Tag: Flathead Ford

Posted in 1951, Ford, Shoebox Ford

Pick of the Day: 1951 Ford Victoria hardtop with flathead-V8 power – Bob Golfen @ClassicCars.com

Posted on by Charlville
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In the early 1950s came a particular style of hardtop design favored by US automakers, a rounded roofline that flowed into the C-pillars in a graceful curve.  This is the roofline seen on the Pick of the Day, a 1951 Ford Victoria 2-door hardtop that appears to have been restored to original. 

In an appealing shade of pale green with an ivory top, the Ford packs a classic flathead V8 that makes 100 horsepower and is shifted by a 3-on-the-tree manual transmission.

“This ‘51 2-door Victoria is a real time machine for those who remember these years fondly,” says the Orlando, Florida, dealer advertising the Ford on ClassicCars.com. “The swooping body lines combined with whitewall tires and polished hub caps really give the car an eye-catching stance.

“The interior is finished in a dark and light green combo, and the dash and panels will make it feel like a different time. With the bench seat, there is plenty of room for cuddling at the drive-in.”

Still looking great after an apparently older restoration, the Ford has an award-winning claim to fame, the dealer says.

“As shown on the bumper plaque, this vehicle was the 2003 national first-prize winner of the Antique Automobile Club of America!” the ad notes, although it in unclear how or where the AACA senior award was won.

The period options on this Ford include an AM radio, whitewall tires, what look like the correct full hubcaps, fender skirts and lots of chrome details.

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Posted in Ardun, Engine, Flathead V8, Ford Flathead V8, IronTrap Garage, YouTube

How Does An Ardun OHV Conversion Work?? – @IrontrapGarage

Posted on by Charlville
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While visiting Ronnie Roadster Matt filmed a ton of footage while talking with Ron. We wanted to put together a video showing exactly how an Ardun OHV Conversion works for a Ford Flathead engine. Ron is a wealth of knowledge and has over 100k miles on his blue 32 Ford Roadster that’s powered by a blown Ardun. Ron shows us the inner workings of an Ardun valvetrain and some of the tricks that are needed to get them running correctly. A huge thank you to Ron and his wife Laura for letting us visit and film!!

Posted in Ardun, Engine, Flathead Ford, Ford Flathead V8, H&H, H&H Flatheads

What’s an ARDUN? The Ultimate OHV Conversion for the Ford Flathead V-8 – Mike Herman of H&H Flatheads @TorqTalk

Posted on by Charlville
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As we learned in our flathead Ford V8 story here: www.torqtalk.com/home/ford-flathead-the-first-performance-v-8, the Ford V8 was not initially a performer. Out of the crate in 1932 the 221 ci produced only 65 bhp and even by the end of its life in 1953 the 239 ci ‘flattie’ only produced 110. Note: The ’53 255 ci Mercury did make 125 bhp—still no big deal.

To make the Model A/B four bangers go faster several outfits had produced overhead valve (ohv) conversions it seemed obvious therefore to build something similar for the V-8. Enter brothers Zora and Yura Arkus-Duntov and the Ardun Mechanical Corp., New York. By 1945, their mainstay military contracts were dwindling and Zora approached Ford about an ohv conversion for the V-8 that over heated and was under powered. Ford showed no interest and so Zora went ahead anyway buying a couple of V-8s and designing his own heads with the help of engineer George Kudasch.

Rather than have the middle pair of exhaust ports asthmatically ‘siamesed’ into one, the Ardun, a contraction of ARkus-DUNtov, breathed better through four equally spaced ports. It was also compatible with the Ford block and valvetrain, used the stock cam, and had hemispherical combustion chambers and large intake valves for improved performance. Interestingly, the Ardun had short intake rockers and long exhaust rockers and was similar to the 1951 Chrysler Hemi but preceded it by four years when it was introduced in 1947.  

The downside was trifold: The assembly was 12-inches wider than stock, it weighed an additional 60 lb and it wasn’t cheap being cast from heat-treated, 355-T6 Alcoa aluminum alloy. However, the heads produced between 25- and 60-percent more power depending on tuning—the original had but a single carb. According to Zora, “I had about 230 hp on gasoline by 1949.”

Zora might have been a tad optimistic with his figures. After almost two years and more than 1,000 hours of testing on his own GE dyno, the Ardun-headed engine put out only 160 bhp. ‘Build it and they will come’ was Zora’s philosophy and he attempted to market complete engines and conversions. A ‘racing’ version was said to produce 200 bhp at 5,500 rpm. The conversion sold for a hefty $500 and installation took six skilled hours. Two thousand inquiries resulted from a feature in Popular Mechanics but few sales materialized.

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Posted in Ardun, Ford Flathead V8

Ardun Flathead Heaven- Dropping Our Engine With Ron “Roadster” SanGiovani – @IronTrapGarage

Posted on by Charlville
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The time has finally come to take the engine for the 1933 Ford 3 Window Coupe up to Ronnie “Roadster” San Giovanni, the master of the Ardun OHV conversion.

Ron built his first Ardun back in the early 1980’s and has been hooked ever since. His blue 1932 Ford Roadster with a blown Ardun has been cross country twice and around 100k miles.

Ron is a wealth of knowledge about hot rods, local Connecticut racing history and of course flatheads. Matt spent the better part of the day talking with Ron about his set of heads, and his large Italmeccanica blower that Ron has surprisingly never seen before!

We could have put together a 4 hour video with Ron and wife talking about every amazing piece of history they have in their shop and all the amazing engines Ron has built. We can’t wait to return to pick up the engine and spend more time with Ron!!

Posted in Engine, Flathead V8, Ford Flathead V8, magazine, Robb Report

This 80-Year-Old Bombardier B-7 Snowmobile Still Runs—and Now It Can Be Your – Bryan Hood @RobReport

Posted on by Charlville
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Spring may have just arrived, but at least one vehicle going up for auction at Bonhams’s next sale may have you longing for winter’s return.

Impossible, you say. Wait until you check out the 80-year-old Bombardier B-7 snowmobile. Set to hit the block late next month at the auction house’s  Amelia Island auction, the restored snow cruiser will have even the most cold-averse among us wishing for a thick snow fall so they can take it out for a spin.

Although the B-7 was born out of a family tragedy—inventor Joseph-Armand Bombardier’s young son died during the winter because no vehicle could safely transport him through the snow—it’s also a dazzling creation. The vehicle, which was referred to at the time as a “snow coach,” looks like an old-fashion family wagon with skis and tank treads in place of its wheels, so that it can “float over the snow.” After being introduced in 1935, the vehicle proved to be a hit, and by the end of the decade, the Canadian company had built more than 100 examples.

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Posted in 1934, Coupe, Flathead V8, Ford, Ford Flathead V8, Ford V8 Coupe

AutoHunter Spotlight: AACA-winning 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe – Racheal Colbert @AutoHunter

Posted on by Charlville
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Today’s AutoHunter Spotlight is on a 1934 Ford Standard 5-Window Coupe purchased by the seller’s grandfather from the original owner’s widow in 1963. It underwent a body-off restoration completed in 2012 and is a multiple AACA winner from years 2013 through 2018.

The all-steel body is finished in Dearborn Blue and black paint and features a single driver-side mirror, hood louvers, front and rear chrome bumpers and a color-matching spare tire cover that houses a full-size spare.

New angora trims the bench seat and door panels.

Powering the Ford is the original 221cid 21-stud Flathead V8 mated to a 3-speed manual gearbox.

The odometer shows 36,435 miles, which the seller notes only a few of those were added since the restoration.

See the AutoHunter listing here

Posted in Flathead Ford, Ford, Ford Flathead V8, Model B, Model B Ford

A Detailed Look Back At The Ford Model B – Jason Collins @HotCars

Posted on by Charlville
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A classic, elegant cat that shows sophistication and yet has a mean streak underneath the hood of the car.

Ford is a car brand that has been around for a very long time. The Ford Model B range changed the look and feel over the years. We will be taking a look at the history behind this classic car as well as how it turned into the iconic 1932 Ford Model B which was not a good seller back in the day but nowadays, people cannot get enough of it.

The Ford Model B is a better version than the Model A. They took everything that was right with the Model A, removed all the problems, and thought it would be a good idea to add in a 4 cylinder engine which was a first for Ford.

Ford Motor Company produced two different models with the Model B name, Ford Model B 1904 and Ford Model B 1932.

In 1904, Ford introduced the upscale touring car. It had polished wood and brass trimming. It was built at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. It was Ford’s first car to use the front-engine layout that had a large 24 horsepower 4-cylinder engine positioned at the front of the car behind a conventional radiator.

It was a 2-speed transmission and the engine was a 283.5CID.

It was priced at $ 2 000 which is equivalent to about $ 57 000.00 today. It was a high-end car that was produced for three years. The sales of the car were slow due to the price of the car and it was replaced by the derivative model K in 1906 which was cheaper for the consumer.

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Posted in Autoevolution, Engine, Flathead V8, Ford, magazine, Mercury Flathead V8

This 1952 Ford F-1 Barn Find Hasn’t Seen Rain Since 1963 – Mircea Panait @autoevolution

Posted on by Charlville
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There are barn finds, and there’s this Ford F-1 that hasn’t seen rain since 1963. Originally sold in Indiana, the pickup’s second owner “was a closet hotrodder” that replaced the Flathead V8 with a Flathead Mercury V8.

Offered on eBay by sotaboyz with the current title as well as the original title from 1958, the half-ton pickup still wears the factory paintwork. Finished in Coral Flame Red and optioned with the 5-Star Extra Cab equipment group, chassis number F1R2LU19386 comes with the factory-supplied storage box located above the gas tank and an illuminated cigarette lighter.

Described as some sort of needle in a haystack by the seller, the 110-horsepower truck was originally used to haul motors around town by the previous owner. The eight-cylinder mill sourced from a Mercury“fires up with a push of the button, and the original Flathead V8 is included with the sale.”

Both sun visors and the headliner are very well preserved, the speedometer and odometer still work, and the same can be said about the temperature gauge, battery gauge, fuel gauge, dashboard lights, and dome light. The brakes have been gone through prior to the sale, the transmission reportedly shifts smooth, and the truck is rolling on new Coker Classic tires.

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Posted in Engine, Flathead Ford, Flathead V8, Flathead V8, Flathead V8 Block, Ford Flathead V8, Ford Flathead V8, Ford V8, Hagerty

How to spot a Ford pushrod V-8, from flathead to 460 – Brandan Gillogly @Hagerty

Posted on by Charlville
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How to spot a Ford pushrod V-8, from flathead to 460

Let’s say it’s your lucky day, and you’ve found an engine laying around in the back of a garage with an unknown history. Or maybe you’re trying to discern which engine was swapped into a car, and all of the aftermarket parts between the fenders are muddying the waters. In any case, the first step is always to identify the engine

Determining precisely which engine you’re looking at under the hood can be difficult. Heck, sometimes a brand produced more engine families in the same decade than you can count on both hands. If you’re pretty sure you’re looking at a Ford V-8, the following guide will help you make the proper ID of your engine so that you can dive deeper into the ID.

This article, focusing on Ford passenger car V-8s, isn’t a full history on engine tech or applications. It’s intended as a primer to help you narrow things down and, in turn, enrich your gearhead knowledge. We’ll focus on the biggest visual keys to look for when you come face-to-valve-cover with eight cylinders of Detroit metal.

Ford flathead V-8: 1932–53

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Posted in 1949, Assembly Line, Flathead Ford, Ford, Ford Flathead V8

Ford Factory Assembly Line in 1949 – The Flat Spot @YouTube

Posted on by Charlville
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After sticking with its well-received previous model through model year 1948, Ford completely redesigned its namesake car for 1949. Save for its drive train, this was an all-new car in every way, with a modern ladder frame now supporting a coil spring suspension in front and longitudinal semi-elliptical springs in back.

The engine was moved forward to make more room in the passenger compartment and the antiquated torque tube was replaced by a modern drive shaft. Ford’s popular 226 CID (3.7 L) L-head straight-6 and 239 CID (3.9 L) Flathead V8 remained, now rated at 90 hp (67 kW) and 100 hp (75 kW), respectively.

The 1949 models debuted at a gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in June 1948, with a carousel of the new Fords complemented by a revolving demonstration of the new chassis. The new integrated steel structure was advertised as a “lifeguard body”, and even the woody wagon was steel at heart.

The convertible frame had an “X member” for structural rigidity. From a customer’s perspective, the old Custom, De Luxe, and Super De Luxe lines were replaced by new Standard and Custom trims and the cars gained a modern look with completely integrated rear fenders and just a hint of a fender in front.

The new styling approach was also evident in the 1949 Mercury Eight and the all-new Lincoln Cosmopolitan.

The Flat Spot is here