Kids, will they ever learn?

[Niel Hoback]

Probably not, but then we all get to say "We told you so" when he gives up and dumps the whole thing.

[captden29]

i had a 54 windsor in high school. thought the 331 hemi would be cool. i did the swap after much learning. in those days i bought the entire new yorker with the hemi for $25 at the junk yard. the swap cost alot of time, but not much money. i wanted the windsor because it was a convertible. i must admit that as stupid as the whole thing was i did learn alot. youth is wasted on the young. dennis

[Niel Hoback]

How right you are, Dennis. I destroyed a lot of good old cars through stupidity. Yes, I too learned a lot about how to make things work, but at great expense. No one told me to stop, step back, and think about what I was doing. It's not likely I would have listened anyway, but I still hate to see kids make the same mistakes and destroy a piece of history.

[Adam H P15 D30]

Alota good points here, you guys have made me feel better anyway. Like I said, I really couldn't tell him no being that he bought it with his own money. I talked to him about it and he's kinda dropped it for the moment. He's a good kid, he's more mechanically inclined than most of the kids his age. He put the lift kit on his truck himself, he saves and buys things he wants with the money he works for and yes he buys his own gas. I have a poly engine he could have but it's been out in the weather so long uncovered it'd be a nightmare in broken bolts taking it apart. I wouldn't care if he wan't to make a hotrod out of something else but really I think he's about to be too busy to work on one. He will be graduating in two weeks, then taking college and vocational classes. I don't want him to start it and me have to finish it to keep it from being junked. I guess I kinda freaked when he mentioned it but I just hate to see a car that runs and drives so well dissected on a whim. I know he would regret it later on. Gonna keep working on him.

As an owner of multiple early Hemi's and several Flathead powered vehicles (only 1 now), I would say that the Poly motor has a coolness about it that neither Hemis nor Flatheads have. Plus you just done see them. He's probably going to end up with a V8 in it anyway, doesn't hurt to tear it down to see how bad it may or may not be.

On a side note: My first car was a 39 Plym business coupe, running Flathead. My dad's buddy bet me 100.00 that there would be a V8 in it within a year. I always liked the Flatheads so I took the bet. 8 months later there was a 413 and a 4 speed in it. You can't change nature and he's a teenage boy!!!!!

[Flatie46]

I think he's after the sound of the V-8, like Reg says I need a set of headers for him. I've showed him Pete's engine before, he really like it.

I like that about the old geezers. He may listen to you guys before me. He will be home Saturday, I'll make sure he reads this thread.

[thrashingcows]

How right you are, Dennis. I destroyed a lot of good old cars through stupidity. Yes, I too learned a lot about how to make things work, but at great expense. No one told me to stop, step back, and think about what I was doing. It's not likely I would have listened anyway, but I still hate to see kids make the same mistakes and destroy a piece of history.

Man this sums up my youth...which I'm not too far out of.....

[Martin53Cranbrook]

well i was kinda in the same spot as your son, i thought my flathead took a turn for the worst and has been kind of a struggle finding parts for it so i got a deal i couldn't refuse on a 318/904 combo but the motor had been sitting outside uncovered for months so the first thing i did was put it on a stand and tore into it and checked to see what all i would have to replaced and realised i would be getting in over my head building the 318 cause not only would i have to rebuild it i looked into everything else i would have to do to make it work and realised i would have to get a new crossmember, rear end, fab a trans mount, driveshaft, brakes and probably new shocks, steering column, cut a hole in the floor pan and pretty much rebuilding the car from the ground up, so needless to say i decided to keep the flatty and if i need more power i can always get a new head,intake,exhaust and be verry happy with the performance a lot cheaper.