Further adventures with a Ford flat head engine

[rob love]

Van Pelt sales in the US have a lot of information posted on the flatheads. Here is a link to their page for torque specs on the early engines: http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/f...ecs32-48V8.htm


They are a small husband wife organization. I like dealing with them because they have continued to stock the 3 ton suspension parts we use on our CMPs, whereas most of the big names seem to have discontinued carrying that class of truck parts, instead concentrating on the smaller more popular 1/2 and 3/4 tons.

[Lynn Eades]

Main Bearing nuts 80 to 90 ft lb
Connecting rod castellated nuts 35 to 40 ft lb
Connecting rod self locking nuts 45 to 50 ft lb
cylinder heads cast iron 50 to 55 ft lb
cylinder heads aluminium 35 to 40 ft lb
flywheel cap screws 65 to 70ft lb
fly wheel self locking screws 80 ft lb
spark plugs cast iron heads 24 to 28 ft lb
spark plugs aly heads 20 to 24 ft lb

I took this from a scientific publications workshop manual (32 to 48). I know some flat head v8s have nuts and studs on the main bearing caps while others used bolts. I cant remember if the figures are the same, so you need to investigate further. This book is good in that as a post war publication it covers well, (for examples) the carb and clutch rebuilds along with interchange of parts. etc not found in Ford publications.
I have bought parts from James Saccoccio of Gotham Auto parts in New York (00 1 718 878 3699) and have had great results from him (and also from Van Pelts)

[Alastair Thomas]

Thanks a lot guys.

I have hopes that there will be plain sailing from now on and thus no need for chapter three of my adventures.

Alastair

[Dave Newcomb]

Worth the membership $ These fellows have been all about Flatheads for 60 years! Dave

[Alastair Thomas]

I have attached an update on my adventures in rebuilding the replacement engine for our F60S LAAT.
However, I now have a real problem. The reach from the timing cover to the end of the camshaft is about 0.91 inches. This is about twice the reach of the distributor. I seem to remember reading about this on this forum some time ago but cannot find it again.
Is there an adaptor?
If not, can anybody tell me if the dog on the distributor is held on with a roll pin, taper pin or something else? Close examination has not helped me. If I can get it off, I can make a longer one.
Does the distributor that has two bolt fixing have a longer reach?
I feel thoroughly faint at the prospect of swapping camshafts as I have got this far.

Kind regards,
Alastair
F60S LAAT
Ford Lynx I MkIII*

[Mike K]

I found this:

https://rodandstyle.com/blogs/rod-an...d-distributors

Sounds like you may have the wrong timing cover , it could be from a later model engine and somebody has fiddled around and fitted it onto your engine. Or, the camshaft is the wrong type.

Sounds like the truck came without a distributor fitted ?

Found this on a forum: you can buy an adapter plate to convert the three bolt front cover to a two bolt Crab (42-48) distributor, That then opens up a world of aftermarket distributors, or a good rebuilt stock one, which if done right are a great upgrade over the earlier diving helmet dist. someone will chime in where they are available in the states im sure. If you RANG Bubba, no doubt he would have given you all this info directly, so try that.

The write up is a good read and the valve length jig was a nice solution ! You did well with the off-hand grinding of the valve stems.... I am not that brave.

I remember doing the valve seats and clearances on the 85hp motor in my 1941 army MCP 11D truck , it had the divers bell dissy. Hillman spares had new split guides for $2 each pair !


Off topic: you can clean up some types of valve heads by machining rather than grinding them . I have done this on a Holden Red Motor , the valves cleaned up well with a HSS tool. The Vintage car engine business down the road from me used to machine valve heads down to size to suit whatever he needed but this was back in the pre-unleaded fuel days.

[Mike K]

I just read your article again and it is a little confusing:

Anyway we do not have any two bolt fixing distributors though we have plenty of Diver’s Helmet and Crab Top ones they are all three bolt fixing.

I thought the crab dissy is a two bolt fixing, not three.

If you do use the crab type, this may help you.

https://myflatheadford.com/wp-conten...tributor-1.pdf