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bringing flathead back from dead...maybe


Roundeye67

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So finally decided to see if I could get flathead running again. I bought a new fan belt and some MM oil to put in cylinders. I noticed there's coolant sitting on top of the thermostat housing, assuming I need a new gasket or maybe radiator hose. I dont want to replace a lot of stuff trying to get it to run in case it doesnt. so hopefully I can use all the ignition stuff thats on it. The spark plugs look kind of rusty, going to spray some blaster on them before I pull them out.

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I've been doing the same thing to mine, replacing one thing at a time.  I flushed out the cooling system. New hoses. Restored the thermo housing. New plugs. New coil. New plug wires. New battery cables. Changed the oil. Have been putting oil and Marvel Mystery Oil down cylinders for about a year or two.  (Time goes by fast)  I still have to put the oil filter back on and get a new fan belt.  It ran well when I bought the car about seven years ago. 

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4 hours ago, Roundeye67 said:

If I cant get it going, I was just going to swap in a v8. Not sure if rebuilding the flathead would be cheaper than a swap or not. Ya mine ran about 5 or 6 years ago. Not sure if mine has an oil filter or what it looks like.

Rebuilding most any engine is expensive but it would be a whole lot easier to pull it and rebuild it or replace it with a good used engine than reengineering for a V8.  Most of the time the V8 swap looks appealing until you realize all the mods like engine and trans mounts, steering, drive shaft lenghts, plenty more. Lots of little things that snowball on ya as it goes, such as the cooling system, brakes, ( don't forget the E-brake), changing wiring. Yea some of this stuff ain't bad, might even be fun to make if you have fab skills. You really need to sit down and have a long sobering talk with yourself and plan it all out really well, financially as well as the engineering. Tons of half done projects out there where guys realize half way it ain't as easy as it looks or they get tired of the drain on the bank account ( or maybe their wives do). Either choice this forum would be here for you. You should post what you do and learn to help the next guy. Good luck

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Roundeye, I'd strongly suggest getting a workshop manual and reading it cover to cover, its amazing what you'll pick up.........I'm a hotrodder and stuck a 318 poly,auto, 4 wheel discs, rack & pinion etc, etc in my 1940 Dodge in 1973, I was a penpusher, ie a clerk in a government department but had built models and at 19 thought why not............lol........its still going strong now after 45 yrs.........but I was lucky, I had an area in which to work, a well paying job, understanding(so I thought, lol)parents and wasn't particularly interested in girls so I built the car.........lol..............overall keeping the flathead 6 would be the cheaper alternative but it really depends on what you want and your determination and ability..........Flatie's reply hits the nail on the head so I'd strongly suggest taking your time, concentrating on small jobs but jobs that you can start and complete easily and within your budget...................as I said get a manual, maybe also a parts book also as they have pics the show exactly what the parts are............BTW welcome aboard & regards from sunny South Grafton , Australia........Andy Douglas     

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Consider making your old engine run an apprenticeship  of sorts.  

 When you have done that you will know a lot more about  mechanics generally and your car in particular.

the engine may not have an oil filter, some did not.   Andy is giving good advice.

 

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something very satisfying in getting a vintage engine running again. you eventually get a kinship with that engine and you know when it is not feeling well. keep it running well and it will take you many places.    capt den 

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Cheaper and easier to rebuild the flattie. Quick check to see what really needs to be done is pull the plugs and try to turn the engine by hand. If it turns decent, Use a jump pack to the starter and do a compression check. If compression is good real easy to get it running from there.

 

Joe 

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Thats the biggest problem for me as far as putting in a v8, I dont know how to weld. I do think the flatties are cool with the multiple carbs and headers and what not. Not sure how good the 727 and t5 work behind them but would prolly go that route.

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You will get nothing but frustration using the small cables designed for a 12 volt system. If your truck runs great and starts right up, you can get away with using them. If you want to crank it over for any length of time, say do a compression check, the cables will heat up and will not crank the engine over, you will think you have a dead battery. Let them cool down and then battery will turn it over some more.

They are simply the wrong tool to do the job. I would replace them as soon as possible.

That being said, I still have a small ground cable on my truck, and only turn it over with oil in the cylinders to prepare it for the day I do try to start it. I have the correct cable set aside ready to put it on.

 

That truck with the 218 flathead in good running condition, will be a handful and plenty of fun as is. Go with a v8 and you will have to modify the suspension, brakes, transmission ....

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On 1/6/2018 at 1:58 AM, Roundeye67 said:

If I cant get it going, I was just going to swap in a v8. Not sure if rebuilding the flathead would be cheaper than a swap or not. Ya mine ran about 5 or 6 years ago. Not sure if mine has an oil filter or what it looks like.

So as I understand it you are not sure what the oil filter looks like or if your stock engine actually has one  but you are ready to swap in a V-8? Trust me a bit on this but it will actually be a lot easier to learn about your original engine and oil filtering than to swap in a V-8. I know all the car magazines and the unreal reality TV shows make all this sound quick and easy but it is a lot more complicated doing an engine upgrade than doing repairs/rebuilds to the original engine. As suggested find and read everything you can about your vehicle prior to taking the plunge to swap engines.

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An engine needs three things to run, compression, fuel and spark, assuming of course that it's not frozen and will turn over.  After that it's just a question of how well it runs.

Step 1 does it turn over

Step 2 does it have compression

Step 3 does it have spark

Step 4 add fuel and see what happens

 

If the engine is not stuck and I want to decide whether to swap to a V8 or spend a little money on the flattie I would check the compression first, if the compression is bad then you probably need to rebuild the engine, if you have compression the engine can be made to run and if you can do a basic tuneup you have the skills to get it running.

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On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 11:52 PM, The Oil Soup said:

Even with poor compression it may improve once you get it running and the valves loosen up and the rings settle in. Mine had been sitting for 25 years and seems to be going strong with 62k original miles.

well.....yes and no...you could get lucky and it improve as the rings start to free up on the piston lands but lets say valves may be part of the issue...continuing to run it with poor valve face or seats etc. will only lead to a continuation of the degrading of the valve, whereas head off, good inspection, clean lap and proper adjust would be all that was need for peace of mind and proper engine compression....

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Drain rad. Pull head. Free up cylinders. While pistons are enjoying their oil bath, release valve retainers and do an inspection on all valve seating sufaces. 

 

If you’re lucky valves only need some lapping. Seal ‘em up tight! 

Clean plugs cap and rotor. 

 

By now hopefully engine turns over. Reinstall head. Crank it over and take compression test. If over 90 across all, get some fuel in there. Refill rad. Fire engine up! Proceed to kill all mosquitos in your area. Set timing and next thing you know, you’re our cruising with the stock 6 flathead...Hopefully. 

 

Thats certainly a lot easier than swapping in a V8. 

 

Edited by keithb7
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