The Ford Barn

Grizlywinkleman · 10-11-2017, 12:37 PM

Greetings from Iraq!

I am new to the forum and have a few questions. At home (Wisconsin), I have a ‘50 or ’51 8BA (thin belt) from a F100. The awesome old timer I bought it from claims it was running about three years ago when he sold the ’39 f100 it was in (the guy who bought the truck did not want the motor, lucky me!).

Is there a way of telling exactly what year it is?

I removed each of the spark plugs to take a peek at the condition and carbon buildup on the block deck and valve faces. I found no evidence of water but a fair amount of carbon which I expected. The spark plugs were not stuck; they looked pretty good and actually still smelled of gas. The only issue I found was one of the valves had been slapping the spark plug. I was told the springs can break and the retainer can slip off the valve letting it loosely slap around as the cam spins. When I rotate the motor by hand the valve does not come up as the others do.

Any other diagnosis here?

I am planning on removing the heads and intake manifolds and confirming this is the case. I then plan on replacing all valve springs and retainers and cleaning anything I can get too, searching for cracks, and checking stroke & bore.

While I am at it, is there anything else I should look for, replace, or upgrade?

I am in hopes of being able to throw the motor (stock with header upgrade, water pump upgrade, and stock style oil filter added) into a T-bucket my brother is building for at least a while before I do a rebuild. It looks so cool just the way it is!

As for when I am ready to rebuild, I am hoping to get about 180 – 200 HP. Is this reasonable to do? What is a good method for picking out the correct parts?

I have built a 347 Stroker and took the approach of starting with the cam and matching the performance of the remaing parts to it in order to match performance level and maximize HP. Should I take the same approach with the flathead?

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge! I look forward to learning from the barn!

FYI, I may not be able to respond right away but I will hop back on as soon as I can.

Ryan

10-11-2017, 12:37 PM	#1
Grizlywinkleman Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: La Crosse, WI Posts: 6	My First Flathead Greetings from Iraq! I am new to the forum and have a few questions. At home (Wisconsin), I have a ‘50 or ’51 8BA (thin belt) from a F100. The awesome old timer I bought it from claims it was running about three years ago when he sold the ’39 f100 it was in (the guy who bought the truck did not want the motor, lucky me!). Is there a way of telling exactly what year it is? I removed each of the spark plugs to take a peek at the condition and carbon buildup on the block deck and valve faces. I found no evidence of water but a fair amount of carbon which I expected. The spark plugs were not stuck; they looked pretty good and actually still smelled of gas. The only issue I found was one of the valves had been slapping the spark plug. I was told the springs can break and the retainer can slip off the valve letting it loosely slap around as the cam spins. When I rotate the motor by hand the valve does not come up as the others do. Any other diagnosis here? I am planning on removing the heads and intake manifolds and confirming this is the case. I then plan on replacing all valve springs and retainers and cleaning anything I can get too, searching for cracks, and checking stroke & bore. While I am at it, is there anything else I should look for, replace, or upgrade? I am in hopes of being able to throw the motor (stock with header upgrade, water pump upgrade, and stock style oil filter added) into a T-bucket my brother is building for at least a while before I do a rebuild. It looks so cool just the way it is! As for when I am ready to rebuild, I am hoping to get about 180 – 200 HP. Is this reasonable to do? What is a good method for picking out the correct parts? I have built a 347 Stroker and took the approach of starting with the cam and matching the performance of the remaing parts to it in order to match performance level and maximize HP. Should I take the same approach with the flathead? Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge! I look forward to learning from the barn! FYI, I may not be able to respond right away but I will hop back on as soon as I can. Ryan