Picked up some flatheads

[flatford8]

Nice find Gary....I grab all the ones I find too.....I want plenty of Flathead projects to keep me busy in three years when I retire.......Mark

 

[39portlander]

That is a good score there Gary, my back hurts just looking @ the workout to have gotten those on and now off then sorted around the garage

 

[GB SISSON]

Well all the small stuff is in the shop. Small like heads bolted together as pairs, flywheels, cranks and now I came into the house to ask my wife to chain up each bare block so I don't have to crawl out under the forks of the skidsteer each time. She has twenty years as a fire fighter here on the island and she is willing and more than capable.

 

[GB SISSON]

Oh, my aching back and shoulders this morning. My employee is gonna have a fit when he sees all this stuff in the way of the planer.

 

[GB SISSON]

Got the 59 ab engine freed up with a wrench on the crank pulley. It had nice clean oil in it so I put a 12 v battery to the starter. Got sixty lbs oil pressure cranking. Next I squirted pb blaster into the spark plug holes on the six and got fifty lbs cranking with 12 v. The 59 has a stitched crack on #6 and a sleeve. No sign of leakage or anything different in that combustion chamber or head, so it appears sound. Also it has no ridge to speak of and hone marks on all cylinders. The bore measures 3 5/16, hard to see what the oversize stamp on the pistons is. I have cleaned up the decks on six of the seven bare blocks and yet to find even a hint of a crack. One has been tanked really clean but has a pretty good ridge. The others no ridge. It is quite apparent that the father in law only kept the good ones. I ordered a pair of felpro 7283 head gaskets for the V8 so I can run it next weekend. Are these what I need with the 3 5/16 bore? There are a pair of early heads that take the water pumps. Pre '37? There isn't much here I want to sell, but maybe those heads. It's been quite an adventure and while I was feeling pangs of buyers remorse (why do I need to fill the shop with all this stuff? "in the middle of the night, this afternoon's sorting and testing has turned that around.

 

[restoman]

I am looking hard, and I am an immediate buyer for a 39 or 40 Mercury block or complete engine. They have the fully machined intake manifold surface, round center water passage, recessed area immediately above distributor, and 3 3/16 bore or over that if already bored. If you have one you think may be a Merc, let me know and I will narrow it down more. I am a ready buyer. Thanks, PHIL SPAID

 

[GB SISSON]

I am looking hard, and I am an immediate buyer for a 39 or 40 Mercury block or complete engine. They have the fully machined intake manifold surface, round center water passage, recessed area immediately above distributor, and 3 3/16 bore or over that if already bored. If you have one you think may be a Merc, let me know and I will narrow it down more. I am a ready buyer. Thanks, PHIL SPAID

Just went down and looked, but none of them are like that. I do however know of one on a different island but I think he said it was a '41. Not sure if that's close enough. It's got 4 thousand miles on rebuild, is totally correct heads etc, and sits in a heated garage. Was pulled from a beautiful '41 merc woodie. PM me if interested. To all of you that responded to this thread, thanks for all the nice comments and encouragement. I am blessed to live and work in such a beautiful and quiet place.

 

[GB SISSON]

Now that the weekend is here I have to move all these blocks out of the way of progress. I was on the mainland on Wednesday and bought a 55 gallon drum dolly/hand truck at a junk store. Very nice wheels and geometry. On the vertical tubes is a sliding appartus that holds the lip of the barrel. With a bit of fabrication I think I can convert it to a device that comes up to a block stored on it's hind end, the hook goes into the timing gear recess, tilt back, move out of the back corner of shop, rebuild and done. Ok the rebuild part is glossed over, but I think it will move them around quite effortlessly.

 

[Mart]

Neat truck/dolly. Yeah, if we didn't gloss over some of the hard parts we'd never start 'em!

Mart.

 

[flatford8]

I made a gizmo on my two wheel dolly to move engines around. Does that mean we have a problem?????........ Mark

 

[Bill]

Love the wonderbar apparatus and adjustable to boot. Genius just genius! Necessity truly is the mother of invention..Bill

 

[cmbrucew]

Gary
Furniture dollies are cheap at Harbour freight. Don't work well in mud or sand.
Bruce

 

[GB SISSON]

Thanks all for the kind words. This has really been fun, and the 2 1/2 mile drive is great too! Unfortunately we have to work most of the weekend to have two truck loads of furniture and doors completed so we can deliver them to Vashon Island down South of Seattle on Monday. Another 4 ferry ride day. This means I won't be test firing these 2 engines this weekend. Maybe I can do my conversion of the drum dolly if I get some time.

 

[hook00pad]

Hi GB,

Are you the fellow I saw a couple of years ago on American Pickers? If so, I think Mike and Frank bought a '37 Chevy from you. Good Show. I like it.

Al Hook

 

[GB SISSON]

Hi GB,

Are you the fellow I saw a couple of years ago on American Pickers? If so, I think Mike and Frank bought a '37 Chevy from you. Good Show. I like it.

Al Hook

No, I think that guy was on Whidbey Island, just South of here. I remember them buying a truck. There was an article in our local paper last fall saying the Pickers were coming to Orcas Island and were wondering about places to stop by, but I didn't want to be that guy that just says "it isn't for sale" each time they point at something.

 

[Midnightcaper]

if your looking to sell off 2 8ba blocks with no cracks in the valve pockets let me know.

 

[41panelmark]

These engines have been 2 1/2 miles from my home. The seller is a friend of mine. All the engines and parts belonged to his father in law . Seller is a die-hard chevy guy forty years old and was cleaning out his shop. The father in law had a lot more blocks but junked 14 of them and kept these. The H model six is a runner and recently rebuilt, but pulled for a small block in a '51 panel. The complete 59 ab is stuck, but has clean cylinders, full cross hatching and was obtained from an 88 year old man who had it rebuilt and later installed yet another small block chev. It sat under his workbench for years and unless I am way off base, this engine is only lightly stuck. It is very clean inside. Has a crab distributor and we pulled the heads to look inside. The bare blocks all have labled cranks and caps are installed. This is the same guy I got the Sioux and Van Dorn valve grinding equipment from. These tools were also his FIL's. Some of the cranks have floating bearings taped on and there are boxes of parts. I even pulled my tonner panel out into the rain so I could park this load in the shed until I can get it sorted out and unloaded.

GB these things just seem to come to you like sheep. Cool.

 

[tubman]

After I had accumulated 4 know good flatheads, I decided I had enough. Sadly, that's not the end. Since then a '56 Chrysler hemi and a '49 Olds rocket have followed me home. I just hope I don't run into any nailheads or "Baby" (Dodge/DeSoto) Hemis. (A 302 "Jimmy" or a 320 Roadmaster would also be a problem.

 

[GB SISSON]

After I had accumulated 4 know good flatheads, I decided I had enough. Sadly, that's not the end. Since then a '56 Chrysler hemi and a '49 Olds rocket have followed me home. I just hope I don't run into any nailheads or "Baby" (Dodge/DeSoto) Hemis. (A 302 "Jimmy" or a 320 Roadmaster would also be a problem.

I try really hard to stick to one variety of collecting. Like flathead v8s and now I have this complete H six that is all set to run but needs a ring gear. Now I have to research a whole new field.... And speaking of nailheads, this followed me home about 15 years ago. Thought you might like. Was somebody's hack job and it knocked from a mile away so I replaced it with a 302, later I got bored, I sold it. Somebody has a nice '40 1 1/2 ton now.

 

[tubman]

After a flathead, I think a nailhead is the best looking engine out there, especially with the finned aluminum valve covers like on that truck! (You don't still have them, by any chance?) Crap! There I go again!