stock rebuilt

B

burnette

Senior Member
hi ! i,m in the process of stripping apart a flathead. its a model c69a is the c for canadien. plan was for a budget rebuilt engine had 80lbs compression before tear down. i tought i could getaway with stones new rings and a little valve grind,new seals and gaskets. got a machinist buddy to mesure the cylinder bores and he said they were round mesured 3 3/16. so i decided if i run stones and augment compression that valve seals would probably pass oil. so after alot of fiddling i finally managed to remove a intake valve. i got the musroom valves with split guides. after a couple of long hours i managed to remove them all,but the exhaust guides were jambed and i broke some. so i thought after breaking the first guide i might as well but new guides and seals. well low and behole i didn,t see a valve seal no where. so should i reuse my valves they would all be good with a little grind,do these engine have valve seals . how about the original lifters is worth while to save them. i think adjusting them looks complicated. since i have a mushroom valve where do i grind for adjustment ,and what is the cold adjustment. this evening i removed the piston and crank,thinking bearings would be nice,connecting rod bearings show alot of brass,main look better. i seen 20lbs oil pressure idle warm,before teardown. and my crank needs a polish for sure,theres even 2 pin hole like spots,on 2 different connecting rods. i will post some pictures as best i can . going to stop here to reset my ideals straight, i got to much to say . and not good at typing!
thanks for reading my name is brian ,engine is for my 42 ford truck.
 
my plan so far is to send block and crank to a engine shop.only guy i found, who says he worked flatheads before (he,s 3 hours away) get the guy to check for cracks. resurface crank and install cam bearings. how about wrist pins my pistons look nice they have 4 rings with some sort of breach between the 2 oil rings. i,m not going for horse power i will use same camshaft lobs look nice. can i send and get this done with all the head studs installed. i tried to remove 2 studs with a 12 inch pipewrench and they would not move.
sorry for dropping of here and asking alot of questions ,but its been a week now that i,m thinking of this.
 
I'll be the first to say it, but probably not the last. Get rid of the mushroom valves and split guides and go with later (8BA) valve assemblies; you'll be glad you did. Everything else sounds pretty good.

Oh, and you will also be well served going with an 8BA oil pump as well. Those Ford engineers weren't just sittin' on their hands after the war.
 
Just saw your third post. Please find something better than a pipe wrench to remove the heads studs. A collett-type remover, some heat and penetrant are your friends. You don't want to break any off if you can help it.

BTW, you are doing the right thing coming on here and asking questions. There is a LOT of knowledge on this board.
 
You need to use a stud puller. If the cylinder walls need much work the studs have to come out. It will depend on cylinder wear. Also really hard to clean up the head surfaces with the studs in there!

And welcome to the Barn!
 
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I have only one thing to say, Find someone familiar with those engines. You could save ALLOT of money if you properly take it apart..As for the valves and guides, I scrap them all and use 49/51 valves and guides.
 
It would help if you would add your general location to your profile. No, we don't want to break into your garage and steal your stuff; there may be someone knowledgeable near you, or probably even an experienced re-builder we can point you to.
 
By all means use the '49/'51 valve assemblies. Are you going to have the shop set your valves? (expensive!) If not you might consider adjustable lifters. I put them in mine 25 years ago and although some have had problems keeping the adjusted, I have never touched them.
 
Also, price out a new set of ARP studs and nuts; that'll motivate you to try to preserve as many of the originals as you can.
 
Hi; that 8BA oil pump is available with the correct pickup tube and screen; then stretch or shim the bypass vale in the cam valley. Right guys? No expert Newc, but I need that engine for my avatar!
 
thanks for your replies! i,m in eastern canada,closes shop (1 1/2hours away) says there never touched a flat head in years. this other guy said he rebuilt a few . i think i will get him to do the crank and cam bearings. i will order the newer valve train and install my self. i bought alot of parts from a guy in massachusetts joes antique. he seems to furnish all the parts. but should i watch for quality or make! and how about wrist pins ,if i reuse same pistons is it worth to replace wrist pins. i guess i should get the engine guy to do the wrist pin bearing!
i,m pretty sure i,m ok with my cylinders,since my buddy machinist measured them and said they were round. so i,m going to risk leaving studs there. in worst case i guess i,ll have to pay him too remove them. are the studs tapered in the block side,like a pipe tread!
last question for this morning! i got to drill a hole for the adjustable valves. i would like to do this before sending the block to him,so it comes back clean. where exactly do i drill!
really appreciate your help!!!
 
Studs are straight 7/16-14 and sealant on the threads.
Not an exact science to drill the holes for lifters...where you can get at it...and low enough so you end up in the slots on the lifters.
 
FWIW check out grinding radius on the crank. You can search the threads. If not done properly you could find yourself with a broken crankshaft. Make sure your machinist is aware of this.
 
Where are you burnette? I'm in the eastern townships of Quebec and had my Canadian 99A block (similar to yours) machined last spring at the place in the following link (Montreal). Normand, the owner, definitely knows flatheads!

http://www.rmmoteur.com/montreal_mechanic_e.html

265547.jpg
 
One more point. If your cylinders are standard and good enough that they don't require a re-bore, I don't don't see how the wrist pins could be so worn as to be any problem. Also I'll agree with "Murre"about drilling the holes as low as possible in the lifter bores.
 
old ford thats a differencial stand,we had made back in the 80ies.
macdonge i will call them today thank you!
tubman i was thinking the same.
i know the engine was apart before and can,t tell if bearings are over size!
frank miller i went and read broken crank tread you spoke about ,and the pin holes i,m talking about look alot like the ones in the picture.

i went to the dentist this morning, so i,m working this afternoon. i take pictures of the pin holes.
 
How many miles on the odometer?? How much of a ridge in the cylinders? Are valve seats pitted? Are valve stems worn? Was it recently running?

You mention a "budget" and "stock rebuild". You could simply replace parts that are broken or worn out of factory specs. Your broken split valve guide can be replaced with a new split valve guide. I don't see a need to remove the studs. Your engine appears to be in pretty good condition in the pics.

Consider taking a Motors Manual approach. It worked quite well in the olden days.

Flat32:)
 
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