Thread: Flat head..........

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I just purchased a rolling chassis with a flathead V8/trans and banjo rear end. The guy told me he thinks its a 32 ford but wasn't for sure!?!?
I'm wanting to sell these parts and was wondering if it would be better to sell the motor as a whole or piece by piece...(heads, carb, pistons...etc.) It hasn't run for 15 years but has decent oil in it so I'm hoping the top end looks good.

Probably should sell it whole, theres a high demand for flatty v8 engines and less of a demand for the parts for them ( because Speedway and other manufactures make the internal parts for them so most would buy new rather than referbush old internal workings )

That would be the easiest too...........

Count the head bolts on each side. A 21 stud engine will be very valuable to a restorer if it is not cracked, while essentially useless to a rodder. If the heads have 24 studs it is still valuable to a rodder if it is not cracked. You can sell it sight unseen or you could gamble and take both heads off. If you don't find any cracks, especially between a cylinder and a valve seat the price just went up. If you find a crack the parts may still be of value but not as much as for a useable block.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Thanks Don!

OK.............

From the pics I took I can read the numbers on the Rt side head:

L26 2
8RT

RA3DL (this one I'm not 100% sure)


The top number is up high on the head and the RA number is in the middle of the head.

Also, I am almost positive it has 24 studs on the head. I have a close up of the head and from what I can see (a big round can is covering some bolts) I count 22 plus whats behind the round??canister thing?

UPDATE:

The 8RT motors are out of a 1949-53 truck. 239 cu. inches and around 100-110 h.p. This for sure has 24 studs.

What kind of price would I even start out at for an engine that does not run but is complete and in rebuildable condition???

What about the Banjo rear end????

Is a clutch and brake pedal assy. worth anything??

Gee, it still depends a lot on whether the block is cracked or not. You could advertise the parts on Ebay or in Hemmings Motor News. Certainly do not throw them away. You may also have a local "Trading Post" newspaper where you can let the add run until it is sold no matter how long it takes. The pedal assembly is worth something to somebody. I hesitate to put a price on this set of parts, but as a buyer I would certainly start low and bid up if the block is not cracked. As the seller you should start high and then come down. In addition my price values are at least 20 years out of date. As recently as 10 years ago I paid $100 for a '40 Ford banjo rear, $35 for a set of Model-A pedals and $100 for a bare 59-AB block which turned out to be cracked in the usual place (between a cylinder and a valve). If you take off the heads and find no cracks, you might get $300 for the whole engine for someone else to rebuild???? Although the rear ends can be fragile relative to a modern rear, they can be converted to a Halibrand quick change with a lot of $ for a show car and depending on the year they are closer to the right width for early Ford bodies than say a 9" Ford rear which has to be narrowed at considerable cost. Then again I recently bought a '74 Maverick 8" rear with only 64,000 miles for $175 and it is the perfect width for a Model-A body so unless you find a restorer who needs just the exact rear you have it is probably not worth more than $100????? Then again if you find a buyer, the parts are heavy and could cost quite a bit to ship to a remote site. Still my track record is that I bought junk and if you have a good block some folks might bid it up.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

The motor is on Ebay so we'll see what happens?
The rear end will be on there in a day or so of course I think it might be too expensive to ship it out, or more than it is worth?ebay