Flathead project

L

LSJUNIPER

Senior Member
This is a flathead motor I bought to tinker around with, I want to learn more about these motors. I believe it's a 39 to 41.

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Will attach more pics as I brake the motor down..
 
Side view shows the '39-40 bulges, it seems to have the long crank so not 1938.
Next--pop a head and we can tell for sure whether 221 or 239 originally. It has pulley setup for big truck, and many of those came with 239.
 
It was out of a big truck or a stationary engine. It had a generator fan. Sounds like a worth while project. G.M.
 
if it was out of a big truck try and find a set of heads from a car, truck heads are low compression
 
Weren't the bell housings attached to the block up until 1948 or 49? After that they could be split off, I think..???
 
I think you need to get it off that motor stand ASAP. You may find it in the floor, if not now its a good chance when you start swinging a wrench on it. The rear of the blocks on the 48 and back cant stand the pressure.
 
From here I'd call it a 42. It will pass the pencil test and I cain't see any bluges in the pan rail for any core plugs. See if the intake manafold gasket surface is raised up a little from the block. Walt
 
Hey Walt, I stopped by your place in my 39 P/U in 2006 on my way to Nova Scotia. I had a shrould and a 6 bladed fan on the generator if you recall. G.M.
 
G.M. said:
Hey Walt, I stopped by your place in my 39 P/U in 2006 on my way to Nova Scotia. I had a shrould and a 6 bladed fan on the generator if you recall. G.M.
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Hey GM. I remember that, it was a nice summer day. You and your wife and a friend of mine, we set in lawn chairs in from my shop and had great visit. I remember you drove in my drive and got out, opened the hood and pointed you heat gun at everything under the hood,it was running as cool a clam with Ships pumps, 6 bladded fan, shrould. Stop in again when you go to Nova Scotia. Walt
 
I took the oil pan off, there is four freeze plugs. Does that make it a 39 to 41? The person I bought it from said it came out of a truck. The water pumps also had double pulleys......
 
The water pumps are truck. Scrape around the top of the cyl and see if you can see a sign of sleeves in the cyl. The 40-1 had sleeves, I don't think the 39 had sleeves. Walt
 
It's hard to tell from the photo, but it does not look full of rust and crud in the bores, they look quite clean. So if stuck, it may not have been stuck for long. Again, hard to tell from the pic, but it looks like it may be relieved. My relieved blocks are sort of machined out with a parallel sided cut. That looks like it is shaped to the gasket, ie hand done.
I may be imagining the relief, hard to tell from the pics.

I'd be pulling the starter and pumps, manifold and distributor. Anything to take weight off it. You have already been told about the dangers of supporting on the early bellhousing.

If you pull the sump you can lever against the ring gear teeth to try and turn it.

Be very careful though, it's easy to overdo it, an engine on a stand is very top-heavy.

Mart.

Edit: Ignore my ramblings re the relief, the gasket is still on, isn't it?

Oh yeah, measured the bore yet? A rough measurement should be good enough to tell the original size.
 
Pull the front cover and the cam gear. The valves are probably stuck. If you pry on it too hard you could ruin a good cam and some lifters. Harley
 
is the passenger side exhaust manifold rusted out??...otherwise, bores, etc. do look clean....under intake??...keep on having fun....Mike
 
Marvel mystery oil is a good oil to soak the engine in--ive used it on several...good luck. gump
 
Thanks for all of the advise, Marvel mystery oil, OK will do. The cylinders mic out at 3.06 dia. Will keep you all posted on my progress. Mart I will figure out a better way to prop the motor. For now was thinking of supporting the end opposite the stand with a saw horse???
 
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3.06? sounds like a 221 cu in motor at 3-1/16" on a standard bore. Plenty more meat in that one if you want to go bigger. Early days yet, most important thing to be looking for is cracks. Check all around the head faces and around the bottom of the block on the sump face and inside and outside the block around the sump face.

Can't recommend anything re extra support as I can't guarantee what will work. (But anything is better than nothing)

Mart.
 
Walt Dupont--Me. said:
Hey GM. I remember that, it was a nice summer day. You and your wife and a friend of mine, we set in lawn chairs in from my shop and had great visit. I remember you drove in my drive and got out, opened the hood and pointed you heat gun at everything under the hood,it was running as cool a clam with Ships pumps, 6 bladded fan, shrould. Stop in again when you go to Nova Scotia. Walt
Click to expand...

Not being form New England,just exactly how" cool is a clam"[just for the record.LOL Phil
 
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