Flathead question

bart78

bart78

Well-known member
I picked up a flathead from an old guy that got it 40 years ago to put in a truck but never did I tore it down and there is some rust in a few cylinders. My question is there seems to be no cracks that I can see and all the rest looks new. It was stored in a chicken barn with no plugs and the intake open. If I want to stay prety much stock can I just have it bored out. I would have them magma flux it first.
 
How much of a ring ridge was there? You might just hone it rather than bore it. No cracks visible on the deck, if you haven't completely dismantled it yet, you may not have to.
 
There is some pitting on a few cylinders. I am going to tear the whole thing down and soak it in washing soda with a batterie charger to clean the whole thing inside and out.
 
bart78 said:
There is some pitting on a few cylinders. I am going to tear the whole thing down and soak it in washing soda with a batterie charger to clean the whole thing inside and out.
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The washing soda (electrolysis) will only work on line-of-sight because of the flow of the electrons is directional to the anodes. In other words it cannot clean the inside unless you find a way to insert an anode inside (that didn't sound so right, but it is true).
 
I have some real heavy steel wire that I think I can attach to the rebar and try to snake it in to some places. The motor was free so I can't get hurt doing this. I have done some smaller things and it worked great. I have thought about diging a big hole with our backhoe and putting a liner in it and try to do a body. I have a bunch of big chargers for our big equipment.
 
One thing good about the stuff it's safe to just put on the ground when done. I have the front bucket of a touring t that I might try it with. Might not be anything left when it's done.
 
bart78 said:
I have some real heavy steel wire that I think I can attach to the rebar and try to snake it in to some places. The motor was free so I can't get hurt doing this. I have done some smaller things and it worked great. I have thought about diging a big hole with our backhoe and putting a liner in it and try to do a body. I have a bunch of big chargers for our big equipment.
Click to expand...

I saw a guy on a TV show with a rig for doing motorcycle gas tanks. The anode looked like a curved BBQ starter element. The element snaked inside the tank and the top fit in place of the original gas cap. Cool stuff.
 
THe best thing to do is find a shop that has a baking oven and short peen cleaning system. I have all my engine baked out, thay come out just like new inside and out. Walt
 
Walt, a question about baking... The term "Shake & Bake" is backwards, isn't it? :) ...And the temperature is much too low to bond the sand as glass, right? :confused: ...And what sort of machine is used to do the sh-sh-shake?
Inquiring minds want to know!
 
A friend of mine cleaned every square inch of a 29 model A tudor sedan with a file and sand paper. It took him a lot of hours to do but it was all work that could be done without any special machinery. He still had enough form left in the corroded areas to use as the templates for the replacement patches he fabricated. The car turned out to be in pretty good condition for setting out in the weather for 55 some odd years. The metal was thinner when he got done but structurally sound after all the patches were hammer welded in. If he had blasted the car or chemically removed the corrosion, there may have not been enough pattern left to form some of the excellent patches he made. Now days you can buy a lot of patch panels for the known trouble spots but not all of them for a heavilly corroded body or a more rare body type.
 
Just-in-case, number or somehow keep the lifters on the correct lobe in case it is fresh enough, you will not have to get them reground.The open valves may need grinding, but maybe they will not be pitted, so just a lap job? it will be fun
 
ford38v8 said:
Walt, a question about baking... The term "Shake & Bake" is backwards, isn't it? :) ...And the temperature is much too low to bond the sand as glass, right? :confused: ...And what sort of machine is used to do the sh-sh-shake?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Click to expand...
i guess it should be bake and shake, the temp is about 500*for an hour. The last shop I ran before I become retarded< I mean retired, we bought bought one of those cookers, I cain't remember the name brand but it cost $35000.00. Walt
 
Started today with the electrolysis thing. Stuck a head in the tank and three hours later it looked brand new after I washed it off. This works awesome.
 
IMHO you will probably want to have the block magnafluxed . That will give you a pretty good idea of how much money you will need to sink into it .
 
It was stored in a chicken barn with no plugs and the intake open. [/QUOTE]

Interesting, The Flathead I'm currently tearing down the guy found it in a pig pen. Hog dropping's preserved her good:D. Scott
 
Hey Bart . . . how about a picture of the cleaned head? Really curious about the electrolysis process results. Thanks, Henry
 
I will take some pictures. I will even take some of it being done. I am wondering if the electrolysis will eat up the Babbitt bearings.
 
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