Flat Head V-8

W

WGregan

New member
How can you ID the year of a flat head V-8. My father has one sitting on his shop floor not sure what it came out of. Dad has pass on so there is no help there.

Also is there any place on the web that can convert VIN #'s. I have one Rancho, two Fairlanes, one Futura, and one Comet. All have stright 6's and would like to ID the year. Also can anyone help with a vaule on these cars. Non are in very good condition on the interior but the bodies are in good shape.

W
 
Post a picture on this thread and somebody will tell you what year and what kind of flathead. There is a site called Vanpelt that will give you a good idea. I do not have their website information. You will get a few replies on your thread.
 
W,
Maybe if you could help us out and let us know where you are someone might be in your area and could take a look at the cars for you.

Check the driver's side door near the latch to see if there is a tag or sticker there. It should have a vin number, possibly even a date of manufacture.

You might be sitting on some neat old cars there. Might be tough to move them to new homes without titles. If you can find the titles they will tell you what year they are. Being all 6 cyl cars you aren't sitting on a gold mine, but you might still have some interesting stuff there.

If you could post a picture of the flattie we might be able to help.
 
This is what I use.

Identification of the early flatheads is best approached in terms of the block. There is an unbelievable amount of interchangeability for the accessories over the years. Count the number of head studs.
1) If there are 17 studs it is a V8 60 used in vehicles between 1937 and 1940. This engine was also used in the French built Simca in the sixties but I don’t know what occurred between these two periods. Look for casting numbers and stamped steel water jackets in the side of the block. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine.
2) If there are 21 studs the block was built 1932 to 1938. The transition to 24 studs was late in 1938. Check the water petcocks on the front of the block next to where the lower hose from the radiator enters either an inlet fitting (1936 and earlier) or the water pump (1937 and later). It the petcocks point straight down it is a 1932 block. If the block is not a 1932 next look for a vent from the crankcase area out through the front corner of the oil pan. If there is no vent the block is 1933-34. If there is a vent it is 1935 or later. As a matter of interest, the 1936 engines were the first to use insert bearings. Both insert and babbitt bearings were used throughout 1936. The insert bearing engines can be identified by LB cast at the top of the left front face of the block or by the letters LB stamped into the surface where the intake manifold attaches. Some engines were not stamped and in other cases people tried to inflate the price of their blocks by stamping LB into them when they were sold. Be careful. Now check for the location of the water pumps. If the water pumps mount on the block the engine is 1937 or later. All engines beginning in 1937 were inserts. Frequently you will encounter a 1937 block with factory block off plates held on by two bolts over the water pump passage at the front of the block as it was common for Ford dealers to install this engine as a replacement in the earlier cars. Of course there will be slight transition periods at model change over with the older blocks usually going into the commercial vehicles. There may be subtle differences between the 1933-34 and the 1935-36 engines but I am knowledgeable enough about these years to know what they are. The casting numbers on the flywheel housing will also help identify the exact year of the engine. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine.
3) If there are 24 studs the engine was produced between late 1938 and 1953 (1954 in Canada). If the distributor is mounted on the front of the block the engine is late 1938 through 1948 (1947 for trucks). If the distributor comes up at an angle and appears more like a modern distributor it is a 1949 (1948 for truck) through 1953 (1954 in Canada). The casting numbers on the flywheel housing will further identify the exact year of the engine. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine.
4) There are a lot of additional foreign and industrial applications of these engines but the preceding covers the domestic US automobile production.

Charlie Stephens
 
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