junkpile save flathead SS mushroom valves

2tudors

2tudors

Member
Stainless steel Ford script Valves????In our junk pile salvage we found one engine with ford script SS valves.First I've seen....Is this a reman thing or common for trucks?The block has a 5 on bell.
Thanks Dave
 
Many of the early Ford valves had a stainless steel head fusion welded to the steel stem by a patented process developed by Thompson Products (later to become TRW).
 

Someone told me years ago that genuine Ford valves were the best.
They may have been talking about the ex valves; I can't remember now.

Manuel in Oz
 
JM 35 Sedan said:
Would that process possibly be known as friction welding?
Click to expand...


Fusion welding is really a pretty generic term. Charles Thompson actually purchased a screw company (Clevland Screw Co.) that developed a way, with his help (as an employee), to use electrical resistance welding to join fasteners together and he used that idea to weld two piece valves together to simplify the manufacturing process. A manufacturer wouldn't have to turn the whole valve head size chunk of metal down to form the stem that way. He also developed it further to join dissimilar metals similar to high nickel steel (silichrome short for silicon chrome alloy) to plain carbon steels to make the valve seat last longer. He may have also used friction welding for some processes but I don't know if he had any patents on that. Sodium filled valve stems for aviation use was another process they developed.

Henry Ford was intent on making most everything that they could in house but he did occasionally have to purchase licence from other patent holders to use there processes as long as they didn't charge him too much for it. That's why it took so many years for him to use Bendix brakes. Lockheeds patent was cheeper. They only used the Bendix brakes on the big Lincoln cars early on since the higher priced car would foot the bill for better equipment.
 
Last edited:
Are these valves worth trying to save?14 good ones at a glance.They are split keeper type, was going to go with solid guides.
Thanks Dave
 
Rotorwrench, I cant imagine them turning the valve down from a piece of bar stock the diameter of the valve head. I have a buddy in New Jersey who was at one time the major manufacturer of titanium valves for nascar and the top fuel drag cars. I watched them turn down valves from a forging or casting that was pretty close to a valve in configuation. I asked him how many of the blanks get ruined? He said none! Most start out as hemi valves if there is a problem it gets turned down to a BB chevy valve, then SB chevy, etc. It doesnt turn into garbage until they have ruined a briggs & stratton junior dragster valve. Starting with a blank like this doesnt seem like rocket science. I'll bet Henry did that in the good old days. By the way the reason my friend was selling so many of these was that his were one piece titanium, while the other guy making these in california Dell West was welding them together like mentioned in the thread. Rich
 
The original pre war intake valves were a metal that could rust, Ford used the rustless steel valves only for the exhaust. The rustless type can be used on both the intake or the exhaust for a rebuild and it is not a bad idea since many of the cars sit for long periods.
 
rotorwrench said:
Many of the early Ford valves had a stainless steel head fusion welded to the steel stem by a patented process developed by Thompson Products (later to become TRW).
Click to expand...

Back in the day, Thompson valves were the best after market valves, they also made many other car parts.
you can find videos of friction welding on youtube,fun to watch.
 
Deuce Man said:
Rotorwrench, I cant imagine them turning the valve down from a piece of bar stock the diameter of the valve head. I have a buddy in New Jersey who was at one time the major manufacturer of titanium valves for nascar and the top fuel drag cars. I watched them turn down valves from a forging or casting that was pretty close to a valve in configuation. I asked him how many of the blanks get ruined? He said none! Most start out as hemi valves if there is a problem it gets turned down to a BB chevy valve, then SB chevy, etc. It doesnt turn into garbage until they have ruined a briggs & stratton junior dragster valve. Starting with a blank like this doesnt seem like rocket science. I'll bet Henry did that in the good old days. By the way the reason my friend was selling so many of these was that his were one piece titanium, while the other guy making these in california Dell West was welding them together like mentioned in the thread. Rich
Click to expand...


Metalurgy has come a long way even since the 1960s. They didn't have a way to do precision casting in Henrys day or he would have been Johnny on the spot. The flathead V8 block was about as precision as casting got in Henrys time. Forged metals are so hard they would've had to be precision ground to specs and that takes more time & money. If you look at one of those old Ford valves and take a magnet to it, you can tell where the steel stops and the alloy starts.
 
I save the good ones as there are still lots of guys who want original parts for actual restoration as opposed to rebuild. So far all the motors I have done I cave converted away from the split guide and mushrooms. Just for convenience sake.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top