Flathead Fun this Weekend

[Vic Piano]

On Saturday Don & Steve came over to my place to help me get the "not running" '53 Panel Truck into the garage, to begin the extraction of the broken Flathead


Here's the old Flathead


And... Here's the new


Yesterday I got the front clip loose and, hopefully, next Saturday the guys will be back to help me lift the front clip off and pull the Flathead.

[Ken Crans]

Hey Vic, I want that Sinclair Pump.!!! I'm making a 48 Ford Sinclair shop truck for the wife to pay homage to my old man that had a station in Detroit in the 50's. Ken in Mi. Lookin Good !

[Vic Piano]

Ken, My Grandfather, on my Mother's side, had a Sinclair "Fillin Station" from the mid '40's to the mid '60's in Cleveland, Georgia.

[Vic Piano]

The fun continues... My Brother-In-Law came down from New York for a quick visit and I got him to help me lift the front clip off of the '53 Panel.
I sat in the shade under the hood and started to degrease everything.

And now, the sick Flat Motor is just about ready to be extracted. Hopefully I’ll get it out tomorrow…

[Vic Piano]

Well, she's out...

Now to continue cleaning.

[B Duncan]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Cool deal! I had never thought of removing the sheet metal. It looks like it would make things alot easier. I hope the new flatty runs as good as it looks.

Brad

[Frank Cowan]

Looks good. And that little bit of dirt on the floor will wipe right off. lol

[oldford2]

Vic,
Sure looks like fun. Keep the progress pics coming. John

[Ray Parson]

hey Vic my dad ran a Sinclair station in Bay City MI in the 50s/60s im working on my barn now will make it look like a station Sinclair for shure your panel looks good to. hope to show pic soon of my 34 panel i now have 4 N.O.S. fenders for it and a N.O.S.grill and a right N.O.S. board still looking for a left N,O,S.board N.O.S. your new frend. Ray . P

[Vic Piano]

Thanks guys, I got a lot more work done today, cleaning, etc., not much to show. The firewall had been coated with undercoat, over the original factory commercial green paint, in some places it was a quarter inch thick. I've been using the Panel Truck as a driver and that's what I'm going to continue to do so, I think I'm just going to re spray undercoat on the fire wall. I cleaned up the inner fenders and gave them o coat of rattle can primer, I'll try to post some photos later, that's it for now. I need a cold drink.

[KiWinUS]

great job Vic , how bout bed liner paint for firwall ? just a thought .
Cheers
tony

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by KiWinUS

great job Vic , how bout bed liner paint for firwall ? just a thought .
Cheers
tony

Hi Tony, That's a good idea, does it come in a rattle can???

[Vic Piano]

Here are a few photos from today's fun

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by oldford2

Vic,
Sure looks like fun. Keep the progress pics coming. John

John, Wish you were here.. I could use your help. How are things shaping up for the New England Tour?

[Steves46]

Hi Vic. It sure looks like you made some great progress; I know it had to be hotter as a pistol working under the shade of that hood. This Florida heat is in full gear and it's not even summer.

[39coupe]

Originally Posted by Vic Piano

Hi Tony, That's a good idea, does it come in a rattle can???

Hey Vic, it does come in rattle cans. I used the Dupli-color brand bed liner on my floors and trunk. It works very nicely. Advance, Auto-Zone both sell it. Mike

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by 39coupe

Hey Vic, it does come in rattle cans. I used the Dupli-color brand bed liner on my floors and trunk. It works very nicely. Advance, Auto-Zone both sell it. Mike

Mike, Thanks, I'll go pick some up and give it a try.

[1952henry]

Originally Posted by Vic Piano

The fun continues... My Brother-In-Law came down from New York for a quick visit and I got him to help me lift the front clip off of the '53 Panel.
I sat in the shade under the hood and started to degrease everything.

And now, the sick Flat Motor is just about ready to be extracted. Hopefully I’ll get it out tomorrow…

Is it just wore out or something more sinister??

[George/Maine]

Vic Removeing the nose must be how they got the 302 with c4 in mine.Looks like i could pull both at same time.I got a sick 302.Looks like it will be back on the road soon.Good Luck.
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/pictur...&pictureid=618

Pic don't work today

[Vic Piano]

Believe it or not, pulling the front clip was easier than taking the hood off because of loose cage nuts in the hood (with no way to get to them except to cut) where the hinge arms attach to the hood. Also, by removing the front clip I was able to get to the fun things to remove like the starter, etc. I will also be able to clean up the frame rails, axel, backing plates, etc., etc., and grease everything with relative ease, to say nothing of putting the other Flathead in. The Flathead that was in the truck had been running fine and one day I went out to start it, no good . I checked the usual things, gas, spark... Took the air cleaner off, placed my hand over the carb and hit the starter button... No vacuum! We did a compression test and found the best cylinder had 55 pounds... I have no idea how the truck was literally running fine one day and the next, have no compression . Once we get the replacement 8RT installed, we'll pull the old one apart and see if we can find out what went wrong... Hopefully we can rebuild it as well.

[George/Maine]

This is a very good thread. Whats wrong with it.
Search
engine removal , taking motor out, taking engine out
If you only know what to type.
who would ever type
Flathead Fun this Weekend

Just a causal ebserber even spellcheck has a trick to it.
"With that being said".
I always wanted to say that.LOL

[Marcus]

Vic - Sorry to hear about the flatmotor - I had no idea she was "sick" - but what an excuse to..........GRIN!! I would also suggest the rattlecan bedliner - I've used it on my car transporter - fenders, frame, EVERYTHING except the floor (which is stained and polyurethaned wood) - and it not only holds up well - it can be cleaned easily with a garden hose. Might also consider taking a close look at the suspension parts while the clip is off - really easy to tighten up anything that might be loose / replace whatever is showing wear. YOU, Sir, are havng entirely too much fun!!
Warm Regards, Marcus

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by George/Maine

This is a very good thread. Whats wrong with it.
Search
engine removal , taking motor out, taking engine out
If you only know what to type.
who would ever type
Flathead Fun this Weekend

Just a causal ebserber even spellcheck has a trick to it.
"With that being said".
I always wanted to say that.LOL

I thought that’s what this site was all about, Flathead Fun...LOL The Flathead lost compression, almost overnight, I checked everything I could to find the problem, to no avail. An opportunity came up to get a running 8RT from a friend so... Once I've completed the swap, I'll open up the sick Flathead and see if I can find out what happened.

[Brendan]

i think it is good to have a fresh motor laying around

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Vic - Sorry to hear about the flatmotor - I had no idea she was "sick" - but what an excuse to..........GRIN!! I would also suggest the rattlecan bedliner - I've used it on my car transporter - fenders, frame, EVERYTHING except the floor (which is stained and polyurethaned wood) - and it not only holds up well - it can be cleaned easily with a garden hose. Might also consider taking a close look at the suspension parts while the clip is off - really easy to tighten up anything that might be loose / replace whatever is showing wear. YOU, Sir, are havng entirely too much fun!!
Warm Regards, Marcus

Hi Marcus,

I bought some of the rattle can bed liner today, I'll give it a try. I'm one step ahead of you on squaring away the various components that are now exposed, thanks to the removal of the front clip. I'm trying to fine a pressure washer that I can use to clean off the backing plates, etc. You know, one can never have too much fun when it comes to Flatheads. By the way, have you got Henry singing yet???

Request permission to continue, Sir!

Vic

[Django]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

That was a good idea on the front end and leaving the hood, even though I know you did it out of necessity!

Gloss black on the inner fenders?

[Vic Piano]

Leaving the hood on was a good idea even though I can't take credit for thinking about it first. I just shot the firewall with the bed liner paint (I'll try to post a photo later) and I think I'll do the inner fenders in a matt finish black... We'll see.

[Vic Piano]

Here's a photo of the firewall with the first coat of rattle can bed liner, I'm going to apply a second coat this afternoon

[jdl]

Leaving the hood on was a good idea, those hods are hard&tricky to adjust. it's looking good...
Jim

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Hey, Vic, looks like you are having loads of fun!! I've swapped engines in and out of my 40 - I always remove the front clip but leave the hood on, especially of the hood is in a good spot and lines up nice!

Grerat work and keep us posted on the old engine's problem(s)....

[Vic Piano]

Well, the cleaning continues...

Here's a shot of the inner fenders with some fresh paint on them... The paint set up and dried just before our summer afternoon rains (I hope)

[STEVE1103]

Thats a good looking truck! Think I will pull my clip when I put a engine in my 55 F100, wished I done it when I replaced the king pins.

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by STEVE1103

Thats a good looking truck! Think I will pull my clip when I put a engine in my 55 F100, wished I done it when I replaced the king pins.

Thanks Steve. Pulling the front clip makes things a lot easier, I'm glad it came off without too much trouble.

[Vic Piano]

Now that the weekend is here, the fun continues. Tomorrow I hope to pull the double pulley off of the Flathead that we removed from the '53 Panel, along with the clutch and flywheel assembly. I'll have to swap out the oil pan on the new 8RT with the one that was in the truck. I think I'm going to have to swap the oil pump as well... Any way, here's a photo of what I hope the truck will look like when we ever get it finished. This has been photo shopped by a fellow FordBarner and the logo of our local club, "the Cigar City Flatheads" was mocked up by my son.

[BILL WZOREK]

Vic;
Diff Subject:
You were looking for a Zypher air cleaner
Can you e Mail me a pic.
I may have found one not sure.
BILL W

[Vic Piano]

Bill, I sent you an email... Didn't get much of anything done on the '53 Panel Truck this weekend, just a little more cleaning, mostly been working around the house...

Vic

[Vic Piano]

Didn’t get too much done on the ’53 Panel Truck this weekend, just cleaned and painted a few more parts like the starter plate

Front motor mount

and the headers

I still have to finish painting the inside of the frame rails, ran out of rattle can paint…

[hbleadsled]

Vic the 53 panel new paint will look great ,side view you will have a panel truck and a pick up cool .Harold,Ca.

[Vic Piano]

Harold, Thanks. Hopefully I'll be able to install the other 8RT next weekend...

[Vic Piano]

Ok, so it's Saturday again and the guys are here ready to continue the fun with the '53 Panel. We've got the pressure plate and clutch off as well as the front pulley and we're cleaning and painting all of the necessary attachments... Hopefully I'll get a chance to snap a few photos and post them this afternoon...

[Vic Piano]

Well it took us a little over five hours to get the new Flathead in the '53 Panel but she's resting between the frame rails now. All that is left to do is install the starter and starter plate and hook up the headers and front motor mount. I'll hopefully get most of that done tomorrow. Thanks to Mike, Don & Steve for all your help, as always it is much appreciated. Here are a few photos of the transplant.

[jdl]

Nice... great picture, making progress is always good. keep us posted please.

[Steves46]

Hi Vic. I really enjoyed helping out and hopefully will be able to do the same next Saturday. I can hardly wait to hear that baby fire-up!

Originally Posted by Vic Piano

Well it took us a little over five hours to get the new Flathead in the '53 Panel but she's resting between the frame rails now. All that is left to do is install the starter and starter plate and hook up the headers and front motor mount. I'll hopefully get most of that done tomorrow. Thanks to Mike, Don & Steve for all your help, as always it is much appreciated. Here are a few photos of the transplant.

[Henry Floored]

Hey Vic, not only do you have a cool panel truck, but your friends are incredibly handsome too! ; )

[Tommy Gun]

Nice panel! I like the progress. Some nice goodies in the background also.....

[Vic Piano]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by Henry Floored

Hey Vic, not only do you have a cool panel truck, but your friends are incredibly handsome too! ; )

Mike, that's why I posted the photo of you and Steve and not me...

[Vic Piano]

Almost ready to fire up...

[oldbugger]

I dont know , Vic the color just, well , would look better in my car

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by oldbugger

I dont know , Vic the color just, well , would look better in my car

I don't particularly care for the original Ford red but the Flathead looked too nice to paint over. Anyway, I'm leaving it basically stock. We'll rebuild the one that we pulled out and pump it up a little bit and put it back in the Panel with the '49 Merc three speed W/O tranny that I got. Should make the Panel an excellent boulevard cruiser...

[oldbugger]

Vic, I think you guys are having too much fun. I was tring to find an excuse that you might put that pretty orange motor in my barn, for one of my projects. Have fun!

[PeteVS]

Is there any difference between that engine color and that seen on other types of engines?

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by oldbugger

Vic, I think you guys are having too much fun. I was tring to find an excuse that you might put that pretty orange motor in my barn, for one of my projects. Have fun!

I lucked out when my friend Pete called me and let me know the Flathead was available, saved me some time in having to rebuild the one we pulled out of the Panel Truck. We're rebuilding an 8BA for my '53 Convertible right now and I also lucked out when another friend sold me a 221 ci., 85 H.P. crate motor (he found in an old Ford Dealership), now I've got an extra Flathead for our '39 CS when the time comes.

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by PeteVS

Is there any difference between that engine color and that seen on other types of engines?

That color is original Ford Red however; it has been mistaken for Chevy Orange

[Vic Piano]

Ok, it's Saturday and Steve is here. We hooked up the starter, etc. and were ready to crank the motor to make sure we have oil pressure but the battery is dead. We've got it on a charger now so we'll see if she will crank in just a bit... Time for a cold glass of southern table wine (ice tea).

[Vic Piano]

Now I've got an enigma wrapped in a puzzle... We put the "new" Flathead in the '53 Panel and I hooked up the wiring (same as it was). I had to get a good 6 volt battery and I installed a solenoid with a push button for remote starting. We tried to fire it up several times using the starter button on the dash but no go... Yesterday I went out to give it another try and discovered that the dash mounted starter button would not work so I had to use the button on the solenoid and still she won't fire. I'm getting spark (although not as strong as I would like) and I'm getting fuel and still no go! Any ideas as to what could be wrong

I should mention that the stock '53 starter button is a two wire type not the one wire as earlier cars and trucks were.

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Vic, Should not be a factor, but I had it set up on 12 volts. Did you switch coil?
Pete

[Vic Piano]

Hi Pete, Yep, I put a 6 volt coil in it. I'm confused because everything worked just fine (as far as the electrical system goes) before I pulled the sick Flathead. Why the in dash starter button worked one day and not the next is a mystery

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Vic, Good luck. I will be watching your progress. Flathead Fun???
Pete

[Vic Piano]

Pete, I don't have time to mess with it during the week so it'll have to wait till Saturday. I keep telling myself that this is fun

[Steves46]

Vic, when you get back to it on Saturday, let me offer a couple of other suggestions: remove the distributor cap and while you hit the start button on the solenoid, see what the points are doing; next, pull the top wire of the coil and hold it close to the block and see if you are getting a good spark; if you are getting a weak spark, you may want to change the condenser and see if that makes a difference. Good luck and hope you find the cause. Steve.

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Hey, Vic, you and I are having loads of flathead fun!!

[Vic Piano]

Tom, After 45 years of messing with these Flatheads I'm still trying to convince myself that this is fun Don't ya just love it

[George/Maine]

You could start it, just hot wire it neg to coil,you may also be 180 out of time.Top dead center the rotor should be straight down 6 o clock.and if the cap is marked #1 is left or right of cap clip.Did you hear that motor run?

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by George/Maine

You could start it, just hot wire it neg to coil,you may also be 180 out of time.Top dead center the rotor should be straight down 6 o clock.and if the cap is marked #1 is left or right of cap clip.Did you hear that motor run?

The motor was running when my friend pulled it out of his '51 F-1 to install a "Full House" Flathead he built. I plan on "hot wiring" it this Saturday to get it to fire and after that, I'll try to trace the problem with the starter button... Something simple I'm sure, we'll find it.

[Vic Piano]

It’s ALIVE, it’s ALIVE... We got the 8RT that we put in the '53 Panel to fire up today and she is sweet. The problem was (I hate to admit) I had the plug wires 180 out at the distributor cap... It's the first time I've ever made a mistake. Pete, she runs really well, all we need to do now is a little tweaking on the timing and carb as she kicks up a little under a load in second gear. I' am a happy camper. Now on to the next project.

[Steves46]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Hey Vic that's great news and releaved to hear that it was a simple fix! Wish I could have been there.

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Vic, Glad to hear that motor started. It's got to be that carb making it run rough. Ha,Ha.
I bought my next project yesterday a 1940 panel. It's needs major work but that what I love. I will post pictures next Friday.
Pete

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by Pete Fl/Wi

Vic, Glad to hear that motor started. It's got to be that carb making it run rough. Ha,Ha.
I bought my next project yesterday a 1940 panel. It's needs major work but that what I love. I will post pictures next Friday.
Pete

Pete, I think a couple of the plug wire ends might need to be replaced and, as usual, I don't have any extras in my stash... I'll have to get some this week. I'm sure we'll get the bugs out. The '40 Panel sounds like a neat project, can't wait to see some photos. Vic

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Good for you, Vic - sounds like you got a winner!

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by TomT/Williamsburg

Good for you, Vic - sounds like you got a winner!

Thanks Tom, I sure hope so. Here are a few photos of the new 8RT between the fenders, etc.

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Wow - I never saw the inside of a panel. If it runs as good as it looks, you hae a definite winner!

Looking good!

Originally Posted by Vic Piano

Thanks Tom, I sure hope so. Here are a few photos of the new 8RT between the fenders, etc.

[Vic Piano]

Tom, thanks again. It took me half the day to clean it out... While it was out of commission I was using it as a catch all for parts, etc. from some of our other Flatheads. This Flathead sounds like it'll be a good strong runner. I just called NAPA and ordered a new set of 7mm plug wires, I'll pick them up tomorrow and install them at lunch time.

[Django]

Lookin' good!

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by Django

Lookin' good!

Thanks. I'm still working out some of the kinks; I put in a new set of plug wires earlier and took it for a drive... Still breaking up under a load in first and second so... I poured a little MMO down the carb while the motor was running, went for another ride and things did improve, I think I'll drive it around a bit more today and if things don't continue to improve, I'll check the points and maybe tweak the timing again... We'll get it working right.

[Vic Piano]

Problem solved! It turns out that the vacuum advance in the distributor was not working as it should. My friend Art had an NOS distributor that the let me use to see if the truck would run right.. It worked! I'm not a big fan of the Ford vavuum advance and I usually swap out the stock unit for a Mallory dual point, that's next, but for now I'm using Art's NOS distributor and the truck is running really well.

[Brendan]

cool, i had a falcon with a 170 and when the vacuum advance would not work right it would drink gas

[37coop]

I,m a new boy working with trucks ,cars bikes no problem, trucks ,I just luv em

[41panelmark]

What ended up being the "broken" part of the old flat head?

[Vic Piano]

It turned out to be the head gaskets; they just crumbled when we removed the heads... The big surprise was, it was a Merc Flathead. Before we installed new head gaskets, we flipped it over, pulled the pan to check the main and rod bearings, the crank was stamped 8CM… We bottomed out a piston and stuck a ruler in the cylinder to make sure it was a 4” stroke. Now that Flathead resides between the frame rails of our ’51 F-1.

[41ford1]

A MERC in the F-1 !!! No wonder that truck ran down I-75 so well. You've a hot motor in the little red truck.

[Vic Piano]

Chuck, I thought you knew that... and that's why you didn't want to race for "pinks"... LOL