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04-15-2020, 01:51 AM | #21 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
yes
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04-15-2020, 06:58 AM | #22 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
Here is what he's been doing or will be doing.
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04-15-2020, 07:45 AM | #23 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
I think that is correct. You may have been thinking of the Elizabeth Taylor move "Butterfield 8", where she play a high-priced prostitute.
While I hope he is successful, I too believe that it is not economically feasible. As the population ages, the supply is going up while the demand is going down. There was a thread over on the H.A.M.B. where a guy documented his purchase of a semi load of of supposedly "good" blocks from the daughter of an engine builder. Given who the previous owner was, I would bet that the great majority of them are good. How many similar situations exist across the country"? A dozen? Perhaps even hundreds? I would bet that almost every "serious" member here (those with over 1000 posts) has at least one extra good block, and most have multiples. How about you? I know I do. I would guess there now exist well over 100,000 usable spare flathead blocks in the United States. There may be an exception for some early 21 stud blocks, so may be a niche there, but it would be a specialty market that would bear the high cost of production. |
04-15-2020, 08:48 AM | #24 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
Hey HardTimes: This whole thread is not about 4 cylinder banger blocks - it is in relation to a project that Tod started to create a new V8 block. Not sure if you knew that . . .
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04-15-2020, 09:04 AM | #25 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
How come they use the aftermarket SBC in most racing applications then???
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04-15-2020, 09:31 AM | #26 | |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
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Quote:
In many "run whatcha brung" racing environments, it means just that....you get to race with whatever brand or iteration of an engine you think will go faster than the other guy. In some types of traditional class racing, for instance like classes that the SCTA have traditionally developed for "flatheads" ONLY at Bonneville and other venues, they do not allow anything except REAL, HENRY-manufactured Ford blocks. Even the French flatty blocks do not qualify as "factory" Ford blocks, which they ARE NOT. This way, NO unfair advantages can be realized by possibly inherent updated features not found in traditional factory flatheads. You wanna play in the club, you gotta play by the club rules! Some "clubs" are more exclusive than others. This is more out of respect for our dear ol' flatty's ability to stand on it's own merit, rather than being allowed to be distanced by someone's slightly better block design. In short, it keeps all the apples bunched together, away from all those other bad ol' oranges. DD |
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04-15-2020, 02:10 PM | #27 | |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
Quote:
Good explanation! |
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04-15-2020, 04:05 PM | #28 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
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04-15-2020, 04:35 PM | #29 | |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
Quote:
This thread started with TOD questions. Mostly questioning who he is, his health and his business endeavors. Tod is a man of many interests. Yeah he started out making a WINNING V8 block...but it wasn’t a flathead ! His next big goal was a flathead...A/B banger block in alum / cast iron. He then discussed V8 flathead block making. After his successful cast iron ( racing blk), Only one of these blk subjects/projects have come to completion fruition ...a four banger cast iron copy of FORDS A engine, which can be seen running on u-tube (?). |
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04-15-2020, 04:48 PM | #30 | |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
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Maybe I'm either missing or misunderstanding your point, but you are NOT coming-across as a huge fan of Tod's past accomplishments. I hope I'm wrong! DD |
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04-15-2020, 09:57 PM | #31 | |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
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I’ve been one of his biggest supporters/boosters...for a lot longer than anyone here even knew of him ! Have you ever, would you ever lend someone , who lives on different coast...Super rare equipment to make copies of ? Enough said. ‘kinda’, meaning we have talked about having tooo much going on to get the many projects finished. I’ll leave it at that. Last edited by hardtimes; 04-15-2020 at 10:20 PM. Reason: ...... |
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04-15-2020, 10:32 PM | #32 | |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
Quote:
Sad but true. I do know two guys in their 30s that are interested in our flathead V8s, but that isn't near enough....
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Owner/Operator of 'Jailbar Ranch' on the side of Mt. Pickett. Current stable consists of 1946 1/2 ton pickup turned woodie wagon with FH V8, 1947 Tonner Pickup (red) mostly stock with exception of a cummins 6at turbo diesel, 1946 Tonner Pickup (green) with 226 cu in 6 cyl flathead, 1979 Toyota landcruiser wagon, completely encased in 1947 Ford Jailbar sheet metal. Ok, cornbinder rear fenders..... 'Rusty ol' floorboards, hot on their feet' (Alan Jackson) |
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04-16-2020, 10:29 AM | #33 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
If you look at the folks that follow the Ford Barn and The HAMB, there are a lot of folks that would seriously consider purchasing a nice new block rather that tearing three or four of them apart and finding them all cracked or seriously damaged. I don't think the French SUMB truck blocks are near as available as they were for a time. I have enough stuff to build several engines if I had good blocks. My Pop sold two 49 F1 pickups without even asking me if I wanted one due to cracked blocks. He didn't think they were worth anything so he didn't even ask me about it and he gave them away too. I was not a happy camper when I found out.
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04-16-2020, 10:52 AM | #34 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
New SBC aftermarket short blocks are in the $1500-$2500 range. They are almost a "commodity" these days. A flathead block is much more complex casting and will never be made in quantities even a fraction of the SBC's. Tod bandied about a price in the $2500 range when he initially approached this. I thought it was low then, and think so even more now. And shipping one in can be expensive and then there's sales tax. I can pull the heads off a lot of flatheads for $3000.
That's not what I'm talking about here. Two years ago, I sold my second to last good flathead block to a local guy for $800. We both walked away happy. The guy found out about me from my machinist. If he sends up another guy in the same situation, I'd let the last good one go as well. At my age, I just won't get to it. I'm sure here are lots of guys like me all over this country. (Anyway, I have a Rocket and a '56 hemi to get to first.) |
04-16-2020, 12:33 PM | #35 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
Tubman . . . I want to see you build a "Rocket" . . . just not a steam powered one like that goofy guy out in the desert . . . who recently croaked when "what went up - then came down" - with no parachute! Just messing with yah! LOL
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04-16-2020, 12:46 PM | #36 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
I guess I left out "Oldsmobile".
(This is a Ford forum, ya' know.) Last edited by tubman; 04-16-2020 at 12:53 PM. |
04-16-2020, 01:29 PM | #37 | |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
Quote:
Man, those are some cute little gold-colored dingleberries glued onto that distributor. Always loved them big old Oldses, too.....even the little baby 303s! Is that one of them there starter change-over things I see sitting down on the side? DD |
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04-16-2020, 02:06 PM | #38 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
That's the stock (wrong side) starter housing). After years of searching, I finally found an aluminum switchover housing that moves the starter to the right side of the engine, away from the steering box. It's not in this picture, but right behind the engine is an adapter plate to a '32-'48 Ford, while the housing behind that is to '49-64 Ford.
The distributor is real interesting, It looks like a regular dual point Mallory "flattop", but it has a 4 lobe cam. It uses a special version of a Mallory "FlashFire" coil with two primary windings and one secondary. The points are wired separately and alternately fire each primary coil winding. It's kind of a "poor man's dual coil" in that you don't need a special cap and rotor. This is why it requires two condensers; it is in reality two separate four cylinder ignition systems, the only common part being the secondary coil winding. The coils are very difficult to find; the one I have is for a 6 volt system, but I figure if I can get the right ballast resistor, I can run it on 12 volts. I'm sure glad you like the condensers. A good original Mallory condenser is hard enough to find, let alone two. I couldn't find 'em so I made 'em. These are the units I ended up selling because nobody else can find good ones either. Last edited by tubman; 04-16-2020 at 02:21 PM. |
04-16-2020, 04:22 PM | #39 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
I'll call and raise you Tubman. Had these to long and now might have to find a home for them. 58 tri power with Cad Lasalle trans. Other is a 57, bored, ported and polished heads, cam, built hydramatic. Always had a thing for Olds engines. Now, back working on my flathead.
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04-16-2020, 05:30 PM | #40 |
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Re: Anyone heard from TOD lately about casting a new block?
You win! I only bought this because it was cheap from a guy who got it with a partially done '40 Ford. He wanted an SBC, so I was there to take it off his hands. I pulled it down far enough to discover it had Gotha adjustable rockers, an Isky cam and was a fresh rebuild (about 40 years ago).
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