Why did the exhaust pipe on the Ford Y-block V8 cross over in front of the engine?

LOL!! Also, on the flathead V8, Henry ran the exhaust port through the water jacket, rather than having it exit the block with as little contact as possible with the water jacket. I'm not sure if that was due to limitations on casting technique at the time, or if he just thought it would be a good idea for some reason. The result was that it greatly reduced the thermodynamic efficiency of the engine, and imposed a much greater load on the cooling system. That is the main reason why flathead V8s were so prone to overheating.