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In December of 1931, in the midst of America's Great Depression, Ford Motor Company stopped production of their four-cylinder engine and began manufacturing a new flathead V8. Unlike V8's of the day (Cadillac, LaSalle, Lincoln) which the engine block and crankcase were bolted together, Ford designed a one-piece casting with bolt-on exhaust manifolds. The 90-degree, L-head, side-valve V8 used a 0.265" offset crankshaft for reducing piston slap, which made for a smoother running lower end.

Flathead Ford V8
Advantages of a flathead (side-valve) engine over an overhead valve engine were cost of manufacture and simplicity. With valves positioned in the engine block beside the piston (instead of in the cylinder head, as in an OHV engine), push-rods and rocker arms were not needed. Additionally, cylinder heads need only be a simple casting with threaded holes for the spark plugs.

1932-1938 Ford Flathead V8

The first-design flathead Ford V8 engines had 21 cylinder-head studs and are known as "21 stud" motors. Until mid 1936, poured Babbitt main-bearings were used. The bell housing was cast into the back of the block, These early blocks are hard to upgrade but are highly prized by collector car restorers.

Several issues plagued the early blocks, including overheating, casting porosity and cracking near the valve ports. Early flathead Ford V8 water pumps were actually Model A units, designed to fit the new engine to save cost and retooling.

Most easily recognized by the two water pumps mounted to the front of the heads, production of the original 221ci Ford flathead ran from 1932 to 1936. A smaller 136ci V8 engine was also produced from 1937-1939.

An updated design in 1937 had the water outlets relocated from the front of the heads to the top center of the heads. These were produced in 1937 and early 1938.

1938-1948 Ford Flathead V8

Flathead Ford V8
Needing a more powerful motor for their new Mercury line of cars, Ford introduced the 239ci "24 stud" engine (twenty-four studs holding down each cylinder head) in late 1938. Producing 95-horsepower and 170 lb/ft of torque, these engines were used through 1942 for civilian use and also World War Two military vehicles. These second-design blocks (often referred to as 59A castings) retained the integral cast-in bell housing,

The 1939-1948 Ford flatheads had insert-style main bearings, but still used full-floating rod bearings (one bearing shell for each rod pair). A direct camshaft-driven front-mount distributor mounted flush to the cover, with a horizontal shaft on the front of the engine.

1949-1953 Ford Flathead V8

The third-design "8BA" engines (8RT for Ford trucks) were produced from 1949 to 1953. The block itself was the same for both Ford and Mercury, and had a higher 6.8:1 compression and bolt-on bell housing. The 24 studs and nuts that attached the heads on the block were replaced by 24 bolts, and left and right heads had different gaskets.

A revised cooling system had the water inlets and thermostat housings moved to the front end of the heads. The gear-driven distributor was now vertically mounted on the right-front of the engine. Early and late distributor styles can be interchanged by using the corresponding front engine covers and cam drive.

The End of Flathead Production

Flathead Ford V8
After 22 years in production, Ford's venerable flathead V-8 was discontinued. In it's place was a new overhead-valve V-8, displacing the same 239 cubic-inches as the flathead by way of an over-square 3.50" bore by 3.10" stroke. Power output was 130-horsepower, an increase of 15% over the flathead's 106-horsepower.

After 1953, flathead production continued in other countries. The Ford Flathead V8 engine continued to be used in French military vehicles through the 1990s, with a good supply of new flatheads still available.

Flathead Ford Legacy

The engine's 21-year production is on "Ward's List of the Ten Best engines of the 20th century". From 1932 until 1953, the Ford Flathead V8 was placed in over 25 million cars and trucks. The Beach Boys immortalized the flathead in their 1964 hit single, "Little Deuce Coupe."

Timeline

Ford’s flathead V8 is the forefather to the entire American V8 scene, with its bang-for-buck performance at the time of its launch unlike nothing else the world had ever seen. It was introduced in 1932, and designed for production by Carl Schmaltz, Ray Lard, and Mil Zoerlein. The design was simple, with poured babbit-style main bearings, 21head studs, one belt for the generator and fan, and two water pumps. The pioneering flathead V8s did have their flaws, though — cracking was common, as was oil starvation when turning the car around hard corners, leading to seized crankshaft bearings.

1933: Aluminum heads and higher compression give an extra seven kilowatts, while ignition and cooling improvements help reliability.

1934: New dual-downdraught Stromberg 40 carburettor and new intake manifold adds an additional seven kilowatts. Bottom end benefits from an industry-first and a cast-alloy steel crankshaft.

1935: Carburettor replaced with Stromberg 48, and the camshaft is updated. The engine design also benefited from improved crankcaseventilation system.

1936: Carburettor changed once more, this time to Stromberg 97 on all V8-85 (85hp/63kW) engines. Cooling capacity and radiator surface area increased, to aid with cooling. LB block gains separate main bearing inserts, while babbit-bearing mains are retained on all other motors.

1937: The V8-60 enters production as a response to European displacement taxes, and British taxes based on bore size. The V8-60 is notable by its 17-head studs, instead of 21. The V8-85 gains a larger water pump and main bearing inserts, as well as new cast alloy-steel dome-top pistons.

1938: Ford switches to a Holley carburettor, from the Stromberg 97.

1939: A Ford-built dual-downdraught carburettor helps pump the V885’s torque output to 210Nm. Head stud count is increased from 21 to 24, and the main journal size is once more increased. Mercury used an overbored flathead, displacing 3.9 litres (239ci), which also gains a strengthened crank, rods, and other internals.

1940: The V8-60’s last production year. Ford produces ten alloy blocks for experimentation purposes.

1942: Power now rated at 67kW (90hp), despite no mechanical changes. Flat ‘crab’ distributor cap with separate ignition coil introduced.

1943–1945: Ford production diverted towards World War II effort.

1946: Ford gains Mercury flathead, with unique alloy pistons, bearings, larger rod journal size, and pressurized cooling system. The ‘V’ angle between valves (between driver and passenger sides) is reduced from 101.5 degrees to 100 degrees, to reduce cracking. New one-piece distributor cap replaces old two-piece design. Fan shifted slightly upwards, to reduce water spray onto the engine in wet weather.

1948: New 5.5-litre (337ci) flathead introduced for F7 and F8 trucks. 1949: The 5.5-litre flatheads became available in the Lincoln range, with increased compression. Mercury V8 stroked, increasing power. Major mechanical revisions are also made in 1949. The bellhousing is now cast as a separate unit to the block. Oil pump and coolant systems are updated. Improvements are made to the valve guides, and intake and exhaust systems. Main bearings are upgraded, via stronger caps and improved webbing.

1950: Piston design revised to eliminate piston slap when cold, and camshaft revised to minimize tappet noise. Three-blade fan replaces old four-blade design.

1952: Mercury 4.2-litre (255ci) flathead increases compression, taking power to 93kW/125hp. Revised cam profile takes F-series truck power rating to 79kW/106hp.

1953: Ford’s 50th anniversary also marks the final year for the flathead in the USA, replacing it with the overhead valve (OHV) style Y-block.

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