[51FordDuff]

how should i get my flathead rebuilt "i havent taken it out of the car yet" but should i go with a 4 bbl set up what cam and of course do they make a blower to fit my flathead i have a 49-53 model i want to have something cool to cruse around in on the weekends and with many new upgrades should i get the tranny rebuilt or get a new one ? and what about the rear end shold i get a new one to handle some power becasue i want something that will take lots of abuse becasuse i am 16 and we all love to have some fun imp: :spank: :thumbup: thanks for your help

 

[trees]

There is a huge gap between your dreams and reality. Getting the maximum possible horse power from your flat head would not be much of a threat to the tranny or rear end but most 16 year olds can figure out how to break anything.

Trees

 

[batman09]

You're talking big dollars here sonny!You're only 16....are ya rich??

 

[gemini86]

just for farts and giggles, let's pretend he is...

 

[Hotrod Hirning]

The first thing you should do is throw a speed shift on that 3 on the tree between 1st and 2nd. That will take care of the cluster gear. After you go to the junkyard to get a new trans. you'll find out they don't have any 'cause us old farts used them all up 50 years ago throwing speed shifts. Now pull the rest of the drive train and sell the parts to an old fart. You will make him happy. Go get yourself a 302 Ford, C4 trans and a Maverick rearend. They almost fall into to place with no sweat. Now you have some dependable street power at about 1/3 the cost of building a flattie and you can go have some fun without hurting parts.

 

[51FordDuff]

i still want to keep the flathead so i cont half to put in new motor mounts and i think the flatheads are cool motors but u cant get power from .... but can you still put in a new rear end like a from a maverick and i can get upgrades for the tranny i still want to keep it a manual car though

 

[Hotrod Hirning]

What shape is your flathead and drive train in now? How much money do you have for this project? If the motor and trans are in good shape and the rearend is not howling I would add a few chrome things like air cleaner and side pipes. A new set of red plug wires and chrome looms will help. Dual exhaust though a pair of glas pacs will sound cool with chrome tips.
If the engine is burning oil and the trans and rear are shot then you will need 1000s of dollars to make all this happen. Go to you local Barnes and Noble and get Tex Smiths book on shoebox Fords. It will tell you more than I ever could and will only cost about $15. A lot of book and knowledge for such a cheap price. And that's what you need before working on any car......KNOWLEDGE! Jump in without it and you'll spend a lot of money and wind up with not much of anything but disapointment and frustration.

 

[Lonestar]

From your avatar I must assume it is a Ford flathead. Which one? Give some more detail. The flatheads have in recent years gathered quite a bit of popularity...it is still going to cost you though.

Provide details if you are serious.

 

[51FordDuff]

the flathead tranny and rear end work the carb on the flathead needs to be rebuilt some of the seals on it are going bad i would like to get a 4bbl intake with carb the tranny is good good shifts but i am going to need to get a new cluch soon and i but i half to come to a compleat stop in order to shift down to first the rear end is good but i think it needs new berrings this was my grandpas car and i bought it from him he didnt drive it that much and had it sitting in a machine shed but for the motor i also want to get new heads cam ect ..... thanks for everyones help it is a 51 car with a 50 flathead in it

 

[batman09]

The first gear in that car is not synchronized.You will always need to come to a complete stop.Its just the way they built them back then.Nothing is wrong there...its not broken.bm

PS ....Try using some punctuation.Your replies are one long rambling sentence.

 

[shot_out_hood]

The first thing you should do is throw a speed shift on that 3 on the tree...

Can someone please expand on the following statement, "The first thing you should do is throw a speed shift on that 3 on the tree between 1st and 2nd"?

Also, are there any current manufactured 9" rear ends that will fit a 50 Ford Coupe that are worthy of installing? Or do I need to seek out a '57 rear end?

Thanks.

 

[Will H]

51 Ford Duff,
You can down shift to first while moving. Maybe at even 20 to 30 MPH without breaking anything. You "double clutch", that is you push in the clutch and put the shift lever in neutral. Then you let out the clutch and rev the motor up to about the revs that you would be turning if you were in first gear. Then you push in the clutch and shift into first then let out the clutch. I learned to do it in my first car, a '48 Ford. If you do it enough it becomes as natural as breathing.

 

[matt167]

there talking about shifting very quickly out of first, like what you would want to do with a 4spd muscle car. '9" from a '66-'67 Mustang if you can find 1, rare occasions, Mav's had them, Fairlaine 9" might fit.

 

[Will H]

Shot Out Hood,
Speed shift or sometimes called slam shift. Floor it and run up to about 40 in first. Put the heel of your right hand on the column mounted shift lever. Keep the accelerator floored, quickly disengage and engage the clutch while you slam the shift lever into second as if you wanted to shove it through the windshield. You wont harm the cluster gear if you do it in a well co-oridinated manner. Cluster gear harm happens when you let up on the accelerator or don't time your clutch and shift well. You can do it from second to third also but it wont impress the girls as much

 

[timothale]

flat heads naa for HP

MY brother had a merc flatty with 3-2's cam headers etc in his 40 ford... his lasted quite a while... one trick I haven't seen in the posts is to add full length roller bearings in the cluster gear...sometimes you have to ream it out and add a spacer so everything is tight... the theory is that in 2 nd gear... it tends to push the center of the cluster away and try to make it bend..it don't bend ..it breaks....full lenght bearings supports the gear...a buddy had an blown ardun in his 27 roadster....set a record in Portland oregon in the 50's....they would show up with half a dozen red painted blocks on the back of the truck... make 3 or 4 runs and then change blocks...throw those pretty painted blocks into the dirt..they were stock from the local metal recycler... he did a pound for pound exchange as their sponsor.......they steam cleaned them at the college auto shop... checked out then used for the race car.... they spent big bucks one time for a race preped block and it only laster 8 runs. the flathead only has 3 main bearings and the bottom end is too weak to make serious horsepower unless you spend about 5 times what you would spend for a small block ford . mopar or chevy.......retired Ford engineer...

 

[shot_out_hood]

Thanks...

Thanks Will H. I'll have to give it a try...

 

[shot_out_hood]

Thanks matt167 and timothale.

Does anyone know if I need a 57.25 inch (65-66 Mustang) or a 59.25 inch (67-70 Mustang) rear end?

Thanks again!

 

[timothale]

ford trans

the stick shift trans have a rooster comb inside the side cover. when you move the shift lever there is a spring loaded ball that indexes into a notch. the problem is on a speed shift the spring lets the gears go past where they should stop. the trick is to replace the spring with a piece of a broken 1/4 in drill rod. you grind it to fit inside and long enough so it locks with one ball in a notch when you move the shift lever the other lever is locked solid... ...a trial and fit operation... retired ford engineer.