First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

busmania

busmania

Well-known member
First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

Hello, my name is busmania. You may know me from such threads as…

Help me plan my Flathead!!
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2191785

To

Rebuilding my Flathead! Help!!!
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2246721

And…
I dun f’d up, water in my cylinder heads!
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2275337

And countless others.

Anyway, with all your help I finally fired my first Flathead. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever consciously heard a Flathead running. Anyway, after months of anticipation and help from y’all ni finally did it. So anticlimactic!!

Anyway, it ran great after a few tries of it stumbling. Probably too cold. I ran it for about 15 minutes at about 1500-2000 rpm’s to break in the cam.

My problem (or not). After 15 minutes it started squirting fluid out of the over flow (new drake radiator). Maybe I filled the radiator too much (I filled until it was spilling from radiator…not quite to the top). I’m using 160 degree thermostats tied into the head where the radiator hose attached (I drilled holes in thermostats and safety wired them into the neck in they heads).

Thoughts? Maybe a little fluid from the radiator is normal? Both temp gauges were reading about 200. Picture attached.

Also have smoke coming from breather still 30 minutes or so after shutting it down.

D00B57B8-BCCD-4DAD-8F2B-5B76A0CF3F05.jpg
 
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Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

They say you never forget your first time! Is your engine on a run stand or in a vehicle? It is good practice to get a load on the engine to break it in. Cycles of uphill and down are best, but I have rigged up my run stand with a 2x4 lever against the flywheel in a pinch, but I hear it's important to use proper break in procedure. There are many here that know a lot more than me on the subject. Flatheads like to spit up excess coolant as well. It doesn't need to stay completely full.
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

busmania said:
Hello, my name is busmania. You may know me from such threads as…

Help me plan my Flathead!!
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2191785

To

Rebuilding my Flathead! Help!!!
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2246721

And…
I dun f’d up, water in my cylinder heads!
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2275337

And countless others.

Anyway, with all your help I finally fired my first Flathead. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever consciously heard a Flathead running. Anyway, after months of anticipation and help from y’all ni finally did it. So anticlimactic!!

Anyway, it ran great after a few tries of it stumbling. Probably too cold. I ran it for about 15 minutes at about 1500-2000 rpm’s to break in the cam.

My problem (or not). After 15 minutes it started squirting fluid out of the over flow (new drake radiator). Maybe I filled the radiator too much (I filled until it was spilling from radiator…not quite to the top). I’m using 160 degree thermostats tied into the head where the radiator hose attached (I drilled holes in thermostats and safety wired them into the neck in they heads).

Thoughts? Maybe a little fluid from the radiator is normal? Both temp gauges were reading about 200. Picture attached.

Also have smoke coming from breather still 30 minutes or so after shutting it down.

View attachment 532182
Click to expand...
532182
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

Nothing to get exited about, other than now having a running flathead. In my experience most 32-41 Ford V8 cars do not like to sit still, they will slowly get hot. The factory fan was not made to cool a car sitting still for long periods of time, at least not in the hotter climates where I live. Time to test drive the car!
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

Nice job. Don't be worried, fresh tight rebuilds tend to run hot at first. After some run time things brake in hence the term brake in period. Also ,unless you have a really good electric fan on that radiator it will heat up. Your radiator need a certain amount of air in the upper tank to compress as the water expands when heated. if there is no room it will make room by pushing out the excess. Now after it is stone cold again would be when you retorque the heads. Again, nice work ,Tim
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

When they're new and everything is tight, they tend to run a bit hot. If it started puking, you probably were overheating it and boiling a bit. Good you shut it down.

First of all, retorque the heads - so you don't get another leak.

Now that you've broken in the CAM, don't spend any more time running it on the stand. Take the car out and flog it a bit - run hard, cool down a bit, run hard again . . . repeat a few times. Then, I usually bring it back home and I change the oil. The reason is that there might be some pieces of crap that were missed during machining/assembly that are now in the oil - drain it and get the stuff out at this point. Then, go ahead and run break-in oil for at least a couple hundred miles - then switch over to a good quality 10/40 or so multi-viscosity oil. Pick your brand.

Check the head torque at least a couple times when cool.

It will probably run a bit hot when the engine is tight and new. You just don't get enough air through the radiator with it sitting still - especially as you were running it at higher RPMs (more heat).

As others noted, don't fill the radiator too full - leave at least an inch or maybe more for expansion.

Now get out there and drive it!

Nice job getting through all the drama.

B&S
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

Also, you may not have enough advance in your timing. Did you happen to create a timing mark and pointer for TDC? What distributor are you using? I like to have about 24 degrees of total timing in these engines.
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

Wondering whose water pumps you're running? Did you get yours rebuilt by Skip (with the better vanes in them?).
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

Congrats! You didn’t video it? I was expecting to hear it! Yes, that’s too much coolant. Mine likes to sit about an inch above the top tray inside the radiator. It’ll find its happy place when your run it.

I cut my teeth on ACVWs too. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of a radiator!
 
Re: First fire of Flathead - how’d i do?

I filmed a brief part of it. I intended to film then just kind of forgot. Too excited probably.

I will re torque the heads and then unfortunately it’s probably 6 months before I’m driving it to break it in. It’s in the car but nothing else is hooked up. Steering, wiring, body panels, etc. still lots to do but we are getting there.

Water pumps were new from van pelt.

I did put a mark at tdc but can’t see it because of the crab distributor.
 
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