stop your truck behind building 34 tonight after eight and pick up the engine crate you find there" kinds of arrangements. These engines had to go through tear-down inspections, but I doubt the inspectors were very sophisticated in the ways of ports and camshafts.
These '32-33 Fords were capable of running 100MPH and averaging above 80 on complex tracks.
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Plus, I believe the design of the Hexagon Tool with the carbs turned 180 from traditional mounting was to aide with the linkage of these front wheel drive, but was found to have an added benefit of having the fuel bowl toward the back of the car. Taking into account physics, this meant there should always be gas in the bowl unless the drivers hits soemthing to make the car abruptly stop.

Remember, an object in motion stays in motion unless impacted by an equal or greater force.
 
The car with dual Strombergs (presumably Model 40's?) was a bit more powerful and faster than the several with 4 Miller carbs.
Official story was that Engines did fine but badly placed steering boxes got so hot they started to sieze.
I wonder if that was the real story or if there were problems Ford would not have liked publicized given a cover story...at any rate, it's a shame the cars came out of the race early without any conclusive end to the story.
 
Bruce Lancaster said:
The car with dual Strombergs (presumably Model 40's?) was a bit more powerful and faster than the several with 4 Miller carbs.
Official story was that Engines did fine but badly placed steering boxes got so hot they started to sieze.
I wonder if that was the real story or if there were problems Ford would not have liked publicized given a cover story...at any rate, it's a shame the cars came out of the race early without any conclusive end to the story.
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I read this as well. I would assumed it got hushed over since old man Henry would not like something like that to be talked about in the racing circles of the time.
 
Vic Piano said:
How about Columbia two speed rears as speed equipment? Columbia's were authorized by Ford for dealer installation in Ford & Merc, and if you ordered a Lincoln Zephyr with a Columbia it was installed at the factory from '36 to '41 or '42.
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Columbia differentials were not authorized to be installed in Fords until the 1941 model year.
I like the Columbia and have installed numerous assemblies. However, as far as authenticity, plain wrong prior to '41.
 
Kube said:
Columbia differentials were not authorized to be installed in Fords until the 1941 model year.
I like the Columbia and have installed numerous assemblies. However, as far as authenticity, plain wrong prior to '41.
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While that may be true for Ford, Lincoln Zephyr authorized, and factory installed, Columbia differentials starting in 1936. If a Zephyr was purchased without a Columbia, one could be installed at the dealership, fully authorized by Lincoln. This was standard practice for the Lincoln Zephyr from its inception. I also like the Columbia and have one we are going to be installing in our '39 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible Club Coupe.:D
 
What about the little chrome plug on the firewall of 33 and 34,for the o/drive vacume valve.
Lawrie
 
Info from Mark Dee's Miller Dynasty and Floyd Clymer's Indy Race History:
Bore and stroke were stock, block was ported. Bottom end was stock components with greater clearances. Pistons had greater compression height to achieve a 9.5 comp. ratio, were of 4 ring design and had .005-.007 clearance. Bohnalite heads were reversed to place the outlets to the front and head gaskets are said to have been laminated from five layers, four sheets of .010 aluminum and one sheet of .010 copper and a 8 quart cast aluminum oil pan with integral cooler was used.
No specs were found for the racing cam that was mentioned.
Ignition was by Bosch magneto which was mounted inside the firewall. It was run off the front of the crank by a right angle drive and a flexible shaft. I wonder if it was in the cockpit to facilitate timing adjustments by the riding mechanic? Driven by the nose of the cam was a single, large water pump.
Intake manifolds were either a design by Miller with 4 single throat Miller carbs, but these are also described as having been experimental Strombergs. Some were switched to Winfields with good results. The Hexagon manifold was designed by Ford engineer Don Sullivan and produced by the Hexagon Tool & Die Company of Detroit. On the Miller/Ford (only Ted Horn's ran the Hexagon) the float bowls faced front as normal, but after WWII the Hexagon was sometimes favored because the backward facing carbs afforded clearance for the generator without need of an offset bracket.
The cast exhaust headers were in a W shape, flex tubing connected them to a central oval shaped exhaust pipe.
Given the time frame and many engineering concerns of the chassis and suspension I think it was remarkable that Miller pulled this off at all. The steering box is too confusing to describe here but was mounted above the left exhaust header and surely received it's share of heat. One box lasted the longest in the race, it had steel gears but apparently they were improperly heat treated. The other boxes had bronze components but in any event they cooked the lube and seized.
One of the Miller/Fords is in Illinois, I wonder how much of the engine is as original 1935 issue.
 
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