# My flathead



## Bookmaker (May 30, 2008)

Hi Guys,
It has been awhile (December I think) since posting but I have been lurking here almost every day. I hesitate to post because, as I have mentioned in the past, I am really bad at documenting as I go and I know as soon as I post a picture everyone will want more and I simply dont have more to share. I figure a little is better than nothing so here goes. 
My model is a quarter scale replica of a 100 HP flathead Ford V8. I have a friend in the restoration business and he has been gracious enough to lend me parts as I needed them to scale down. There is also a lot of information on the internet since this particular engine is said to be the most hot roded of any. Everything is from billet with no help from CNC. I started with the block. I did a 3D drawing in Alibre Design.





Then I started whittling and ended up with this.




I then did the Crank, Cam, valves and lifters. Sorry I dont have a picture but here you can see the cam and crank in the block.




I decided to do custom heads as was done back in the day. Sharp made the most desirable at the time so I borrowed one from my friend and set out to duplicate it. The only way I could figure to get the text in the head was with EDM (which I had no experience in) so I started asking around and found a guy close to where I worked and took one of my completed engines over to his shop and ran it for him. That is all it took and he loaned me his knowledge and machine. People are so incredible!!




Once again with the intake I went with the hot rod approach.




The carbs are Perry for model airplanes. The next items were the Distributor and Water pumps.




At this point I have completed the pan and starter. Sorry no photos yet. I finished up the rods last weekend and plan to work on the pistons and rings next. I will try to get some pictures of the individual part for you soon.
Best regards,
Roger


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## SandyC (May 30, 2008)

WOW!!!!
If this is an example of you just whittling, I can't wait to see what you can turn out when you get serious.

An absolutely stunning piece of work..... how on earth did you machine that block?.... and those heads are a work of art.

Thank you for posting the pictures, and I look forward to seeing the next set and hearing more of the details...as I am sure the rest of the guys are.

Best regards.

sandyC...'just going to dump my new triple steam engine in the skip' :'(


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## S_J_H (May 30, 2008)

Roger,
 That is just awesome craftsmanship!! Very much impressed. I'm floored by all the projects and talented people who contribute to this website. It just keeps getting better and better!

Steve


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## CrewCab (May 30, 2008)

Just superb 8) ........ thanks for sharing and please keep the updates coming.

Dave


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## Brass_Machine (May 30, 2008)

Impressive! I like that a lot!

Eric


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## zeusrekning (May 30, 2008)

Completly beautiful. 
Tim


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## the engineer (May 30, 2008)

beutiful work you should be proud of that


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## gbritnell (May 31, 2008)

Very nice work. Machining from solid takes so darn much time getting curves and tangent points in the right spots. I made my 302 from solid and I try to explain to people the amount of time involved as compared to working from castings. The small touches like the name on the heads really sets these pieces off. It goes from a billet engine to a really nice miniature. Good luck with the rest of the project.
gbritnell


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## tmuir (May 31, 2008)

Wow, I'm just starting out and I don't even have a clue how you made that but I'm mighty impressed.
Keep the photos coming.


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## Bookmaker (Jun 2, 2008)

gbritnell  said:
			
		

> Very nice work. Machining from solid takes so darn much time getting curves and tangent points in the right spots. I made my 302 from solid and I try to explain to people the amount of time involved as compared to working from castings. The small touches like the name on the heads really sets these pieces off. It goes from a billet engine to a really nice miniature. Good luck with the rest of the project.
> gbritnell



Gbritnell,
Talk about nice work! Your 302 is very impressive!! Fantastic job. I Love the alternator and the fuel pump. Are the valve covers and pan from billet or stamped? Did you build the carb?
Regards,
Roger


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## Bookmaker (Jun 2, 2008)

Thank you all for the kind words. This week end I started lapping the valves. This is turning out to be a very long and tedious job. In two days I managed to only get six done. I did take a break and took some pictures of some of the parts. 





Here is a little better shot of the intake with the generator, breather, and carbs.





The Pan with starter and rear engine stand.





Here are some shots of the block.













I ordered some 2024 for the pistons and some cast iron for the rings. I am planning on two compression rings and one oil control ring for each. Once they are done all I will need to finish up will be the ignition.
Best regards,
Roger


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## Bogstandard (Jun 2, 2008)

Roger, 
What you are doing there is a work of art in how to shape metal. 
As gb said, getting all the compound shapes must be the hard part.

Can't wait to see what it finishes up like.

John


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## Divided He ad (Jun 2, 2008)

Roger that's a real beauty!  I bet you can't wait to hear it roar? ;D

Could you put a rule (or something easy to gauge size by) in the next pic' please? 

This might sound daft to a few out there but... Could you tell me what EDM is please?

Thank you,



Ralph.


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## mklotz (Jun 2, 2008)

EDM = Electrical (or Electronic) Discharge Machining

For a more complete description, visit:

http://www.jobshop.com/techinfo/papers/edm3.shtml


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## zeusrekning (Jun 2, 2008)

Very nice. I want one!!! I'm not sure if you are familiar with forum rules but at least 1 long video must be posted when building an engine like this. Don't be turned away... I think it is an internet rule in general 
Tim


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## rangerssteamtoys (Jun 2, 2008)

Very nice engine, I wish I could machine things though. I could work wonders. Hope the engine is a hit


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## Bookmaker (Jun 3, 2008)

Divided He ad  said:
			
		

> Roger that's a real beauty! I bet you can't wait to hear it roar? ;D
> 
> Could you put a rule (or something easy to gauge size by) in the next pic' please?
> 
> ...


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## Bookmaker (Jun 3, 2008)

mklotz  said:
			
		

> EDM = Electrical (or Electronic) Discharge Machining
> 
> For a more complete description, visit:
> 
> http://www.jobshop.com/techinfo/papers/edm3.shtml



Marv,
That was a great referal, thanks. Can you or someone let me know why my avatar is not showing up. Is it too big?
Regards, Roger


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## Bookmaker (Jun 3, 2008)

zeusrekning  said:
			
		

> Very nice. I want one!!! I'm not sure if you are familiar with forum rules but at least 1 long video must be posted when building an engine like this. Don't be turned away... I think it is an internet rule in general
> Tim



Hi Tim,
I can't do a long one but my digital camera will take a short one. Maybe I can borrow one. I will post as soon as I get it running.
Best regards,
Roger


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## Divided He ad (Jun 3, 2008)

Marv, thank you once again for pointing me in the right direction... I'm going to read it and try to retain it shortly ;D

Thank you for the size ref' Roger, it is quite wonderful how some of you guys out there make these miniatures. I used to recondition full size IC engines and they were hard enough to work with!! 

I'll keep looking at this thread... I want to see the vid' too. You could just take 3-5 short vid's and edit them to make a longer one... 2 minutes is long enough for some engines... this one might take 4-5 though ;D



Ralph.


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## Bookmaker (Jun 3, 2008)

Divided He ad  said:
			
		

> Marv, thank you once again for pointing me in the right direction... I'm going to read it and try to retain it shortly ;D
> 
> Thank you for the size ref' Roger, it is quite wonderful how some of you guys out there make these miniatures. I used to recondition full size IC engines and they were hard enough to work with!!
> 
> ...



Ralph,
I am a little computer ignorant. Is there a free program out there for editing short movies together?
Roger


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## shred (Jun 3, 2008)

If you have Windows XP or Vista, there's a tool called 'Windows Movie Maker' installed that does pretty well and the price is right-- Free.


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## Bookmaker (Jun 4, 2008)

Ralph and Shred,
I found Movie Maker. Thanks guys!


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## T70MkIII (Nov 14, 2008)

I'm late to this party.&#160; How's progress, Roger?


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## JackF (Jan 18, 2009)

Hi Bookmaker.
   Just found this website today. What a beautiful engine. I have been looking for someone who has made a ford flat head V8 for about 2 years and just ran across you here. Did you make plans for this project? If so would you sell a set? To close, Is the engine done yet?


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## steamer (Jan 19, 2009)

Nice!

I like it alot!

Dave


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## ozzie46 (Jan 19, 2009)

Very Very Nice


 Ron


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## Bookmaker (Jan 19, 2009)

Hi Guys,
Just got my ignition in. Must have a timing problem or something. I will sort it out next week end. All that is left to do is mount the radiator. I will take some pictures and post next week.
Best regards and Happy New Year to all,
Roger


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## ChooChooMike (Jan 19, 2009)

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

VERY IMPRESSIVE !! Can't wait to see it run !

I'm sure all of us are wondering about your "whittling" process on the block. Please give us LOTS of details when you have the chance !

Mike


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## Divided He ad (Jan 20, 2009)

Hi Roger, 



> will take some pictures and post next week.



Don't forget something for scale ;D


Glad you've been working away on this one... It is such a good looking little beast 8) 



Waiting for the photo's and a vid' 



Ralph.


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## Plushy (Jan 28, 2009)

Hi Bookmaker ,
          Awesome build So Far :bow: :bow: :bow:  and i cant wait to see this running . I have 8 of the Full size Flatheads in my shed all 59A motors i hope one day to build a few small scale versions as well . I have one question about your build  and that is how did you machine in the siamesed exhaust port for the centre cylinders ? 

Thanks and keep up the most excellent work .

Plushy


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## JackF (Mar 1, 2009)

Hi Roger,
  Dying to see your post that the Flat head is finished and running. How close? No pressure,Take your time. Ha Ha.


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## chuck foster (Mar 2, 2009)

not trying to hijack this thread but the other day i was looking at this build and thought why not contact ford and see if drawings were available for the flathead.

well this is a small part of the email explaining the cost of the drawings

*
How can I obtain copies of the drawings?
If you are onsite: You can make paper printouts of parts drawings by using a microfilm reader / printer. The fee is $5 per microfiche.
If you are offsite: Copies may be obtained in several ways. The Research Center staff can provide a digital scan of a drawing on a CD or a 17 x 22 paper printout. The fee for personal use is $20 per microfilm, and the fee for commercial use is $50 per microfilm. If the engineering or factory part number is not given to us, there is an additional $35 research fee. For a detailed description of our reproduction policy for parts drawings, please visit http://www.thehenryford.org/pdf/parts_policy_fees.pdf.* 

as you can see it would get very expensive to get all the drawings.

i email gm as well and so far have not got a responce.

any who very very nice work and can't wait to see it run 8)

chuck


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## cfellows (Mar 4, 2009)

Incredible work there, Roger.  :bow:

Chuck


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## T70MkIII (Apr 10, 2010)

Roger, did you ever get this one running?


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## ironman (Apr 10, 2010)

Roger, a current posting of your labors on this beautiful flathead would be appreciated. Great workmanship. ironman


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