The Ford Barn

cuzncletus · 08-27-2013, 02:11 PM

A friend just pulled an 8ba from a 49 truck. The owner complained it was running hot; indeed there was water in the oil and center exhaust port. My thought is this is caused by one of two things. First is the dread crack from ex. valve seat to cylinder wall. If so, it's toast. The other thought I had was my friend, who had recently redone the truck before selling it to the current owner, had installed new Offy aluminum heads. Being new to flatheads, I hadn't known to torque aluminum heads from back to front, not in the conventional pattern. An old(er) timer told me this. When I checked with several sources they confirmed he was right.

I asked my friend how he had torqued the alum. heads. He said he had torqued them in the conventional flathead pattern as recommended by Ford. Is this correct?

If the Offy heads did warp, will pulling torque on them flatten them out or do they need to be milled? The engine is not going back into the truck as the new owner wants it swapped for a small block Ford. The new owner complained of reliability and the truck running hot. My flathead stash is getting full after only a couple of years but I hate to let a potentially good motor get away. This motor ran well in the truck when it was stock for years in the community as the old 49 was an actual working vehicle.

Either way, my interest in the engine is casual until I can pull the heads.

08-27-2013, 02:11 PM	#1
cuzncletus Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sevierville, Tenn. Posts: 391	torquing Offenhauser heads A friend just pulled an 8ba from a 49 truck. The owner complained it was running hot; indeed there was water in the oil and center exhaust port. My thought is this is caused by one of two things. First is the dread crack from ex. valve seat to cylinder wall. If so, it's toast. The other thought I had was my friend, who had recently redone the truck before selling it to the current owner, had installed new Offy aluminum heads. Being new to flatheads, I hadn't known to torque aluminum heads from back to front, not in the conventional pattern. An old(er) timer told me this. When I checked with several sources they confirmed he was right. I asked my friend how he had torqued the alum. heads. He said he had torqued them in the conventional flathead pattern as recommended by Ford. Is this correct? If the Offy heads did warp, will pulling torque on them flatten them out or do they need to be milled? The engine is not going back into the truck as the new owner wants it swapped for a small block Ford. The new owner complained of reliability and the truck running hot. My flathead stash is getting full after only a couple of years but I hate to let a potentially good motor get away. This motor ran well in the truck when it was stock for years in the community as the old 49 was an actual working vehicle. Either way, my interest in the engine is casual until I can pull the heads.