72 521 might end up with a V8

[Suspect]

I recently acquired a late 40's Ford flathead v8 still attached to the manual transmission with enough of the drive shaft to have one made for anything I put this setup in.  I was told by the friend I got it from that they made two different flathead v8s, one is 60hp and the other is 90hp.  This one is the 90hp.  This is a low miles ready to run flathead, complete, all original, never taken apart. 

 

I got this motor because I thought it was cool.  I really want a 30's 2door coupe to put it in, I'd even settle for an old truck.  As of right now I don't have either one and I don't really have a good place to store the motor.  What I do have is this rolling rusty 521.  This truck has spent most of its life with a GM v6 and turbo 350 trans.  It also has a gm rear end. 

 

I did take measurements of a L16 and short tail 4 speed vs the flathead and manual trans.  To my surprise, they are almost exact same length, even the shifter comes up in the same spot.  I think this flathead and transmission would fit in an unmodified 620 or 521 almost as if it was meant to be. 

 

In a week or so Im going to drop the flathead into the 521, right now to store it.  If I dont come across an old truck or coupe by spring next year, Im going to fabricate motor mounts and begin installing it into the 521.

[wayno]

I am not saying you should not do this, what I question is the engine itself, seems like the rod bearings in these old engines are not made for the way we drive these days, and I have a feeling that the engine will just blow up eventually, I personally would just stick with the V6 myself if it runs, otherwise I would find another V6.

 

This Ford flathead V8 should go in what you originally planned, save it for an old car or truck like you mentioned above.

This is my opinion, but it is based on me blowing up my old chevy truck engine driving down the freeway for an extended period of time, it just couldn't take it.

[Suspect]

I never had the V6 or transmission that was in the 521.  It was striped out of the 521 before I got it.  It was a deal that I buy it or I get the burden of knowing it was going to get crushed.  The 521 is rather crappy, has alot of rust issues including in the middle frame area.  Like I said before, right now this is a storage thing, dropped under the hood, wrapped with a tarp.

 

If I do decide to actually use the flathead in the 521, I will have it geared way up, have a set of 2.43 gears for it.  These flatheads are all torque no horse power, should effortlessly move a 521 around.  This motor came from a fire truck.  Im sure it had to rev all the time to move that heavy chunk of iron around.

 

 

you already seen the 521....  http://community.ratsun.net/topic/47114-just-picked-up-a-521-in-michigan/

[bananahamuck]

Wayno Ford used replaceable bearing inserts on the Flat head after the mid 30s sometime ..  There is a few diffent sizes of bearings over the years so just buying them based on engine size isn`t easy without research first though.. For shear shock value the flathead would definetly make a statement ..

 

 

 

Would i use it in a 521,,,, maybe.

:devil:

[erichwaslike]

im shocked that wayno just tried to ward someoen off from doing some sort of a swap in a 521.... the problem is, you have a perfect candidate for it, a rusty 521 that is already molested and a good motor, the problem is when you get it done and ppl see it at a car meet they will think you did all the molestation, not the saving and thats were the hate starts in.....

[datzenmike]

Geez why not a steam engine? Get a slider back window so you can shovel the coal in.

 

Flat head V8s are for old rods. 650 pounds with the three speed. L16 is 250 pounds and probably under 50 for the trans. 

[Suspect]

lol mike.  I know the motor is a little pre historic and outdated but you took it to a whole new level.

[Suspect]

I haven't picked up the flathead yet and now we have snow.  I guess this will have to wait till snow melts as I dont have a good place indoors to mess with the truck.

[520 gasser]

Depending on the flathead you could sell that motor for a really decent price I work for a guy building 30 hot rods and seen a couple go for a lot of money. My other thought is why go backwards you have a truck with 60s technology in it and want to make have older technology in to parts are getting hard to find for those motor and the parts they do remake are a lot more money. Don't get me wrong It would be diffrent but it reminds me of a pic I had seen a couple years ago of a corvette with a flathead v8 In it.

[AlliedPerformance]

Now I'm not usually one to talk a guy out of a oddball car project, but I really don't get the appeal of a flathead in a Datsun. Having just finished building a '23 Ford hotrod with an $11k H&H flathead in it I will tell you they sound and look great but are heavy turds and make very little horsepower, even with tons of $$ in them. I honestly could never justify putting a flathead in anything with a hood. Although.. it would be fun to take a 521 to shows and watch the Ford guys curse the thing...

[Suspect]

The thing of it is, I'm not trying to gain anything by putting this flathead in a 521.  I have a 521 that has no drive train, its already cut up for a previous engine swap, and its just rotting in a field out back.  If I dont do anything with this truck, its either going to get parted and scrapped or just rot away out back.  As for the flathead, I don't really know what to do with it atm.  I dont have the money to buy a better vehicle to put it in.  I didn't buy it off my friend just to flip it to make money.  I think he would be upset if I did that.  It took me 3 years to get the engine off of him and I did it on accident.  I thought it was something he would never get rid of, so I joked around about it.  One day I made an offer on it and he took it.

 

The worse that can happen is I put the engine in this truck, if I end up not liking it, I'll just end up pulling it back out.  It will at least give me a chance to mess with the engine, take it down the road, and get it running right.

[datzenmike]

Do it.

[tr8er]

Yup. Better than building a test stand for the engine. Unless there is much work to be done on the engine. Then fenders are a pain. I really want a pic on the engine though.

[mrbigtanker]

As she would tell you is it in yet.

[K_trip]

- removed -

[Suspect]

Yea I been thinking about how I was going to make a radiator work.  I have this 521 radiator that split from being frozen.  Its all soldiered up now, might cut an extra hole in the top and bottom, soldier in an extra inlet and outlet.  I don't know if it will be enough to cool it but I see way smaller radiators on flat head trikes.

[Suspect]

Oh btw I haven't forgot about the pictures.  I'll get them up as soon as the snow is gone.  The flathead is about 30 miles away from here.  I'll pick it up and start fabricating the mounts as soon as I can work outside again.  Also on a side note, looking for another 521 radiator, preferably a junk one, something I can cut up to add to mine.  Plan is to cut the hose tubes and some of the bottle and soldier it on my existing 521 radiator.  This will give me dual inlets and outlets.

[Suspect]

[Suspect]

I got my flathead today, it was hard to get out from where it was stored.  It was 2am by the time I got it home. 

 

This is what it is

1946 Ford/Mercury 239ci 3.1875 x 3.750 100peak hp 6.75:1 comp ratio 24 head bolts 3,5,6

 

3) Used the postwar style (1946 thru 1948) round distributor (similar to the crab style) with two bundled wire harnesses off the cap.

5) Postwar "59A" style blocks. These had the "59" cast into the top of the bell housing. Note that some of the 59A style blocks were also sold as replacement engines for pre-war 221 cubic inch cars and had the 3.0625" bore.

6) Had the two fan belt system (beginning with 1942 models) to drive the accessories. One belt operated the water pumps and generator. The other belt operated the cooling fan assembly.

 

 

[ggzilla]

You weren't kidding about the torque - that's more than a KA24

 

But still I'd use the stock gears. That flat head revs to 4k so it will have a decent speed. It will be dog slow with 2.43 gears.

[mrbigtanker]

Are you really putting this in, and if so why a flathead? Isit because this is all you got or are you a glutton for punishment.I admire the different part but a flathead.

[Suspect]

I have a 403 olds... but it wont fit under the hood very well.  I'm doing it for a few reasons in mind.  One I got the flathead and nothing better to put it in.  Two, it will fit.  Three, I need a mini truck that can pull a 3500lb loaded trailer (will have a LZ powered restored 620 on it), what better to pull it with than a another datsun?

[mrbigtanker]

Ok well put it in.get er done.

[Royal Sierra]

Do it. Thatd be an awesome swap

[DaBlist]

Are you saying you plan to use a 521 to pull a loaded car trailer?

 

Anybody else have experience towing a load that size with a 521?