Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

jack orchard>>>Is there any general agreement on the best/easiest/cleanest way to put a PCV system on a 8BA?>>>

Prolly not, Jack. 8^)

Jack E/NJ

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

Old Henry>>>I would wager that if you could measure the vacuum in the air cleaner canister there would be no measurable vacuum, certainly not enough to suck air backwards into the out vent where the airflow is creating much greater vacuum to suck it that way.>>>

And I'll wager there are times and conditions when you are correct, Old Henry. Like coasting fast down a steep hill at no throttle. But there are other times and conditions when you aren't. Like going slowly up a steep hill at high throttle --- and this is when you wish some of the blowby & gases were being directed down the throat of your carb and out the tailpipe. 8^)

Jack E/NJ

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

OK, here's a simple test for someone to do that thinks that the vacuum in the air cleaner canister will draw air into the downdraft tube (on 8ba) or vent above the oil pan (on 59A-B). With the engine idling, hold a piece of tissue paper over either of those "intakes" and see if there is enough vacuum just to hold it in place. No? Air from the fan blowing it off? OK, try reving up the engine and see if you can get enough vacuum in the air cleaner canister to hold the tissue in place at the "intakes." Result? Report to us.

Then try it the other way. Engine idling, oil filler cap removed, and the tissue laying over the oil filler opening. Any sign of suction at idle? How about revved up? Hold onto the tissue so it doesn't get sucked into the filler tube! And that vacuum is just coming from the air that the fan is blowing past the outlet. Think what it would be at 60 mph!

Please report results of test/experiments. I have stock/original ventilation on my 59A-B so can't try it but am very curious.

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

Jack, If you Really wanted to you could remove the road draft tube and replace it with an PCV valve plumbed into the intake manifold. The rest of the ventilation system would remain the same. The only difference would be the gases would be sucked into the intake and burned in the engine instead of being sucked out beneath the car by the road draft tube.
My preference is the road draft tube.
Bill

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

I like Henry's suggested experiment. For those who may want to try it, the tube or tubing connecting the crankcase opening (oil filler opening on my 21-studder) to the air filter cannister should be comparable in size to the road vent. The tubing connection at the air filter cannister should also be made as perpendicular as possible to the intake airflow to also take advantage of bernoulli dynamics. In my situation, this setup has virtually eliminated those nasty crankcase fumes that somehow find their way inside the car from the road draft tube or the oil filler cap when the car isn't moving very fast.

Jack E/NJ

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

More fuel for the fire
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/plug..._articleid=197

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

I'll throw another clinker in here. I've got an early intake manifold on an 8BA block in my 39 and the only place it breathes is through the filter on the oil fill cap. I've been running this for approx 20 years and the inside of my engine is as clean as the day I built it. Absolutely no sludge build up. Not even a hint. And it doesn't stink.

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

Well, there you have it. Once again, "much ado about nothing."

Seems we get that a lot on here.:rolleyes:

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

Amen to that. Mr. Ford didn't make no junk and, in most cases, already invented (and perfected) the wheel.:cool:

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

if air direction is to come out the oil filler breather tube, and go in the carb, why does the '35, '36 '37 have a scoop on the oil filler breather? for air to go in and out the bottom. JMO

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

The natural and original design by Ford was just as you have described and the way yours and mine is set up, to go IN the breather cap and out the bottom. This discussion evolved into some attempts to run the air backwards by sucking the air out of the breather cap with a PCV valve to the intake manifold and IN from the bottom of the engine hoping that would be an improvement on Ford's "natural and free flow" approach.

I would think that 99% of all flatheads work just fine with the original design but some owners like to "tinker" with other ideas. Nothing wrong with that, just may not really make any difference.

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

That is correct and it is working well. This is the application they recommend using on the V12 engines.

Frenchy

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

How does it work on the older engines?My 41 just has what looks like metal conduit running to the rear of the car.

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

Forever,
I run an 8ba in my '41 1/2 ton and used a bunch of mixed parts to get it
on the road...including an ancient Fenton 4 brl intake. Along with a fabbed up oil
fill tube at the front of the intake I added a 3/4 dia vent tube on the side of the 8ba
fuel pump stand. With some careful bending the vent pipe exits into the air flow/slip stream under the truck and seems to work just fine.
Charlie ny

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

While I'm reading interesting thread I want to come up with an other question. I want to install the intake from a 8BA on my french flathead. The intake of the french flathead has the road draft tube on the passangers side, while the 8BA has it on the drivers side. From my point of view it should work. What do you think?

I don't want to use a PCV because Stromberg instruction manual says

Do not use this carburetor where
a Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) device of

any type will be used.

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

You'll be OK with a pcv valve.
That little bit in the Stromberg instruction sheet was meant to pacify lawyers.

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

I Just installed a pcv valve in my 8BA. I used a Dorman grommet for a ohv Ford and the PCV is from a 1980 mustang 255 V8. The grommet fit right in my road draft tube hole in the intake. I'm using the old wiper port in the intake for the vaccum source.
Matt

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

i need to grab out this old thread as i´ve got a question concerning using a pcv-valve on a french flathead.
Actually i´m not sure which system it uses 59ab or 8BA.
the french ones have an 59ab-style breather in the back of the intake, no inlet on the pan (like the 59ab) and a 8BA-Style road draft tube (can be shut off manually).

So my guess for original french configuration with open road draft tube is:
the intake vacuum sucks in gases by the 59ab breather, it runs through the engine and comes out by the 8BA-Style road draft tube. Is that possible?
this would also explain why all french engines i have seen (used ones from the mil trucks) have nearly no oil in the breather mesh filter.

i bought a 59ab navarro intake for that baby. i wanna plug the gallery hole and connect a pcv valve there to run the crank case gases through a tube within the valve gallery to an intake port of the manifold.
Will this work correctly?

Re: Ventilating the Flat Head!
 

The PCV valve idea is the common alteration. If it has the early style oil filler/fuel pump stand on the back of the manifold or what have you, it will need some basic air filtration in there to keep it from drawing dirt & crud into the crankcase.

Don't be afraid to start your own thread on this stuff. Some folks don't even open these old threads to look at them.