Thread: Flattulence in my driverway!!!

Tweet

Ha, made you look!! I drug home a 52 Ford PU with a flathead in it. I needed another project like I need a hole in the head but, I'm sure you guys can understand. When I started the A project I wanted a FH motor but couldn't find one so the A has a 350/7004r set up. I'm too far into the build to turn back. What do you guys think of the FH vs. the later type engines. I remember back in the 60's nobody wanted the FH because of it's limitations compared to the OHV motors that were coming on the scene. The FH was the motor of it's day '32-'53 and started the hot rod movement but, it seems that now alot of people say you don't have a real hot rod unless it has a FH in it. I have my eye on a A pickup and was going to use the FH but after I've looked into the cost of building the FH, it's considerable, I could build a big block Chevy. What do you guys think? Go for the FH so I have a "real hot rod" or go with the later engines? Thanks.

Current day "experts" try to pretend that the only historically correct engine for a hot rod is the Ford flathead. Yeah, they look neat, and..............and...........well, they look neat. (truth in advertising; I've had five rods powered by flatties over the years)

Born in 1932 the flattie went out of production (in the U.S. OEM market) a mere 21 years later (and for nearly all those years there were no economically viable V8competitors). Two years after that the SBC was introduced. That was the death nell for the flat motor. That (basic) engine was in production for more than 40 years (with plenty of physically comparable competitors) and is still the first hot rod engine of choice 52 years later. Begs the question, which is the real default, historically accurate hot rod engine of choice?

I am a Chevy fan, and have had many desireable cars, but I am also a realist. I have followed this hobby for 50 years, and I know what I've seen.

The greatest racing engine of all time, and I am talking about sprint cars, road racing, tractor pulls, drag racing, Bonneville, stock cars, boats, and so on, is without doubt the Chevy smallblock.

There are contenders, such as the Hemi, but only in some segments of racing.

As far as street rods, the numbers tell the story. I would bet a years pay that at least 50% of all street rods ever built had a "dinkyblock" in them. The other 50% had everything else.

The next engine behind that would be the Bigblock Chevy.

The only other definition would be what was in streetrod #1.....then you have to define "streetrod".... and have a history of every farm boy that ever modified a car.... which we don't.

Thats my position, and those are my arguements.

Seems like I remember reading that 70% of the aftermarket performance parts made are made for a SBC, leaving the other 30% to all the other engine types.

For me it would just have to do with satisfying my own nostalgia fixation. After looking (I have never owned one) closer at the flatties though and considering their expense to performance ratio I would have to pass.

But to each their own!

Kitz

I guess it all depends on whether you want to run a chebbie the same as everyone else, or actually run a good engine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems eventually people would get tired of seeing Deuces and red Camaro's all powered by the 350/350 combo. Since the 5.0 Mustangs hit the market, can build a Ford for the same money and the price on a lot of the other engine's performance parts are more in line with the price of the chebbie parts. But hey, if having a car just like everybody else's is what trips your trigger, then build away on your sbc.....

I've had my flathead powered street rod, so I don't have to bother with another. For all the expense and grief chasing parts, IMO they're just not worth the effort for a measly 100 horsepower...

Tech, I would have to agree that I love to see something different. I think it would be fun to build something the younger guys could not identify, like the old MoPar polysphere engines, then watch them scratch their heads, trying to figure it out. :-)

Today, 01:45 PM
HOTRODPAINT
Registered User
Join Date: May 2005
Location: tucson, az
Posts: 1,854

Tech, I would have to agree that I love to see something different. I think it would be fun to build something the younger guys could not identify, like the old MoPar polysphere engines, then watch them scratch their heads, trying to figure it out. :-)

How about a straight 8. Watch them younger guys scratch their heads trying to figure out how you got them two extra cylinder on there.

While flatheads are cool little motors (except temperaturewise ), I started in this hobby just as they were starting to fall from popularity. We were shoving Olds and Caddy engines into every engine bay where a flatmotor previously resided. The reason.......OHV engines were just more efficient.

I like seeing a rod powered by a well dressed flattie, and still think they are one of the prettiest engines when done right, but I will probably never own one. I like to log tons of miles on my cars, and I don't want to get 500 miles from home and need some part that I can't pickup at Autozone or NAPA.

But, if you are into the nostalgia thing, and a flathead is what you really want, go for it. The price of admission will be high, especially if you want to create a reasonably well put together version, but nothing in this hobby is cheap anyway.

Don

If you want nostalgia, there's nothing wrong with an Olds or a Caddy . . . or a Buick nailhead. It all depends on how old your "nostalgia" is.

I've been in rodding for 45 years, and the flattie was pretty well gone when I started. I saw a LOT of olds and Caddie rods a few years after those motors popped up in '49.

like the old MoPar polysphere engines, then watch them scratch their heads, trying to figure it out. :-)

I had one in my first hot rod, a 66 fury, i had no clue what it was, and neither did half the mechanics in town, only two guys i met knew it one was a major mopar guy that lived down the street.

Not to many good pictures on the net. Here's one:

another visual aid. :-)

The 348-409 and Z-11 427 is also an odd looking engine, but well known.

Here's an unusual one, but easily identifiable if you've ever had one;