My Flathead V8 tractor build story

[markdtn]

I have gotten a few interested comments when I show photos of my V8 tractor in my avatar. Here is the story if anyone is interested. The short version is that growing up my dad had an NAA tractor. We bought him a book with a Ford tractor history. Inside was an 8N Funk conversion. In the early 50s Funk aircraft company made kits to put 8BAs and inline 6s into N series tractors. They could get more power for plowing and belt work. Records were lost in a fire, but it is estimated that less than 200 V8 kits were made and closer to 5000 I6 kits. A real V8 Funk is very expensive today. There are 2 companies that make kits to convert N-series tractors now. (As a side note for those that don’t know Ford tractors, a 9N was made 1939-1941, a 2N was made 1942-1947, and 8Ns were made 1948-1953. To paint with a broad brush they are all similar, but the 8N has improved steering and and another forward gear. NAA/Jubilees began build in 1953 and have live hydraulics and a few other improvements over the N series). Red Rock (RR) make a kit that only includes the engine adapter/front axle support weldment. The builder is left with a blank canvas to build on. Awesome Henry (AH) makes a kit that does that plus has nice cast adapters to raise the hood and widen the radius arms. The RR kit uses car water pumps and will allow an engine driven fan. The AH kit uses truck water pumps and virtually forces you into an electric fan. I always wanted one so a proverbial little old widow lady had a 2N that the block froze and she was hauling it off for scrap. I bought it for more than scrap value and set it aside. Then I found a ’50 8BA from an F1 truck that had been pulled and unceremoniously plunked open on the ground to put in a 302. It sat outside uncovered for about 2 years. I got it unstuck and tore it down. To be honest I didn’t need a lot of performance, all I wanted was the look of a V8. I was going to do a rings and bearings overhaul but then I found that the block had a crack in 1 cylinder and needed a sleeve. So I went completely the other way. Took it to the machine shop and it needed to be .125 over and 2 sleeves. He found me a virgin block that only needed .030 bore. It cost dearly but I think it was worth it. Cooling is a huge issue with the available radiator size and I think .125 over would have made it even harder. He put the cam and valves in and I built the rest. So now I have a rebuilt 8BA that is bone stock. I decided on the AH kit as it was the most complete. I bought the kit and tore the tractor apart. There are some minor fitment differences from 2N to 8N but I overcame. I painted it in my driveway and put it together in late 2016. Went to it’s first tractor show in 2017 and I have been to 2-3 a year since. This site was instrumental in giving me good advice on various 8BA things from the start. I could not have done it without you. In 2024 I decided that I wanted a Sherman overdrive transmission so that on a road ride I could keep the RPMs down. That turned into putting the engine into an 8N with the overdrive and bigger tires.

[markdtn]

I wanted to stay as close to an original as possible. My vision is to look like 1950. No zoomie headers, no aluminum heads or multiple carburetors. The only major deviations are the mini starter and aluminum radiator/electric fan. The alternator is also more modern, but it seems almost every tractor has converted to a Delco 10Si alternator. Just a few items on what it takes to put a V8 in an N tractor. 1) To use a regular V8 starter you have to cut away a piece of the tractor bellhousing. If you use a mini-starter you don’t. 2) With either kit the engine lengthens the tractor. I used NAA drag links for the steering that were longer than the 2N. When I converted the 8N I had to change 1 of them again. With a RR kit you need NAA radius rods too. 3) the 8N throttle rod works with 8BA and some bending. On a 2N it takes more work to change the throttle arm motion from side-to-side to push-pull but it’s doable. 4)Radiator. With the AH kit you pretty much have to use a stock width radiator. I started out with an N radiator with extra inlet and outlet. Went through 3 iterations of electric fans and controls. Could not keep it cool. Ended up with a taller and thicker aluminum radiator and a 3.0 Taurus 2-speed fan. Cooling issues went away. I think I am on the edge of problems but on a 5 mile ride I can keep it out of the red and that is good enough for me. I doubt I could plow in July with it so thankfully I don’t need to do that. With a RR kit you do more hood fabrication so you could use a wider and taller radiator and would likely have less issues. 5) Battery tray. On an 8N the stock one works. On a 2N it is too tall with a fuel tank underhood.

[markdtn]

6) Fuel tank. I bought a 5 gal aluminum fuel cell and mounted it underhood. With the RR kit if you don’t raise the hood there is no room. Original Funks had a double raised hood and used the original tractor tank and strange remote air cleaner setup. To me the tank had to be under the hood. Some mount them behind the seat. 7) Exhaust. F1 truck manifolds work well. Originally I had straight pipes but added mufflers later. 8) Oil filter. The hood will likely hit the filter housing but if you relocate it on the lower part of the head it works. 9) Clutch-you need a 10” clutch. 11” won’t fit. Nothing special on clutch disc or throwout. I have a Mercury/B&B style but Ford/Long also works. The 8N is much harder to adjust than 2N because of new design but it works well once adjusted. 10) Instruments. 8N with proofmeter I ended up with a Stewart Warner mechanical tach and an alternator with a mechanical drive. You could use a stock proofmeter but would need a reverser with the alternator tach drive. Without a proofmeter this is not an issue. As far as gauges there are only 2 holes (oil pressure and ammeter stock) You can cut a hole for a 3rd or I just put oil pressure on the side of the engine and put a voltmeter and temp gauge in the original holes.
These are the highlights and there are a lot more details if anybody wants to contact me I am happy to help.

[alanwoodieman]

I did a build with an awsome henry kit, ended up buying two more from those guys. i do not think they are working on other kits--hope I am wrong.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by alanwoodieman

I did a build with an awsome henry kit, ended up buying two more from those guys. i do not think they are working on other kits--hope I am wrong.

[tubman]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Just curious. Does the engine become the main stressed member between the transmission housing and the front suspension?

[markdtn]

Originally Posted by tubman

Just curious. Does the engine become the main stressed member between the transmission housing and the front suspension?

Not exactly. In the AH kit there is an aluminum spacer between the V8 and tractor bellhousing. Then a channel type weldment that goes between that and the front axle pivot. The truck type water pumps bolt to the front.

http://www.awesomehenry.com/

In the RR kits he has a weldment that does the same thing in 1 part but he uses car water pumps and bolts the front to the block.

https://redrockmfg.com/products/engine-conversions/

So both of them do use the engine as support but both have some additional supports as well.

An original FUNK conversion had a special cast oil pan and the engine was a stressed member like the N tractors. See photo

[corvette8n]

Awesome job, these tractors are fun. I thought about the funk kit for my 8n but I just used it as it was, I’m sorry I sold it a few years back.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/pictu...ictureid=28453

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by markdtn

Not exactly. In the AH kit there is an aluminum spacer between the V8 and tractor bellhousing. Then a channel type weldment that goes between that and the front axle pivot. The truck type water pumps bolt to the front.

http://www.awesomehenry.com/

In the RR kits he has a weldment that does the same thing in 1 part but he uses car water pumps and bolts the front to the block.

https://redrockmfg.com/products/engine-conversions/

So both of them do use the engine as support but both have some additional supports as well.

An original FUNK conversion had a special cast oil pan and the engine was a stressed member like the N tractors. See photo

[leon bee]

Yeah, Denny, I wondered about that also. The 8N oil pan is a real man-size chunk of iron.

[markdtn]

Just 1 more point of clarification because as I re-read what I wrote and it might sound confusing. In 2016 I built a V8 2N. It was a full strip down, blow it apart, and paint project. I had a friend who did body work paint the hood and fenders while I painted the red part in the driveway. There is a finished photo in post #1. I enjoyed it until 2024 when I finally had the overheating under control and the carburetor reliable. That year I was able to go on a road ride at my favorite show. I was not happy with the sustained high revs so I determined to find a Sherman auxiliary transmission so I could have overdrive and slow it down. With 100 HP I have plenty of power. So I started looking. A Sherman by itself can get spendy and you have no real way to know if it's any good (like most transmissions out of the car). Then I started looking for complete tractors with Shermans. Originally I was going to split them both and put the Sherman in the 2N to have a "pretty" tractor. But I bought the 8N running and driving so I could test the trans and found that there are a lot of benefits to an 8N over a 2N. Steering is improved, clutch actuation effort is less, both brakes are on the same side like most modern tractors, etc. Then there are 4 gears in the transmission instead of 3 and high gear is 2.98 instead of 3.7. Also an 8N has taller tires so with all of that RPMs at speed are reduced then throw in an overdrive and they are very manageable. I decided I would swap engines and keep the 8N. It is currently built in a vintage look. I can blow it apart and make it pretty if I want but for now I kind of like the look. I put the 8N engine in the 2N and sold it. Maybe this better explains how I got to this point.

Also, I did have some contact with Alan a few years back and his is looking good!

[rotorwrench]

The Funk brothers set up was hell for stout so that the wear and tear on the front end would be minimal. They set them up for the Ford H type 6-cylinders and the 8BA V8. Those guys even built a pretty good little airplane. They had a lot of talent in their engineering planing.

[petehoovie]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...8n-tractor-11/ 1949 Ford 8N Tractor

Sold for USD $5,000 04/10/2026