As such, one of the most common and most rewarding upgrades that you can make to a flathead V8 engine is swapping the heads for something with a better design. For 1952 and 1953 the Ford engine was Which is why I outline the gasket on the heads. Views: 67. The E A B engines were rated at 110 H.P. The copper gaskets are 0.050 thick after torquing. The new Sharp V8 60 flathead cylinder heads feature a centered, bolt on water neck. The French flathead block is preferable due to its more modern casting, resilience to block cracking, thicker decks, and larger main bearing caps. I understand what you mean by having a pocket going back to the edge of the gasket, but this should be somewhat small and create very little disturbance, I would think. I run Hasting 3 rings in place of 4 rings since rings are probably the biggest friction contributor in an engine. Ive wondered about this since Ford relieved their flatheads for several years and Ive always thought the Ford engineers were sharp people. This variant was not popular in the American market, as the 221 V8 produced a more promising 85 horsepower. The 8BA is also around 30 pounds later than its French counterpart. been installed in your vehicle during its history. the E A B on the heads indicates a 1952 or newer Ford engine. Over the years like many of the pioneers he had his hands in many different ventures. Remember the rods stretch a lot under heat and rpm. The 8BA had its vent aka Road Draft Tube, located at the front of the intake, making these intakes non interchangeable without modifications, check out the second picture below. The 221 V8s compression was raised to 6.33:1 for 1933 and 1934, raising horsepower significantly. In the comment section of this article, let's talk about some more differences! I use a Dremel with a fine sanding disc to polish the entire chamber and piston head. the E A B on the heads indicates a 1952 or newer Ford engine. Flathead engines are simple machines, at least as far as engines go. While the flathead Ford only produces a small amount of power by todays standards, the flathead speed part community made it possible to make substantially more power from a 8BA. of the gasket doesnt get too hot and start burning away. Are you running 1.6 valves? & Service Serial While the Ford flathead wasnt designed with performance in mind, they have been used in multiple forms of motorsports. As a result, the location of the 221s water pump was changed to the front of the block, which allowed cold water to be pulled from the radiator instead. The Ford flathead V8 (often called simply the Ford flathead, flathead Ford, or flatty when the context is implicit, such as in hot-rodding) is a V8 engine with a flat cylinder head designed by the Ford Motor Company and built by Ford and various licensees. Sign up for our email newsletter today! were getting today doesnt form hard carbon like the old gas did. This marks the area Im going to grind on. Very desirable among flathead guys, some would say its the most wanted flathead of all because EAB/EAC had the best stock camshaft and the highest HP. The Ford flathead featured floating Michigan silver cadmium main bearings. The heads come complete with Isky valve springs, 1.5-inch diameter stainless steel valves, adjustable push rods, lifters, custom head gaskets and a pair of exhaust flanges. The 8BA had an upgraded oil pump over the 59. Mercury engines were green in color from 1949 through 1951. Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 36tbird, Dec 19, 2006. The 1952-53 models did not come from the factory But carbon still builds and shouldnt be forgotten in our plans. While attending college he gained interest in making parts for himself and started making some speed equipment and honed his pattern making skills.In 1964, Ken built an improved air-powered vacuum system known as the Air-Vacuum System which helped found his dental equipment company A-dec. Ken and Joan have grown the company to become the leading manufacture of dental equipment in the world offering a com-plete line of dental equipment.Throughout the years he has been a classic car collector and enthusiast. Flathead Engines Accessories Bottom End Cooling System Electrical Exhaust Ignition Intake and Fuel Delivery Rebuilding and Tuning Technical Information Upgrades and Tricks Valves, Cams and Heads Flathead News Manuals & Technical Books Aftermarket Manuals Ford Manuals Fordson Manuals Lincoln Manuals Mercury Manuals Road Trip Episodes Im talking about street engines that are to run a lot of miles between rebuilds and are not going to be tore down several times a year like a race engine. Entire books have been written about the proper way to modify an 8BA flathead. When I got it home I discovered it had EAB heads. Something went wrong. Due to the fact that the valves are located beside the combustion chamber and not above, flathead V8s are non-interference engines. Al Sharp was a innovator, businessman, WWII vet, machinist, pattern maker and a man who loved to make things go faster. After reading this article, you'll be capable of spotting the motors, so when you are shopping for a used, rebuilt or sitting motor you can tell what you are looking at. the gasket hole slightly larger than the bore so that the edge These are the only 337 high compression cylinder heads on the market. Flathead Specifications: 1949-53 V8 Flathead V8 Specifications Late Style 90 to 125hp Home Parts Drawings Web Links Tune-Up & Service Serial Numbers Engine ID Trans ID Model Identification Terms of Sale Contact Us Our Online Store Our Catalog Late 90-125hp V8: 1949 to 1953 Passenger Cars 1948 to 1953 Trucks 1952 Ford Crestline / Sunliner has Mercury heads, 8BA 8RT 6520 stamped on the manifold and F1223: on the bell housing. Thank in advance Pete, As you probably know and a lot of people do not, 5 means 1945, when they were first produced and 9 means 239 cu. Both have benefits and shortcomings. I clay all pistons and valves. The B.B. While that seems like a lot of engines, in reality, that was only a small percentage of the 212,238 flathead engines that Ford produced between March and December of 1932. Which lead me down the rabbit hole of what do the rest of them mean. 1. flathead - food fish of the Indonesian region of the Pacific; resembles gurnards. Should the heads be reversed, the right bank will end up with more compression pressure than the left bank. That's a lot of additives at considerable expense. In fact, it essentially introduced the hot rodding scene to the world. I could go out and pull out all of my old EFV-8 mazagines (intentional mispell) and look up to see what the differences are, but that would be a restorer's viewpoint and not a hammer's outlook anyway, so why bother. La Crescenta, CA 91214 The physical limit of a flathead Ford is really dictated by airflow limitations and the fact that they are three-bolt main rather than five-bolt main engines. Fit 49-53 Ford Flatheads. Notes: I run studs on all engines with a bore larger than 3-5/16 since the lower stud/bolt holes are getting fairly close to the cylinder walls and cap screws will often distort the block in these areas whereas a stud wont. The legacy of Ford flatheads at Boneville is still alive and well to this day, with an entire class dedicated to flathead V8 records. Thats very informative. Higher octane was also available at the time, meaning that compression could be safely increased to 6.8:1. Less then 1,500 miles on rebuild. Manufacturer Part Number. The larger cc head goes on the passenger side of the engine. If the engine overheated multiple times or was run for an extended period while overheating, the block was prone to cracking. The most common solution to that issue is to install four-ring pistons. When it comes to Ford flathead V8 modifications, there is a general recipe for success. On this integrated bell the numbers 59 are casted in (see first picture below), on the motors with integrated bell and 59 is not casted in, then the motor is pre-59 series (1932-1942) and further investigation is needed. Do you know of any mechanics near Jacksonville, FL? Engine Stud & Bolt Kits for Cylinder Heads. Maybe its just the brand of stock gaskets Ive been using (Fel-Pro). Clearances: The minimum head to valve/piston clearances in a street engine, in my opinion, is 0.050. Contact us for price and availability on gaskets not priced here. Trending price is based on prices over last 90 days. But Edelbrocks are different. From: cobra Sent: 10/31/2002 10:22 PM rumble seat: Really interesting. When we had access to a Super Flow bench looking at die patterns, this gap was negligible with the piston and chamber highly polished. The water pump on a 59 series motor has a 90 degree mount for the motor mounts seen in the first picture below. The meaning of FLATHEADED is having a flat or flattened head. If you enjoyed this article and are looking for more Ford engine guides, check out our Best Ford Mustang Engines In History Guide! The V8-60, as it would be called, provided significantly better fuel economy than the larger 221 V8 which was meant to compensate for a lack of V6 options in the Ford catalog. H&H started in 1972 with rebuilding all early Ford Flathead engines from Model A, B's, T's and V8 Ford Flatheads from 1932-36, LB's, 59A's, 8BA's,V8 60's, Lincoln 337, Lincoln V12's and Y Block Ford and Mercury. The step is to be modified next to improve flow and further lower the c/r. Of course, the flat cylinder head is where the V8 engine gets its name. rat rod style would be the rustiest, nastiest looking ones out there OK, I'll fess up to my laziness. Source: http://www.flatheadv8.org/compratio.htm late '49 production through 1951. Swapping flathead pistons can solve some of the flatheads oil-burning issues, as oil is most commonly lost through factory flathead piston rings. Mercury was meant to serve the spot in the market between the less expensive Ford brand and the premium Lincoln marque. ). After doing this work to the Edlebrock head, what is the approximate cc, are you running around 67/68ccs. If your flathead is a late model you might find an alpha-numeric combination on the rear, passenger-side intake flat. Difference Between 8BA & 59 Ford Flatheads! Ford Flathead Cylinder Head EAB C172. When shopping for the right Flathead for your traditional Hotrod, knowledge is power. Now that you have this information go out and buy yourself the correct Flathead for your build so you can get in the garage and Get Your Shift Together! Time to do both heads is about 4 hours. Ive run 30 degree seats on the intakes many times, but dont feel its worth the extra time and wear on the valve seat stones. remanufactured engines and rebuilt engines of another color could have Set them up with plenty of clearances to keep things from hitting other things and decrease friction. Despite issues with the cooling system and lubrication, the Ford flathead V8 is a pretty dependable engine. The two most common Flathead motors are the 59AB (1946-1948) and the 8BA (1949-1953). I went out in my storage shed and found the following selection of cast iron heads marked accordingly, 8BA, 8RT and EAB. This is a pair of EAB (1952 and up) heads for a Ford flathead V8 engine. Combustion area has surface rust from sitting, no deep pitting. It was ultimately succeeded by the 226 straight-6. not to many around, hard to find. Your stock bore and stroke (239 c.i.) Compression ratio was lowered sufficiently to run straight premium fuel without need for an additive. 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