Flat head question (sorry)

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65Vart

65Vart

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Sorry for the non Mopar question guys but I saw this flathead in a coupe and curiousity got me. Anyone recognize this set up or know any ball park numbers on how much hp this might make (with super charger and what look to be two strombergs) Pretty cool little motor.
 

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Looks like a small Eaton unit from a T Bird or a Buick maybe. Needs more Strombergs. Without knowing more about it I would guess 250 hp.
 
I know a full boogie flat head with every type of go fast part known to man makes 180 hp so take it from there...
 
Hey Wally, Dad and I have a flathead 8 in a 54 Meteor with 40k orig miles if yer interested....or maybe spread the word.
 
Depends on what motor it is, how much it bored, stroked etc.
Not enough info.
Off the wall guess 275 HP

The flat head 4cyl 134 in my willys had 60 hp stock with 6.8 compression.
I bored it .080 over milled the the head to where it has .029 between the valves and the heads without gasket.
Running a .070 head gasket I have 8.4 compression with 150 psi cranking compression.
How much HP, I don't know but I bet it is more than 60.
 
Flatheads on gas are knocking on 200 miles per hour at Bonneville. They must be capable of some kind of horsepower.
 
Wasn't the point of the sub-plot in American Graffiti, that the flat-head drag racer knew his days were numbered when the out-of-towner with the new over-head valve Chevy (Harrison Ford) had him beat until he ran off the road? Of course that flat-head didn't have a super-charger. To me the most memorable scene was when he pulled it out of the garage and the kid said "you got the __ heads on", which he only used for racing. Only on a flat-head can you swap heads in 30 minutes. Even if they aren't the fastest, you have to love the old school hot rods.
 
I had an engine just like this in my 46 ford pickup.
Don't know what the 4 in pic is though.
Low compresion engine and tough as hell so seems a great candidate for a blower right.



BillGrissom said:
Wasn't the point of the sub-plot in American Graffiti, that the flat-head drag racer knew his days were numbered when the out-of-towner with the new over-head valve Chevy (Harrison Ford) had him beat until he ran off the road? Of course that flat-head didn't have a super-charger. To me the most memorable scene was when he pulled it out of the garage and the kid said "you got the __ heads on", which he only used for racing. Only on a flat-head can you swap heads in 30 minutes. Even if they aren't the fastest, you have to love the old school hot rods.
Click to expand...
 

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After that it seemed appropriate to post that pic again to show some of the major differences between those engines and today's.
 

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BillGrissom said:
Wasn't the point of the sub-plot in American Graffiti, that the flat-head drag racer knew his days were numbered when the out-of-towner with the new over-head valve Chevy (Harrison Ford) had him beat until he ran off the road? Of course that flat-head didn't have a super-charger. To me the most memorable scene was when he pulled it out of the garage and the kid said "you got the __ heads on", which he only used for racing. Only on a flat-head can you swap heads in 30 minutes. Even if they aren't the fastest, you have to love the old school hot rods.
Click to expand...
The scene was when Milner "took the header plugs out", "expecting some action". No Flathead reference in the movie except when Milner asks a buddy (Pzudo) "what happenned to his Flathead". Milner ran a SB Chevy. Sorry have the movie memorized.
 
That flathead is probably only putting out maybe 175 hp if its lucky, even with the blower on it.
 
There is a guy in California who claims he has found and cleared all the defects in a flathead casting/design, he is building them in any varity of setups including blowers with some outragious numbers.
 
There's not a lot you can do to a flathead performance wise. With the valves in the block, you are really restricted to the total lift you can go on the valves before you contact the head. You can relieve the heads, but then you lower the compression on an already low compression engine. But there is nothing quite like the mellow sound of a well tuned flathead.
 
BillGrissom said:
Wasn't the point of the sub-plot in American Graffiti, that the flat-head drag racer knew his days were numbered when the out-of-towner with the new over-head valve Chevy (Harrison Ford) had him beat until he ran off the road?
Click to expand...

You need to watch the movie, point.....

1. Milner's coupe did NOT have a flattie in it, it was, in fact a SB Chevvie

2. "The out of towner" (Harrison Ford) car was not "new" I don't remember what the newest car was portrayed in the movie, it was at LEAST 58, and the movie was supposed to "be happening" in 62, so many, many engines were built by that time, hell, including early hemis, that were not flatties
 
Go to the source...


http://www.flatheadv8.org/phpBB/

A good friend of mine was into flat heads.
His daily driver was a 32 2dr sedan.
He had a 32 5 window with a Garlits built flat head that he and his father drag raced in the 50's and early 60's.
Also a 32 cabriolet that is in Garlits Museum.
He also had a flat head power sling shot dragster and was invited to the NHRA Hot rod Reunion at Columbus in 1998.
He also had a 4 car garage full of old flat head stuff including 2 pairs of Ardun heads, one of which were NOS. He called it his "retirement fund".

http://www.dragracingonline.com/goindeep/v_7.html
 
67Dart273 said:
You need to watch the movie, point.....

1. Milner's coupe did NOT have a flattie in it, it was, in fact a SB Chevvie

2. "The out of towner" (Harrison Ford) car was not "new" I don't remember what the newest car was portrayed in the movie, it was at LEAST 58, and the movie was supposed to "be happening" in 62, so many, many engines were built by that time, hell, including early hemis, that were not flatties
Click to expand...

yea cuz the girl was driving a thunderbird... havn't seen the movie but once so i dont remember the year... i should as my dad has a 57
 
There was two versions of the flathead V-8, the 60 hp and the 85 hp. the pic you posted shows a flatty with a blower (obviously) but with stock heads. Arguably, the heads were the biggest upgrade you could make on these engines. Vic Edelbrock Sr. made himself famous by making aftermarket heads for the flatty that really woke them up. Then Arkus Duntov and his brother, along with designer George Kudasch really knocked it out of the park with a hemi head overhead valve conversion for these motors called the ArDun. Those heads are legendary and are the holy grail for flathead guys.




http://www.ardun.com/ardun_histrory.htm

http://www.lutheransonline.com/serv...081239920917940&pg=00032000001081239921093624
 

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In the pic the OP posted and asked about, that engine has stock exhaust manifolds on it. Plus, those strombergs flow 180 CFM EA if they are the good ones. No way it's gonna see any more than about 250 HP.
 
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