As a kid growing up in the '50's, I remember looking at all the car magazines (My older sisters' boyfriends used to give them to me to keep me out of the way ) and almost everything was Flathead powered. At the time they were plentiful, cheap, and parts (new and used) were readily available. Also, they were a bolt-in swap for any old Ford, the dominant choice of body/chassis for 99% of all hotrods. They were so common that they were boring. If something had an Olds, Cadillac, Chrysler (Hemi), or some other engine, it got your attention.

It wasn't until the small block Chevy came along in October of 1954 that the Flathead was seriously challenged. What made the little Chevy so instantly popular? (1)It was physically small compared to the other OHV V-8's of the day and it was lighter than the Flathead, so it could be installed wherever a Flathead fit without major frame reinforcement. (2)Even in its lowest power option, it put out more horsepower than any stock flathead and would reliably turn more RPM's. (3) It was immensely easier to work on.

Other engines are becoming more common in hotrods now and that's probably a good thing for variety's sake, but I suspect the small Chevy will still be with us as the engine of choice for quite a while yet. Why? Plentiful, cheap, and parts (new and used) are readily available... Hmmm, that sounds familiar...