The Ford Barn

roll of the dices · 01-11-2017, 12:59 AM

Here is my recent experience...I was there a few months ago too, looking for a flathead that could be rebuild, in the LA area also.
I looked at several engines in all price ranges, from $100 to over $1,000. I have very little knowledge about these engines and was not working with a very large budget, so not much room for error.

Once I would find an engine that met my needs -and there always plenty to choose from- I would ask the seller if he could take heads off so I could check for cracks, with the condition that if there no cracks I would buy it.
Some sellers would not be willing to do it, so I would simple move on....it seems there is always new engines coming up every week or so on CL

I knew the visual test was not enough but would get me closer to a good core.
I found a complete 59AB for $200 with a seller willing to take the heads off. There were no cracks and it was not frozen. I had to do some driving (about 200 miles round trip) to get to it but no big deal.

I took it all apart myself...that was me learning. It really wasn't all that difficult. The valves took the longest but I had bought the right tool for it. I took my time with it, took me about 3 days, working a couple hours/day.

Once I took it apart, I took it to H&H (Those guys are great) and had them rebuild it for me. I source most of the speed parts myself and prep/painted most of the parts myself to keep the cost a bit lower.
Uncle Max did my 97's and Bubba rebuilt the distributor. H&H put it all together and ran it for me...best money spend!

I sold most the of the parts that I ended up not using from the core, and made all the money for the core back.
H&H did my rebuilding in stages, allowing me to save my money for the following stage, and not feel the impact as hard. It is pricey but well worth it

Take your time, plenty of flatheads to choose from out there...if you take your time you will find a good price.

loganobrien121 · 01-11-2017, 01:43 AM

^ that's encouraging! Especially because I see some LA folk have chimed in here. It's become a rough car city - everything has gotten so pricey of late. For instance, grew up building Alfas, had more GTVs than I can remember and sold them all for dirt. Saw one for sale recently in my area for 45k. makes me wish I held on to those and all the others.

Anyway, I'll keep searching. Got an FSJ to keep me busy in the meantime. But now that I've got the hotrod bug, it's hard to get out of my mind.

If you don't mind me asking - how much was the build from H&H? You totally don't have to say, I'm just curious. I got a rough estimate for just machining from them and have priced out the parts I'm thinking of getting - would love to compare to the cost of a build.

Thanks!

wga · 01-11-2017, 10:53 AM

Logan - Blucar has it correct. Call for an appointment, and drive out to H&H, and talk with Mike. Really nice guy. He will be at the GNRS later this month, they have display, outside, near building 9. Friday is the best day, less busy than the weekend. Their shop is off the 210 in La Crescenta. https://www.flatheads-forever.com/
They have a ton of blocks. His prices are reasonable.

rotorwrench · 01-11-2017, 02:12 PM

A lot of shops have a list of their flat rates such as grinding a crankshaft or boring cylinders and the like. The shops like H&H would have a better idea about doing the valve train work since it has little comparison the overhead valve engines. A person can get a shop to do all the machine work then take it home and assemble it yourself if you are so inclined.

01-11-2017, 12:59 AM	#21
roll of the dices Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Winnetka, CA Posts: 315	Re: Should I buy this 59A? Here is my recent experience...I was there a few months ago too, looking for a flathead that could be rebuild, in the LA area also. I looked at several engines in all price ranges, from $100 to over $1,000. I have very little knowledge about these engines and was not working with a very large budget, so not much room for error. Once I would find an engine that met my needs -and there always plenty to choose from- I would ask the seller if he could take heads off so I could check for cracks, with the condition that if there no cracks I would buy it. Some sellers would not be willing to do it, so I would simple move on....it seems there is always new engines coming up every week or so on CL I knew the visual test was not enough but would get me closer to a good core. I found a complete 59AB for $200 with a seller willing to take the heads off. There were no cracks and it was not frozen. I had to do some driving (about 200 miles round trip) to get to it but no big deal. I took it all apart myself...that was me learning. It really wasn't all that difficult. The valves took the longest but I had bought the right tool for it. I took my time with it, took me about 3 days, working a couple hours/day. Once I took it apart, I took it to H&H (Those guys are great) and had them rebuild it for me. I source most of the speed parts myself and prep/painted most of the parts myself to keep the cost a bit lower. Uncle Max did my 97's and Bubba rebuilt the distributor. H&H put it all together and ran it for me...best money spend! I sold most the of the parts that I ended up not using from the core, and made all the money for the core back. H&H did my rebuilding in stages, allowing me to save my money for the following stage, and not feel the impact as hard. It is pricey but well worth it Take your time, plenty of flatheads to choose from out there...if you take your time you will find a good price. __________________ ...let your brain do the thinking and your fingers do the walking...

01-11-2017, 01:43 AM	#22
loganobrien121 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 4	Re: Should I buy this 59A? ^ that's encouraging! Especially because I see some LA folk have chimed in here. It's become a rough car city - everything has gotten so pricey of late. For instance, grew up building Alfas, had more GTVs than I can remember and sold them all for dirt. Saw one for sale recently in my area for 45k. makes me wish I held on to those and all the others. Anyway, I'll keep searching. Got an FSJ to keep me busy in the meantime. But now that I've got the hotrod bug, it's hard to get out of my mind. If you don't mind me asking - how much was the build from H&H? You totally don't have to say, I'm just curious. I got a rough estimate for just machining from them and have priced out the parts I'm thinking of getting - would love to compare to the cost of a build. Thanks!

01-11-2017, 10:53 AM	#23
wga Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Yorba Linda, CA Posts: 897	Re: Should I buy this 59A? Logan - Blucar has it correct. Call for an appointment, and drive out to H&H, and talk with Mike. Really nice guy. He will be at the GNRS later this month, they have display, outside, near building 9. Friday is the best day, less busy than the weekend. Their shop is off the 210 in La Crescenta. https://www.flatheads-forever.com/ They have a ton of blocks. His prices are reasonable. __________________ Henry Ford designed the flathead without the aid of a computer.

01-11-2017, 02:12 PM	#24
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,425	Re: Should I buy this 59A? A lot of shops have a list of their flat rates such as grinding a crankshaft or boring cylinders and the like. The shops like H&H would have a better idea about doing the valve train work since it has little comparison the overhead valve engines. A person can get a shop to do all the machine work then take it home and assemble it yourself if you are so inclined.