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Flathead Fever · 03-06-2019, 11:39 PM

Like Ron said a 302 will wipe the teeth right off an early Ford trans. My dad had a '32 3-window with a completely stock "265" Chevy coupled to a '39 trans. That 265 eliminated 2nd gear, never to be heard from again. It turned the trans into a wide-ratio 2-speed. A 302 Ford will have even more torque.

I don't understand the flathead fear? Its the same as any other engine except no pushrods and rocker arms. Plus, no valve cover gaskets to leak. There is nothing magic about working on a flathead. 16-year-old boys were doing it 80-year's ago.

If you were going to rip out the entire flathead drivetrain this was not the pickup to have bought. It is worth more right now than it will be after you pour all that money into putting a '302, new trans, driveshaft, rear end...…… You might as well have started with a frame and the sheet metal because you won't use any of the rest of it.

Small block Chevys and Fords break too! Its not the internals in an engine that leave you broke on the side of the rode. 98% of the time its the stuff on the outside of the engine that quits. The fuel system, ignition system and the parts that the belts rotate. That is not going to change with a 302 Ford. If you maintain those parts on a flathead it will be just as dependable as the 302. The flathead problems you here about are almost always from neglect to maintain these parts. It has nothing to do with it being a flathead. Change the oil, change the coolant, don't let the fuel get old. Do a scheduled tune-up just like you would with the 302. Don't be driving around with a 75-year-old coil and wiring, a 50-year-old fuel pump, a pound of rust in the gas tank and mud in your cooling system and your flathead should be just fine. Those are the problems most people are having with their flatheads.

I here people say all the time, "but I want something I can drive". I'm pretty sure people once drove billions and billions of miles with their flatheads. Then we these people got old they wanted to go back and drive flatheads all over again. If flathead V8s were such junk why would people have kept buying them from 1932 to 1953.

03-06-2019, 11:39 PM	#20
Flathead Fever Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Yucaipa, CA Posts: 1,095	Re: 302 in a 33/34 pickup Like Ron said a 302 will wipe the teeth right off an early Ford trans. My dad had a '32 3-window with a completely stock "265" Chevy coupled to a '39 trans. That 265 eliminated 2nd gear, never to be heard from again. It turned the trans into a wide-ratio 2-speed. A 302 Ford will have even more torque. I don't understand the flathead fear? Its the same as any other engine except no pushrods and rocker arms. Plus, no valve cover gaskets to leak. There is nothing magic about working on a flathead. 16-year-old boys were doing it 80-year's ago. If you were going to rip out the entire flathead drivetrain this was not the pickup to have bought. It is worth more right now than it will be after you pour all that money into putting a '302, new trans, driveshaft, rear end...…… You might as well have started with a frame and the sheet metal because you won't use any of the rest of it. Small block Chevys and Fords break too! Its not the internals in an engine that leave you broke on the side of the rode. 98% of the time its the stuff on the outside of the engine that quits. The fuel system, ignition system and the parts that the belts rotate. That is not going to change with a 302 Ford. If you maintain those parts on a flathead it will be just as dependable as the 302. The flathead problems you here about are almost always from neglect to maintain these parts. It has nothing to do with it being a flathead. Change the oil, change the coolant, don't let the fuel get old. Do a scheduled tune-up just like you would with the 302. Don't be driving around with a 75-year-old coil and wiring, a 50-year-old fuel pump, a pound of rust in the gas tank and mud in your cooling system and your flathead should be just fine. Those are the problems most people are having with their flatheads. I here people say all the time, "but I want something I can drive". I'm pretty sure people once drove billions and billions of miles with their flatheads. Then we these people got old they wanted to go back and drive flatheads all over again. If flathead V8s were such junk why would people have kept buying them from 1932 to 1953. Last edited by Flathead Fever; 03-07-2019 at 12:24 AM.