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Old 01-21-2021, 11:20 PM   #1
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Default ultimate flathead

volume 50, #2 of "old cars" magazine, just out, contained an interesting article re: an engine put together many years ago and run in a '32 roadster. this was a 239, naturally aspirated with 3 97's and a few after market speed parts. dyno reading was 350 h.p. and rev'd regularly to 10,000 rpms, sometimes all the way to 12k. if you can acquire a copy of this issue, as i say, an interesting story and you can be the judge.
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Old 01-22-2021, 09:54 AM   #2
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I read that article too, 10,000 on a flathead? Maybe that tach was reading wrong.
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Old 01-22-2021, 10:13 AM   #3
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Somebody had their foot on the dyno beam scale.
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Old 01-22-2021, 10:13 AM   #4
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Anyone selling popcorn? I'll looking forward to the responses about this one...
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Old 01-22-2021, 11:20 AM   #5
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Suspect the key words are in the first post, "this was a 239"
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Old 01-22-2021, 11:41 AM   #6
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Quote:
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Suspect the key words are in the first post, "this was a 239"
With that kind of numbers, whether it was or wasn't a 239 is irrelevant.
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Old 01-22-2021, 12:32 PM   #7
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Default Re: ultimate flathead

Here's the article: https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/featur...ong-haul-deuce

"....Now 10,000 rpm might sound like a lot of fun, but it did present some problems."
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Old 01-22-2021, 12:46 PM   #8
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Getting that kind of RPM's is easy; just use a tachometer for a 4 cylinder engine.
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Old 01-22-2021, 12:51 PM   #9
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During this time, I once drag raced down Yale Boulevard in Nampa (this was a bout 1963). I tried a full-throttle power shift at 10,000 rpm and the result was a blown clutch, transmission, drive shaft, differential and a broken axle. Witnesses said the front end came off the ground a good 2 feet.

This is part where I stopped reading. I hope this author got an A in their creative writing class. Give me a break...
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Old 01-22-2021, 12:52 PM   #10
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Getting that kind of RPM's is easy; just use a tachometer for a 4 cylinder engine.
Tub, I thought the same exact thing. Either wired wrong or it's a 4 cly. tach.
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Old 01-22-2021, 01:08 PM   #11
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I read that article too, 10,000 on a flathead? Maybe that tach was reading wrong.
I totally agree with you??
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Old 01-22-2021, 01:30 PM   #12
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Maybe it's a case of the older I get the faster I was!
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Old 01-22-2021, 01:37 PM   #13
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Maybe it's a case of the older I get the faster I was!
Anyone catch the part about how fast he went after installing the 4.33 rear? The "facts" of this story are approaching science fiction levels.

Should have taken this beast to Bonneville.
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Old 01-22-2021, 02:19 PM   #14
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[I]...

This is part where I stopped reading. I hope this author got an A in their creative writing class. Give me a break...
I liked this part:
The ’55 had an unbuilt 283-cid V-8 so I bought a motor adapter and installed the 283 in my ’32. What a disappointment that was. While I no longer had the heating problem, I had also lost a whole lot of power. It was OK, just not as thrilling as the full-race flathead.

Old Cars is usually a very interesting read, but this is ridiculous.
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Old 01-22-2021, 02:35 PM   #15
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Fiction Novel.
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Old 01-22-2021, 02:37 PM   #16
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Old 01-22-2021, 02:40 PM   #17
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Default Re: ultimate flathead

.

Give

Me

A

Friggen'

Break!
DD
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Old 01-22-2021, 02:44 PM   #18
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Tim Ayers: Your comment was fantastic. Liked the 2 feet off the ground.
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Old 01-22-2021, 03:06 PM   #19
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I guess the old theory about headers not helping performance on a flathead is true. This thing appears to have stock exhaust manifolds.
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Old 01-22-2021, 03:15 PM   #20
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i guess the old theory about headers not helping performance on a flathead is true. This thing appears to have stock exhaust manifolds.
lol!!!!
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Old 01-22-2021, 03:29 PM   #21
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Default Re: ultimate flathead

Boy am I glad the guy never raced at Bonneville with so much horsepower and RPM's from that 239 cube flathead the records would be REALLY high and no one would be able to touch them. LMAO
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Old 01-22-2021, 03:30 PM   #22
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With that kind of numbers, whether it was or wasn't a 239 is irrelevant.
"Was" as in used to be, but now in pieces
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Old 01-22-2021, 04:43 PM   #23
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Quote:
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Getting that kind of RPM's is easy; just use a tachometer for a 4 cylinder engine.
Or with a cable drive tach, use a 1 to 2 drive unit.
Here is a pic of that setup with the tattletale at 9300. Really gets the fans talking after the race. This was a fairly stock 4 banger.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Tattletail Excessive RPM.jpg (15.9 KB, 57 views)
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Old 01-22-2021, 07:40 PM   #24
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This is the part of the whimsical story that got my eyes rolling...

"This is a steep hill which goes from sea level to 1500-feet elevation in less than seven miles. I punched the throttle and away we went: 50 mph, then 70 mph, then 90 mph. The numbers stopped at 90 mph but the needle kept climbing around back to 0 again, then 10, 20, and finally 30 mph on the second time around."
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Old 01-22-2021, 07:46 PM   #25
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Sometime after that I was out to Barger-Mattson wrecking yard and found a blown 350-cid Corvette engine in the inventory. I bought the camshaft, heads, distributor, intake manifold and carburetor and commenced to put them on my engine. What a difference in power that made. It still didn’t match up to the flathead I used to have, but it was about 50 percent better than the stock 283. The only problem was that the carburetor was a 750-cfm Quadrajet and while a 350 might handle that, the 283 would not. I ultimately pulled off the intake manifold and carburetor and put a 4GC Rochester in its place, then everything worked like it was supposed to. Later on, I pulled the manifold off again and put a 2GC Rochester carburetor on it as the 2GC was easier to work on than the 4GC. Since I only drive the ’32 about once a year and I don’t do much hot rodding anymore, that is about all I need. When I put the Chevrolet motor in the ’32, I found that, while the flathead with its high revolutions handled the 4.44 differential OK, the 283 did not so, again, I changed differentials and went back to the 3.78 ratio, which the 283 handles OK.

This story is like a car wreck. I can't stop looking at it. This passage is just too good to not share. Even includes the mandatory bench racing equivalent of the cherry on top: The Corvette SBC. Nothing else will do.
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Old 01-22-2021, 08:40 PM   #26
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I have known guys like this. I was trying to buy a 392 Hemi from a guy once. After listening to his BS for about 15 minutes ("the driveshaft was twisted like a barber pole"), I gave up and went home.
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Old 01-22-2021, 08:58 PM   #27
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I have known guys like this. I was trying to buy a 392 Hemi from a guy once. After listening to his BS for about 15 minutes ("the driveshaft was twisted like a barber pole"), I gave up and went home.
We have a local guy that we call Shades. He is always wearing Richard Petty type shades. I mean always.

One of my favorite Shades stories is when he was driving his '72 SBC powered Chevelle down Rt. 22 in Easton, PA in a race. At 120, he realized he wasn't in fourth. Once he "slammed it" into fourth, he estimates he topped out at 160.

I guess this BS works on some folks, but to have such a bullsh*t story published in a magazine is a bit surprising.
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Old 01-22-2021, 11:28 PM   #28
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Just wondering if it was April 1st? I didn't read the story. You guys provided more than enough info for me.
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Old 01-23-2021, 08:19 AM   #29
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I read that story and I think he forgot to take his prevagen before he woke up.
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Old 01-23-2021, 10:07 AM   #30
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My guess, made about 120 HP and started seriously wheezing by about 5000 RPM . . .
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Old 01-23-2021, 02:24 PM   #31
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Just cause it's printed in a magazine doesn't mean it's true.
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Old 01-23-2021, 02:42 PM   #32
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If BULLSHIT was Money, then this guy is a Billionaire





.
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Old 01-23-2021, 02:55 PM   #33
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Haters gonna hate, I guess.

To the youth reading this, always remember that anything is possible.

Heck we even put a man in space only a few years later.
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Old 01-23-2021, 04:11 PM   #34
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Heck we even put a man in space only a few years later.
Yeah, but it damned-sure weren't with no 12,000 RPM flathead! DD
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Old 01-23-2021, 09:46 PM   #35
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Our strictly strip flathead hit 6,000 on a good day, but made me nervous. 350hp at 10,000rpm ain't gonna happen with that engine.
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Old 01-23-2021, 10:04 PM   #36
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This is just a store in the vain of Paul Bunyan.
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Old 01-24-2021, 03:37 AM   #37
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they dont buildem like that any more
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Old 01-24-2021, 09:03 AM   #38
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Haters gonna hate, I guess.

To the youth reading this, always remember that anything is possible.

Heck we even put a man in space only a few years later.
No hating, but since you brought up the youngsters: Kids, do not try this at home.
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Old 01-24-2021, 01:02 PM   #39
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Aw, come on guys, the truth of the matter is that a flathead is superior to a sbc.
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Old 01-24-2021, 01:37 PM   #40
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Aw, come on guys, the truth of the matter is that a flathead is superior to a sbc.
Now that is the gospel truth!!!!
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Old 01-24-2021, 01:58 PM   #41
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Aesthetically, I would agree.
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Old 01-24-2021, 04:24 PM   #42
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Id like to see that fan at 12k. Of course it never had to survive that. Maybe that article came out on April 1st.
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Old 01-24-2021, 10:35 PM   #43
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Aw, come on guys, the truth of the matter is that a flathead is superior to a sbc.
That explains the great switch over in the late 50s, LOL. You gotta love the part about a flathead being able to turn higher rpms and a SBC.
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Old 01-24-2021, 11:57 PM   #44
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But...But...I think my stock 239 will turn a 9 sec. 1/4 mile. I do have headers on it...
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Old 01-25-2021, 12:42 AM   #45
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Flathead Dave
Got to tell you that your tag line about the slinky had me laughing out loud. Good one!
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Old 01-25-2021, 07:38 AM   #46
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Even if you could get a flathead to rev that fast it would be so out of breath that it would be making no power. I had a crotch rocket many years ago that redlined at 12k but could easily go past that, however the power started dropping off.
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Old 01-25-2021, 12:52 PM   #47
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Concealed on the other side of the flattie was it's gear-drive two-stage WWll surplus Merlin supercharger'. Inside were 3:1 compression oversquare piston's and rods and understroked crankshaft forged by Thor in Valhalla. The carbs were fake, indeed housing extremely advanced fuel injectors developed by Wernher Von Braun. The fuel blend was compressed LOX and H2O2, nitromethane, benzene, acetone. Instead of standard motor oil, Marvel Mystery Oil was used straight up, no chaser!
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Old 01-25-2021, 03:51 PM   #48
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Don't forget the hydrazine, made it flame green.
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Old 01-25-2021, 09:31 PM   #49
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I want what he's smoking.
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Old 01-26-2021, 08:20 AM   #50
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I want what he's smoking.
Everybody does . . . but it might just be highly addictive!
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