The Ford Barn

deuce_roadster · 05-01-2022, 03:23 PM

I only found out about this recently while talking with a mutual friend, but Pacific NorthWest flathead expert Dave Tatom had passed away a couple of months ago. Apparently, none of our mutual friends had my phone number.
Dave was an accomplished builder who did work for people all over the US. I have been in his shop when Vic Edelbrock Jr, Nick Arias, Barney Navarro and other people of that stature have called him for advice. Dave built the flathead for Vic Jr's roadster. He was a fixed wing pilot, Viet Nam helicopter pilot, an A&P, built aircraft engines, had his own Bonneville car, raced midgets back when they were all running v8 60s, was on several Indy pit crews, worked on the design of the Cleveland 351 when he was at Ford. Pretty much did it all. His father worked on the second design of the tail for the B-17. When Dave was a little kid he used to go up on the fake city that was built over the top of the Boeing Seattle plant during WW2 to disguise it from the air and play around!

I know the member here that goes by Pete knew him. I hadn't heard from Dave in a couple of months, and it didn't register to me that he might be gone, but he was around 85 and in declining health.
He did all the work on my avatar roadster engine and did the machine work on the ones in my 40 wagon and 40 coupe which I assembled. Another source, and friend gone.

05-01-2022, 03:23 PM	#1
deuce_roadster Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Shelton, WA Posts: 4,043	Loss of another NW flathead expert I only found out about this recently while talking with a mutual friend, but Pacific NorthWest flathead expert Dave Tatom had passed away a couple of months ago. Apparently, none of our mutual friends had my phone number. Dave was an accomplished builder who did work for people all over the US. I have been in his shop when Vic Edelbrock Jr, Nick Arias, Barney Navarro and other people of that stature have called him for advice. Dave built the flathead for Vic Jr's roadster. He was a fixed wing pilot, Viet Nam helicopter pilot, an A&P, built aircraft engines, had his own Bonneville car, raced midgets back when they were all running v8 60s, was on several Indy pit crews, worked on the design of the Cleveland 351 when he was at Ford. Pretty much did it all. His father worked on the second design of the tail for the B-17. When Dave was a little kid he used to go up on the fake city that was built over the top of the Boeing Seattle plant during WW2 to disguise it from the air and play around! I know the member here that goes by Pete knew him. I hadn't heard from Dave in a couple of months, and it didn't register to me that he might be gone, but he was around 85 and in declining health. He did all the work on my avatar roadster engine and did the machine work on the ones in my 40 wagon and 40 coupe which I assembled. Another source, and friend gone.