New Block

Tom
I remember having a ride in your forty, that was a beautiful truck, wish I could have been able to buy it when offered. Yes I like the French block, but I think the early bell housing is a deal breaker in this day of ecoomy. At present I'm running a C4 in the test engine because I want to get a beter idea of what's required to get beter mileage, My Friend Richard has a T-5 behind his 276 and gets over 20 all around driving, not bad
I think the future will be the &00R4 or the Ford AOD. MY friend Georg is running one in his roadster, but that's a very light care.
I'd like to see somebody come up with some old patterns and start casting the French blocks with 8BA rear, it doesn't matter if they are not excepted in compition.
 
Ol' Ron said:
Tom
I remember having a ride in your forty, that was a beautiful truck, wish I could have been able to buy it when offered. Yes I like the French block, but I think the early bell housing is a deal breaker in this day of ecoomy. At present I'm running a C4 in the test engine because I want to get a beter idea of what's required to get beter mileage, My Friend Richard has a T-5 behind his 276 and gets over 20 all around driving, not bad
I think the future will be the &00R4 or the Ford AOD. MY friend Georg is running one in his roadster, but that's a very light care.
I'd like to see somebody come up with some old patterns and start casting the French blocks with 8BA rear, it doesn't matter if they are not excepted in compition.
Click to expand...

There's lots of support for homologating the French block for SCTA-BNI record competition by heavy-hitters in the sport, Ron. I wouldn't be surprised to see it accepted for the 2014 season (just my own opinion). Kent Fuller is going ahead with a French-block build that should be ready some time in 2013. He plans to whack the 59-style bellhousing off the block and fit an 8BA adapter. He's been doing this sort of work since he was a youngster at C&T in the mid '50s, so I have every reason to believe it will happen -- and it will work.

Homologation aside, the French block is an excellent choice for cars that will be driven as good cars are meant to be driven -- often and for many miles at a time. There's an adapter that will mate a WC T5 to the early bellhousing, and that's one of the nicest things that can be done for a flathead on the streets. Fuller and I adapted a T5 to my '48 F1 some years ago (which turned out to be more complex than if it had been the early block), and the old dear of a stock truck was transformed. Also, I kicked it up to 12v and plugged in a modified GM HEI distributor -- ugly but flathead friendly -- and the truck was happy as could be at 70-plus mph, and turned in fuel-consumption figures of high teens to low twenties. And, perhaps most important, overall driveability was problem free, almost like driving a late model. :)

I have a virginal French block I'm porting and modifying to feature in the flathead porting book I'm writing. Since I'm not doing the work for a customer I get to try my own ideas and not be concerned with the time expended. This type of work doesn't get any better than that!

Mike
 
Have you done any flow testing of the French block, to compare to Fords. I haven't done any compition porting since the Bville engine. Getting old and I had to give the air file back to its owner. If I were to get back into porting I'd get one of them. They are especially good in shaping the top of the port..
I wish you well.
 
Ron, I bought mine as a turnkey engine. I put the two 94's on with an 8BA manifold and changed the distributor to a Mallory dual point converted to electronic. Also put the 8BA Offy heads on it. Really woke it up. Also, only paid $2350 at the time for it. Got 30,000 on it so far. After it's completely warmed up it carries 60# pressure at 2400RPM and about 35# at idle. This is running 5-20 synthetic.
Butch
 
I wish you'd use a GM distributor from Bubba and run a Vacuum advance. The Makkory is great for power but has no provisions for cruise. Tuning these engines properly can give great power and economy. Also did yo check the piston to hwad clearance??
 
That's my next step Ron. Did some experimenting. Added 6* advance to distributor and gained 2MPG. Trouble is it loses some power and spark knocks :-(.
Butch
 
San Fransico Flathead sells the bare blocks modified to remove the lump where the governor was. They were listing them at $2500 each but they quit listing them on the web site some time ago. It's likely closer to So Cal's price now since they distribute the stuff too. A person would have to call & ask. Vern Tardel may also have had a hand in the purchase of the complete engines & parts inventory from the surplus guy here in TX that used to have such a large stock of them.
 
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