The Ford Barn

drolston · 07-21-2017, 09:13 PM

The coupe I drive and I are the same age. Right now we are both in pretty good health, but I have lost a few friends lately. One I had promised to show off my fabulous flathead, when I could find the time to make the drive. Not letting that happen again.

So, - major road trip in the Fall. From Williamsburg VA to at least Carson City NV, where my brother (another car nut) lives.

You all may have seen the results of my shake-down cruise after the rebuild. Missing crank nut Belleville washer let the fan into the radiator. All fixed now. The other concern from that trip is RPM vs MPH. Even with bigger tires on the rear, and 3.78 gears, I am turning over 2,900 rpm at 65 mph. I know a good flathead can run all day at that RPM, but it is noisy and not economical.

I was considering a Columbia or Mitchell, but both are very expensive and add complication. So, for the moment I am leaning to just putting in 3.25 rear end gears. That gets Interstate cruise RPM down to just over 2500 RPM. That should be a sweet spot for the Schneider 248f cam, and keep the secondaries closed. I believe the 284 inch displacement with a 4 1/8 stroke should have enough torque to get her going from a stop on a hill without burning up the clutch.

Another factor is to take the savings from the cheap gearing solution and invest in Lockheed brakes, cause I know from some practice panic stops that the stock brakes are good, but not good enough.

What advice would you veteran cruisers have for me?

07-21-2017, 09:13 PM	#1
drolston Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Williamsburg, VA Posts: 1,811	Time to go, but how? The coupe I drive and I are the same age. Right now we are both in pretty good health, but I have lost a few friends lately. One I had promised to show off my fabulous flathead, when I could find the time to make the drive. Not letting that happen again. So, - major road trip in the Fall. From Williamsburg VA to at least Carson City NV, where my brother (another car nut) lives. You all may have seen the results of my shake-down cruise after the rebuild. Missing crank nut Belleville washer let the fan into the radiator. All fixed now. The other concern from that trip is RPM vs MPH. Even with bigger tires on the rear, and 3.78 gears, I am turning over 2,900 rpm at 65 mph. I know a good flathead can run all day at that RPM, but it is noisy and not economical. I was considering a Columbia or Mitchell, but both are very expensive and add complication. So, for the moment I am leaning to just putting in 3.25 rear end gears. That gets Interstate cruise RPM down to just over 2500 RPM. That should be a sweet spot for the Schneider 248f cam, and keep the secondaries closed. I believe the 284 inch displacement with a 4 1/8 stroke should have enough torque to get her going from a stop on a hill without burning up the clutch. Another factor is to take the savings from the cheap gearing solution and invest in Lockheed brakes, cause I know from some practice panic stops that the stock brakes are good, but not good enough. What advice would you veteran cruisers have for me?