New to flatheads, some questions

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62Sunliner

Junior Member
I'm interested in flatheads and would like to buy one to drive. Some of my mechanic friends tell me to avoid these cars like the plague because the blocks will "disintegrate" after a few thousand miles and "can't be rebuilt". :confused: This leaves me scratching my head.

Who has the most miles on a flathead? How long can they be used before they're junk? Has anyone daily driven a flathead Ford?
 
The fact that you are on this forum indicates you know better. Those guys seem to be neither mechanics nor friends. You should start hanging around with a better class of people.

To answer your question, my '51 has 83,000 miles on what I believe to be the original engine (I've had it over 30 years). It was getting a little tired, so I pulled it to freshen it up, but it performed well and was stone reliable right until I pulled it.
 
My flathead has 275,000 miles on it. I drive it daily 10,000+ miles per year plus long road trips regularly, including to Mexico and Alaska. The engine has needed work occasionally like replacement of bearings and pistons but it has not disintegrated yet and I believe it can last way beyond my lifetime by just fixing it when it breaks.
 
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62Sunliner said:
I'm interested in flatheads and would like to buy one to drive. Some of my mechanic friends tell me to avoid these cars like the plague because the blocks will "disintegrate" after a few thousand miles and "can't be rebuilt". :confused: This leaves me scratching my head.

Who has the most miles on a flathead? How long can they be used before they're junk? Has anyone daily driven a flathead Ford?
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I'm not an expert on flattys, but have had several. These are good engines if the blocks are good or not cracked. Rebuilding them is not cheap, the cheap route is a small block, but that's unoriginal to me. The sound of a flatty is something special and folks love seeing them at the car shows.

Your mechanic friends are morons[emoji12]

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we have just done a 7000klm trip in our 1933 ford towing a caravan,,some in 42C and some in pouring rain,never missed a beat,
Lawrie
 
A stock flathead is one of the quietest and smoothest engines you'll ever come across.They will do many reliable miles with care that any engine needs ,oil changes a bit of grease excetra. I wouldn't hesitate to do a thousand mile or more trip in my 37 pickup and there are many on this site that do the same. We are all biased on this site but I still believe that the 30s fords were the prettiest of any make in that era. These cars are now 70 to 80 years old so some tinkering is always to be needed. Many more will chip in as well I expect. Modern mechanics don't like them because they don't understand them and are to young to have ever worked on them. Cheers Tony.
 
kiwitony said:
A stock flathead is one of the quietest and smoothest engines you'll ever come across.They will do many reliable miles with care that any engine needs ,oil changes a bit of grease excetra. I wouldn't hesitate to do a thousand mile or more trip in my 37 pickup and there are many on this site that do the same. We are all biased on this site but I still believe that the 30s fords were the prettiest of any make in that era. These cars are now 70 to 80 years old so some tinkering is always to be needed. Many more will chip in as well I expect. Modern mechanics don't like them because they don't understand them and are to young to have ever worked on them. Cheers Tony.
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They can't plug them into a computer to find out what's wrong!

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I ventured on your journey 4 yrs ago. Found a very solid '35 Tudor. Needed engine, ****** & radiator. Could have gone SB Chev route but did a slightly perfed up '49 8BA Flatty, founda '39 ****** & had Brassworks build a radiator for me. Always was a GM muscle car guy and still have a '67 442. But the '35 project has been great. Way more interesting than anything else I built & get a lot more oohs, ahaa's & thumbs up when I drive it. The feel & sound is unique and needs to be experienced to understand. I'm still learning & this is the right place to gain a wealth of knowledge. Go for it , you'll be glad ya did.
 
Hey biggie those computer guys are called technicians, not mechanics. A real mechanic can fix anything without a computer right!!! Flatheads rule and if done right and maintained right they will live forever.
 
LOL, if they had the issues your "friends" suggest then it wouldn't be likely that so many flatheads would still be on the road/running after 60 to 80 years! Most flatheads have been through numerous rebuilds. <
 
62Sunliner said:
Thanks! I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a 49 Merc sedan. You only live once!
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I have a 50 Sport Sedan. Had a lot of cars, will have a lot more in the future, but that one will always be in my garage. Put some glass packs on it and enjoy the crackle of a flathead!

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AnthonyG said:
I ventured on your journey 4 yrs ago. Found a very solid '35 Tudor. Needed engine, ****** & radiator. Could have gone SB Chev route but did a slightly perfed up '49 8BA Flatty, founda '39 ****** & had Brassworks build a radiator for me. Always was a GM muscle car guy and still have a '67 442. But the '35 project has been great. Way more interesting than anything else I built & get a lot more oohs, ahaa's & thumbs up when I drive it. The feel & sound is unique and needs to be experienced to understand. I'm still learning & this is the right place to gain a wealth of knowledge. Go for it , you'll be glad ya did.
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It's something I always wanted to do. I would never go the SBC route. There are plenty of GM engines I love, but that ain't one of them. Hate to see beautiful classics ruined with one of these 70s/80s era engines dropped in.
 
Many years ago, I told Flathead Jack all my friends thought I should drop a SBC in my '37.
He said "Get new friends"!
 
Based on your friend's lack of understanding of the flathead that is probably the kind of results they would have if they tried to work on one. Find some new friends. This is an excellent place to start.

Charlie Stephens
 
I have owned the flattie in my '48 F1 for 67 years and counting. Been completely rebuilt twice. Going strong. Over the years I've heard all the old wives tales about flatheads. Good for a laugh.
 
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