Flatheads,nature,time and effort

About ten years ago(maybe 15) I was in a junk yard with a lot of 40’s-60’s cars. They were selling what they could before the crusher came. I did pick up a 47 front clip and complete front axle. I turned down about ten flatheads lying in the dirt, like these. Glad I did, because I still have the front clip sitting right where I brought it home. Although I did use the lower pan off it, and I’m using the front axle on another car. :)

But hey, if you got the time, go for it!
 
I am 7 miles from MN on US Hwy 8 and would be interested in any early ones [ non-vented ] . Yes these are a pain but I have gotten some nice cranks this way .
partsdawg said:
I will begin by saying I am in no way a flathead expert.Not even half smart on them.
I ran across a guy who has 30 or more Ford/Mercury flatheads laying around his farmstead.Most are complete with transmissions.Some are from large trucks.There is also a large quantity of heads and iron intakes laying about.
These all have been laying on the ground and exposed to the Minnesota weather for years. I believe I can get them for scrap weight.
My question is this. Is it worth the time(2 hours one way to the property) and effort to gather all the parts up? I would prefer not to haul back everything just to scrap it.
Open to opinions.
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I'm 36 and I'd leave them there. I work full time, and cars take up most of my free time, and I don't have as much free time as I'd like. I'd rather spend the cash on a known good block then spend weeks going through a bunch of rusty junk and have nothing to show for it.
 
Automotive Stud said:
I'm 36 and I'd leave them there. I work full time, and cars take up most of my free time, and I don't have as much free time as I'd like. I'd rather spend the cash on a known good block then spend weeks going through a bunch of rusty junk and have nothing to show for it.
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Years of heavy rusting like that are not your friend when trying to tear down blocks. If you had a giant tank of diesel or kerosene you could soak them for a long time, maybe...

Even with that, its still a huge maybe. Sad to see that stuff go to waste.
 
Tim Ayers said:
Years of heavy rusting like that are not your friend when trying to tear down blocks. If you had a giant tank of diesel or kerosene you could soak them for a long time, maybe...

Even with that, its still a huge maybe. Sad to see that stuff go to waste.
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Yep, it's a shame, but that stuff went to waste the day someone left it outside in the dirt.
 
I like the adventure. I would want to pay at least slightly less than scrap. But if you can do it in 1 trip or maybe 2 and have a decent way to process them then it sounds like fun to me. Even 2-3 good blocks could make it worthwhile. Manual transmission parts have some value too. How to load them? Do you have a tractor and boom to use? Long flatbed? Means to tie down? If you can't load them relatively fast it will become a pain quickly.
 
I'm over 80 and would come and get them all if I were closer. I have yet to find engines in this condition that did not have some parts I could use.
 
I took apart an engine that sat outside for years. Had to cut every valve out of it. The only part that was good was the crank which only need to be turned .010. It was a Merc. I think I paid like 150.00 for it with a shitload of parts including 2 trannys. Mark
 
I know a junkyard up in Southdakota where the owner put all the engines he pulled right on the grass but upside down...he told me if the pan is good they will be ok for a long time that way...but it shure hurts looking at rows of vintage engines sitting out in the field upside down...lol
And all the engines i dragged home has been surprisingly good for field finds...so maybe he is onto something...
 
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