The Ford Barn

Straightpipes · 12-20-2011, 10:59 PM

I was talking to my friend Les about the "good old days".

1963 Les and I drove my 49 coupe to work about 20 miles one way. Little by little over a couple of weeks it developed a knock. As the weeks went by the knock grew louder and louder. With no money for repairs and a spare engine in the shed I figured to keep driving it.
One Friday night we left work and she really started hammering. 20 miles to get home. At the 10 mile mark we couldn't believe that she was still running. I was doing around 50 and didn't let up. At the 15 mile mark we had to turn up the radio. Being a young guy full of piss and vinegar I stuffed it into 2nd and floored it. She stayed together. Got to my street and held her right to the floor to my place. Got up by the barn and Les went and got a cement block and put it on the gas pedal to see how long she'd last.
Didn't take but about a minute and she went apart. Right out the side. Some went through the block and some went through the pan.
Being Friday ( payday) I went in the house and gave Ma $20. That left me $23 so we went out to hoot and holler.
We pulled the engine on Saturday and put in the spare on Sunday and went off to work on Monday.
Les still lives just down the road from me. The engine still lies down behind the barn right where we left it 48 years ago.

Merry Christmas everybody...

19Fordy · 12-21-2011, 08:43 AM

Kind of sad. Don't you now wish you hadn't "blown up" that old engine?

richard crow · 12-21-2011, 10:41 AM

when i was a kid after school i worked in a gas station. one day a guy pulled in front of the pumps told me to fill it up & check the oil. i opened the hood eng was runing i told him to shut it off. i checked the oil it was ok. he paid me for the gas when he went to start the car it would not start. i opened the hood eng was cranking but fan was not turning.he started screaming i did smothing while i was checking the oil .when the mech check out the car he found the crank shaft was broken in half. he said it must of hapened miles before because both halfs were worn smooth. how that car drove in is still a mestery to me.the car was a 49 ford v8

columbiA · 12-21-2011, 08:52 PM

Around 1960,I was in a 49 Pontic 6 cyl when it started knocking & running rough.He drove it the 20 miles to town.When we checked it out,we found the crank had broken between #3&4 cyls.The crank had broken on an angle so that explained the rough running.

Aeroman99 · 12-21-2011, 09:10 PM

Id like to thank you all for the fine stories. I enjoyed reading them. I had V8 once that I broke the crank shaft in half, but it was in an 80 Ford Bronco not a flathead. I drove it all the way from Munising Mich up in the UP all the way to Ypsilanti Mich before it finally let go. That old motor was just hammering. I rebuilt it , lost my job and it ended up getting repoed. End of story.

denverslim · 12-21-2011, 09:18 PM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Hell, those engines were tough. Doncha think a little WD-40 and some MMO, you can get 'er going again?...slim

46ford · 12-22-2011, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aeroman99

Id like to thank you all for the fine stories. I enjoyed reading them. I had V8 once that I broke the crank shaft in half, but it was in an 80 Ford Bronco not a flathead. I drove it all the way from Munising Mich up in the UP all the way to Ypsilanti Mich before it finally let go. That old motor was just hammering. I rebuilt it , lost my job and it ended up getting repoed. End of story.

I towed cars for awhile. Picked up a Dodge minivan from a lady, she said it had a bad oil leak. I checked the oil and started it up, and drove it on the flatbed. The oil was from a rod which was sticking out the pan.

Shadetree · 12-22-2011, 10:16 PM

Its good growing up in a small town with older neighborhood boys. You learn a lot, about everything. We had two big junkyards close by and could find just about anything you needed for an old car. They knew us by our first names. My neighbor buddy had a `42 Chevy pickup. It started knocking so we straddled a dry ditch and took the oil pan off. We found the loose rod and filed the rod cap. Problem solved! While we were at it we decided to tighten the rest of the rods in the same manner. We put the oil pan back on, dumped the old oil back in it. The starter wouldn’t turn the engine over. No big deal, the neighbor would give us a pull with his truck. Every time my buddy let the clutch out the back tires skidded. Back to the dry ditch. Removed the oil pan. We took a tin can and made shims. Nice fit! Put the pan back on, dumped the old oil back in and fired it up and no knocks. It lasted a few days...

The same buddy as above traded for a `41 Ford coupe with a hot water six engine. The street we lived on had a very slight grade. He could not back that Ford up that slight grade. It would just jump up and down. He would get so irritated he would pop the clutch and it still wouldn't back up. I never liked a Ford six after that even though it had nothing to do with the engine.

He traded the Ford coupe for a `41 Dodge sedan with Fluid Drive. Now that was a treat! He would pop the clutch in high gear and the old Dodge would just sit there. Push the gas pedal to the floor and the car would slowly creep forward. It drank oil and we couldn't keep the spark plugs working. We would hold the plugs over his mom's gas cook stove with a pair pliers and burn the oil off. Then we took a cardboard shoe box, cut it up in small pieces and spaced the spark plug wires about an inch from the plug. The coil had to produce a hotter spark to jump that gap and it kept the plugs firing. Great memories...

Shadetree

Straightpipes · 12-23-2011, 06:17 PM

When I was a kid the old man had a 36 Ford coupe that he cut up into a doodlebug. It had the entire front end on it but everything behind the door hinges was gone. It had two trannys and a 1 ton rearend. Us kids loved to drive that thing.
We lived on the farm on a dirt road and would drive it down to the corner every morning to get the school bus. Then we'd drive it home again. Right around the late 50s the clutch went out on it, probably operator error. It wound up setting around in the bushes for many years.
Now that had two transmission, the stock 36 and behind that was a 39.
About 5 years ago I needed a transmission and went down in the weeds and pulled it up out of there. A friend restoring a 36 found many useable parts off that old car and the 34 pickup in my avatar has the 39 tranny out of it.
Pretty amazing that I would be shifting the same transmission some 50 years later....

Straightpipes · 03-02-2012, 07:29 PM

Any more flathead stories???

mrtexas · 03-02-2012, 08:00 PM

How about the 7 cylinder Ford story? A cheapskate friend of mine when he was young had a Ford V8 and no money to fix it. One rod broke so he dropped the pan and pulled the head. He took the rod and piston out and it was fixed now a 7 cylinder Ford. Idled rough but down the road was OK.

Shadetree · 03-02-2012, 09:24 PM

Those old Shoeboxes are tough!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4W_2qKIQtg

Shadetree

12-20-2011, 10:59 PM	#1
Straightpipes Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ballston Spa, NY Posts: 789	49 flathead story I was talking to my friend Les about the "good old days". 1963 Les and I drove my 49 coupe to work about 20 miles one way. Little by little over a couple of weeks it developed a knock. As the weeks went by the knock grew louder and louder. With no money for repairs and a spare engine in the shed I figured to keep driving it. One Friday night we left work and she really started hammering. 20 miles to get home. At the 10 mile mark we couldn't believe that she was still running. I was doing around 50 and didn't let up. At the 15 mile mark we had to turn up the radio. Being a young guy full of piss and vinegar I stuffed it into 2nd and floored it. She stayed together. Got to my street and held her right to the floor to my place. Got up by the barn and Les went and got a cement block and put it on the gas pedal to see how long she'd last. Didn't take but about a minute and she went apart. Right out the side. Some went through the block and some went through the pan. Being Friday ( payday) I went in the house and gave Ma $20. That left me $23 so we went out to hoot and holler. We pulled the engine on Saturday and put in the spare on Sunday and went off to work on Monday. Les still lives just down the road from me. The engine still lies down behind the barn right where we left it 48 years ago. Merry Christmas everybody...

12-21-2011, 08:43 AM	#2
19Fordy Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Coral Springs FL Posts: 10,951	Re: 49 flathead story Kind of sad. Don't you now wish you hadn't "blown up" that old engine?

12-21-2011, 08:52 PM	#4
columbiA Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 1,746	Re: 49 flathead story Around 1960,I was in a 49 Pontic 6 cyl when it started knocking & running rough.He drove it the 20 miles to town.When we checked it out,we found the crank had broken between #3&4 cyls.The crank had broken on an angle so that explained the rough running.

12-21-2011, 09:10 PM	#5
Aeroman99 Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Oscoda , Michigan Posts: 41	Re: 49 flathead story Id like to thank you all for the fine stories. I enjoyed reading them. I had V8 once that I broke the crank shaft in half, but it was in an 80 Ford Bronco not a flathead. I drove it all the way from Munising Mich up in the UP all the way to Ypsilanti Mich before it finally let go. That old motor was just hammering. I rebuilt it , lost my job and it ended up getting repoed. End of story. __________________ “Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain” ― Henry Ford

12-21-2011, 09:18 PM	#6
denverslim Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ehh...Denver Posts: 196	Re: 49 flathead story Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Hell, those engines were tough. Doncha think a little WD-40 and some MMO, you can get 'er going again?...slim

12-21-2011, 10:41 AM	#3
richard crow Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,770	Re: 49 flathead story when i was a kid after school i worked in a gas station. one day a guy pulled in front of the pumps told me to fill it up & check the oil. i opened the hood eng was runing i told him to shut it off. i checked the oil it was ok. he paid me for the gas when he went to start the car it would not start. i opened the hood eng was cranking but fan was not turning.he started screaming i did smothing while i was checking the oil .when the mech check out the car he found the crank shaft was broken in half. he said it must of hapened miles before because both halfs were worn smooth. how that car drove in is still a mestery to me.the car was a 49 ford v8

12-22-2011, 10:16 PM	#8
Shadetree Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Cottageville, WV Posts: 1,535	Re: 49 flathead story Its good growing up in a small town with older neighborhood boys. You learn a lot, about everything. We had two big junkyards close by and could find just about anything you needed for an old car. They knew us by our first names. My neighbor buddy had a `42 Chevy pickup. It started knocking so we straddled a dry ditch and took the oil pan off. We found the loose rod and filed the rod cap. Problem solved! While we were at it we decided to tighten the rest of the rods in the same manner. We put the oil pan back on, dumped the old oil back in it. The starter wouldn’t turn the engine over. No big deal, the neighbor would give us a pull with his truck. Every time my buddy let the clutch out the back tires skidded. Back to the dry ditch. Removed the oil pan. We took a tin can and made shims. Nice fit! Put the pan back on, dumped the old oil back in and fired it up and no knocks. It lasted a few days... The same buddy as above traded for a `41 Ford coupe with a hot water six engine. The street we lived on had a very slight grade. He could not back that Ford up that slight grade. It would just jump up and down. He would get so irritated he would pop the clutch and it still wouldn't back up. I never liked a Ford six after that even though it had nothing to do with the engine. He traded the Ford coupe for a `41 Dodge sedan with Fluid Drive. Now that was a treat! He would pop the clutch in high gear and the old Dodge would just sit there. Push the gas pedal to the floor and the car would slowly creep forward. It drank oil and we couldn't keep the spark plugs working. We would hold the plugs over his mom's gas cook stove with a pair pliers and burn the oil off. Then we took a cardboard shoe box, cut it up in small pieces and spaced the spark plug wires about an inch from the plug. The coil had to produce a hotter spark to jump that gap and it kept the plugs firing. Great memories... Shadetree __________________ Son, you will never blow an engine up in high gear.

12-23-2011, 06:17 PM	#9
Straightpipes Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ballston Spa, NY Posts: 789	Re: 49 flathead story When I was a kid the old man had a 36 Ford coupe that he cut up into a doodlebug. It had the entire front end on it but everything behind the door hinges was gone. It had two trannys and a 1 ton rearend. Us kids loved to drive that thing. We lived on the farm on a dirt road and would drive it down to the corner every morning to get the school bus. Then we'd drive it home again. Right around the late 50s the clutch went out on it, probably operator error. It wound up setting around in the bushes for many years. Now that had two transmission, the stock 36 and behind that was a 39. About 5 years ago I needed a transmission and went down in the weeds and pulled it up out of there. A friend restoring a 36 found many useable parts off that old car and the 34 pickup in my avatar has the 39 tranny out of it. Pretty amazing that I would be shifting the same transmission some 50 years later....

03-02-2012, 07:29 PM	#10
Straightpipes Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ballston Spa, NY Posts: 789	Re: 49 flathead story Any more flathead stories???

03-02-2012, 08:00 PM	#11
mrtexas Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sugar Land, TX Posts: 4,395	Re: 49 flathead story How about the 7 cylinder Ford story? A cheapskate friend of mine when he was young had a Ford V8 and no money to fix it. One rod broke so he dropped the pan and pulled the head. He took the rod and piston out and it was fixed now a 7 cylinder Ford. Idled rough but down the road was OK.

03-02-2012, 09:24 PM	#12
Shadetree Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Cottageville, WV Posts: 1,535	Re: 49 flathead story Those old Shoeboxes are tough! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4W_2qKIQtg Shadetree __________________ Son, you will never blow an engine up in high gear.