ferguson aluminum flathead block

Written by Mike Herman and Tony Thacker, foreword by Ray Evernham. Don Ferguson of Paramount Forge has designed an built aluminum FH blocks to be used with original or his Ardun Cylinder heads only. ", Among this herd of sheep, a few original hot rods were brought out of retirement, complete with gennie flatheads as the powerplant. There is also an Australian outfit, Flatattack Engineering, offering plenum-style, TPI-like systems controlled by either GM Delco or MoTeC computers. Copyright 2000-2009 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited. We are now the exclusive distributors of Navarro Racing Equipment, Sharp Speed Equipment, Wilson and Woods Cylinder Heads, Dixon Overhead Valve Conversion, and a complete line of Austin Speed Equipment for the Arudn, Lincoln 337, Lincoln V12 and V8 60. Like all fads, once started, the process fed itself. Box 205 Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 872-9286 D2DFerguson@gmail.com Among Flathead builders there is . They fit original '39-'53 blocks, French blocks, and (perhaps the ultimate evolution) Ferguson's new aluminum block. French blocks are about 30 pounds heavier than a standard flathead, which is a good indication of better metal and thicker walls. Solve cooling problems by using a modern water pump available through Speedway Motors and other sources. According to Baron Racing, the limiting factor is not piston-to-head interference, nor even valvespring coil-bind-it is running out of cam bearing clearance for the lobes. Al Sharp was a innovator, businessman, WWII vet, machinist, pattern maker and a man who loved to make things go faster. Melling still makes a high-volume oil pump (PN M-15). Tony Baron says French blocks can be bored 0.250-over (1/4 inch). You can now build a brand-new flathead. Records are made to be broken. Ford Flathead V8 The engine that gave birth to Hot Rodding is back!! With modern flatheads routinely putting out 250-300 lb-ft of torque, the original trannies obviously aren't up to the job. SPAL supplied the 16-inch electric fan, Powermaster supplied the starter, and the custom alternator runs off the blower drive all masterfully handled by RR&C, which also made the custom air cleaner. Baron also offers a modern version of the famous Tattersfield/Baron four-carb race intake in more civilized street form. Its the ol friend of a friend connection that brought him to the correct 1936 Ford coupe. Are you saying that theres a FLATHEAD in there ? These are the only 337 high compression cylinder heads on the market. Just sold him a fresh batch so I assume he's still building engines? The downside was, as Flathead Engineerings Charlie Clark puts it, street rods began to look about as exciting as a belly-button-everyone had one., Among this herd of sheep, a few original hot rods were brought out of retirement, complete with gennie flatheads as the powerplant. The solution is to raise the boiling point by upping coolant-system pressure to 17-21 pounds, using a modern crossflow radiator and higher-pressure cap. blower it can achieve another 50 hp with 5 pounds of boost. Research has shown there's relatively little air movement over the base of the block. RR&C achieved this look by removing the divider between the truck and the passenger compartment. Then, about 20 years ago, traditional street rods suddenly became cool again. Strombergs were the favorites, but Chandler-Grove/Holley, Zenith, and Rochester two-barrels were also in use. Thanks ! Next to the heater you will see a panel thats held in position by a pair of clips but its what rests behind the panel thats of interest. New stainless valves are available from several sources. Most hot rod engines use oversize valves. The bell housing mount is Chevrolet and I believe the water pump has a revision. Anyone know of any updates? The Ferguson ARDUN project (picked up where the late Don Orosco of Monterey Speed & Sport had progressed) is based on an aluminum Flathead block (with enhanced main caps and deep skirts, for those wishing Flathead numbing power) and enhanced ARDUN heads (significant design modifications); ARP hardware is used throughout the engine. Two things to watch out for are an extra water hole in the block and the lack of a breather standpipe in the block. If you look beneath the dash you will spot the makings of a South Wind gasoline heater. All tidier and more efficient than original. In fact, unless you have a badly core-shifted block, most of them can accept a whopping 0.1875-inch overbore (3/16-inch over standard). Not all flathead water pumps are created equal, though. Phone: (818) 248-2371. He has even made some aluminum. Starting in July 1938, the blocks went to 24 head-retention studs. Heck, not even a front door, really. Relieved blocks must have the reliefs filled to use Ardun heads. Cams like this with good aftermarket heads are capable of producing 200 hp and 240 lb-ft naturally aspirated, and over 300 hp and 350 lb-ft with a blower. They're machining the first block castings right now. Get yours today. Traditional flathead airflow management practices call for relieving the block-removing metal between the valve-seat sides closest to the cylinder bore. These include the '39-'53 Mercury and '46-'53 Ford castings. Should you look into the trunk you can see forward to the dash. An alternative are Pertronix conversion kits that fit inside the original distributor; they retain the classic look, and versions are even offered that function on 6-volt power. At around the same time, old-time hot rods gave way to modern musclecars and street machines. It was a statement, in effect saying, I am not a cookie-cutter rod.. Aside from his flathead speed equipment, he built parts for almost every engine that ran down the strip. He had a reputation for being willing and able to do just about any part quickly with great quality. Its everything you need to make the conversion. Centerforce offers clutches and flywheels. The new Arduns have lighter 11/32-inch-stem stainless steel valves and accept modern 12mm, Save another 70 pounds with Ardun's new aluminum block. Some fuel-injection setups even run distributorless coil-ignition setups. Unfortunately, old-school resistance to this "new and improved" part is so extensive that the SCTA has banned the blocks from competing in classic land speed racing classes. At one end there are restorers who insist on putting everything back to exact original condition. Just where did this engine come from? Small-block Chevy valves remain popular, but with reduced-base-circle cams they may be too short to permit proper lash adjustment. There are over 50 different flathead intake manifolds, but they aren't all created equal. At first everyone was dumping modern engines into old metal, but eventually the supply of stock bodies dried up and reproduction glass bodies took over. Powered by vBulletin Turn-Key Engines - H&H Flatheads As we go to press, word is just in that Mark Kirby at Motor City Flathead has joined forces with Shadow Rods to develop an all-new, improved '49-'53-style aftermarket cast-iron flathead block. Back in the day, four-barrel carbs had barely been invented. Dressed with up to four carbs and that unique flathead sound accentuated by glasspacks, the old codgers were suddenly the rage again. Then the real work began on figuring out how to update and advance the original Flathead design, as well as how to cast the new parts. . 226: Big News for The Custom Car Revival! Orosco approached the Fergusons about taking on the Ardun reproductions. The full article is here on Hot Rods website, http://www.romax.addr.com/offy/Movie1.swf, The Ultimate Source Guide for Flathead Ford V8 Performance Marlan Davis Hot Rod Network, Engines Exposed: Fords Hot Rodding Pioneer Flathead V8 Brian Grabianowski @CARBUZZ, What To Look For When Buying and Building A Ford Flathead Hot Rod Engines 101 Matt Murray @Irontrap Garage, Early Ford V-8 Meet comes to Auburn; Lime Rock to celebrate Italian masterpieces - Tom Comerro @Hemmings Automotive American, Best 19 History Of The Ford Flathead V8 - Oto-1.Co, The vilification of Leo Beebe: Ford's mission to win Le Mans in 1966 - Frank Comstock @Hemmings, So-Cal Speedshop SF Flatheads Stage 1 to 3 Mercury/Ford Flathead V8 Blocks, Was Leo Beebe a corporate villain or a good guy with a tough job? For reasons known only to the crazy French, flatheads were used in French Army trucks through the early '90s. He showed us dyno sheets of full-race engines making north of 800 hp on alcohol. And that brings us to this all-steel 1936 Ford three-window coupe. Traditionalists can go with Vertex or Mallory mags, while modern guys may want to move up to MSD or Mallory electronic distributors. superchargers, which, like the heads, look period-correct but are filled with contemporary tech, in this case 4-71 helical-cut rotors. Automotive American Classic Vintage & Modern, Googling around as you do I initially found the story of Mark Kirbys newly engineered Flathead V8 block on the Coker Tyres website, This is a quite old story from back in 2010, This page led to me to the Motor City Speed Equipment (no longer available) Website. A new player is Gemini Electronic Fuel Injection, a complete bolt-on flathead conversion kit based on the self-programming Prodigious fuel injection system. Mullins, a leading purveyor of surplus Jeep and other vintage military parts in Texas, accidentally discovered a warehouse full of brand-new French blocks about to be junked during a European trip searching for Jeep stuff. In the mid '90s, Orosco took on the task of reproducing the Ardun heads, improving on their design yet making sure they were visually exact duplicates of the originals. Enjoyed this Post? The 39-48 flatheads used a direct camshaft-driven front-mount distributor; 49-53 engines use a gear-driven, vertical-mount distributor on the right-front of the engine. French blocks are about 30 pounds heavier than a standard flathead, which is a good indication of better metal and thicker walls. There is also an ugly governor mounting boss on the left-rear of the block that many rodders prefer to machine off. With such a small difference; its relatively easy to take a little off the Ford snout then slightly hone the inside of a Chevy balancer so it slips over the Ford crank. Ratios are 1.375 on the intake side, 1.2 on the exhaust. He was a pioneer in the evolution of the flathead. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Stromberg in England is producing new Strombergs again. Don Jr. was the man showing us around the shop; his father was a longtime land-speed racer in whose arsenal were Ardun-equipped motors. Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2016 6:17 am Post subject: Re: Chrysler 6 cyl flathead. No one runs the old weak stock ignitions anymore. When I was in the ninth grade (56-57), our physics teacher "proved" it would be impossible to accelerate to over some figure like that (138 sticks in my mind) in the quarter. It will use a new oil pan and special bolt-on universal bellhousing that accepts most modern transmissions. Ross, Wiseco, Egge, Arias, and others make pistons in any configuration you desire. The new block is capable of much more horsepower because of additional webbing and four-bolt mains. I've sold Don my 409 Chevy to Flathead aluminum water pump kits for years. There was a time when Ardun overhead-valve cylinder heads were incredibly rare. Sure, it's not cheap (really not cheap), but when was pushing the envelope ever inexpensive? The frame was fitted with brackets to accept a blown ARDUN V-8, TREMEC TKO five-speed, clutch pedal, power brake booster and pedal, and plumbing package, which includes stainless steel brake lines. The king of adapters is undoubtedly Wilcap. It will use a new oil pan and special bolt-on universal bellhousing that accepts most modern transmissions. The battery and alternator were eliminated, and replaced with a magneto and . A stock flathead rod (rear) is forged from steel that will bend instead of break outright. The old-timers took what they had and made it work. And, how about 382 hp at 5,300 rpm, roughly four times that of a stock Flathead? H&H started in 1972 with rebuilding all early Ford Flathead engines from Model A, B's, T's and V8 Ford Flatheads from 1932-36, LB's, 59A's, 8BA's,V8 60's, Lincoln 337, Lincoln V12's and Y Block Ford and Mercury. Since taking on the cylinder heads, Don's fabrication business has grown to encompass much more than just the Ardun conversions. New stainless valves are available from several sources. Open flathead | Bob's 4 Cycle Karting or Best Offer. Stromberg in England is producing new Strombergs again. At first everyone was dumping modern engines into old metal, but eventually the supply of stock bodies dried up and reproduction glass bodies took over. It was at this point in the journey when Ben York, of Roseville Rod & Custom (RR&C) in Roseville, California, entered and he and Amie linked up. The oil, water, fuel, and amp are N.O.S. The arms have an internal oiling system that Don has set up with stainless lines, a compact banjo fitting on the edge of the head, and a drainback plug plumbed to a finned oil pan of Don's design. If the combination is properly tailored to the blower application, you should have no real problem. The current incarnation is 3 inches taller than the originals and has smaller 1 1/2-inch ports (vintage versions had 1 3/4 ports, but the new casting is thick enough to hog em out). The 49-53 8BA block (, Fergusons Ardun kit includes heads; valvetrain spark-plug tubes; valve covers; Coke-bottl, Compared to the original Ardun (bottom), the new kit (top) includes stronger rocker stands, Tom Roberts makes this trick two-piece intake. Custom billets stretch all the way to 4.5-inch stroke. For improved cooling efficiency, original 49-53 pumps have more impeller vanes than earlier models. After 1953, flathead production continued in other countries, most notably in Europe, where the engine continued to be used in French military vehicles through the 90s. One flathead builder, Dave Tatom, offers a unique line of custom grinds with wide 114-degree LSA for naturally aspirated engines, and 116-118 LSAs for blown motors. The 270-F, Tatoms best all-around cam, is said to work well on normally aspirated or blown, stick, or automatic cars, with good idle quality and 18-19 inches of vacuum. Now it's 2005, and the flathead's resurgence shows no sign of diminishing. There are builders on the left and right coasts and all points in-between who assemble reliable, powerful, 150-200hp engines, or you can buy new parts and build one yourself. The '39-'48 flatheads used a direct camshaft-driven front-mount distributor; '49-'53 engines use a gear-driven, vertical-mount distributor on the right-front of the engine. The high-tech engineered design has a runne, A unique feature of Magnusons Eaton blower is the bypass valve (arrow) that opens under c, The improved 49-53 pump (left) can be used in place of the early pump (right) by pluggin, Typical water pumps, from left: a 38-48 passenger-car pump modified for a bolt-on pulley, This is MSDs 8BA billet flathead distributor (PN 8574) that works with all the trick MSD. The blown motors make another 50 hp at an easy-to-live-with 5 pounds of boost. Most stock flatheads never came with an effective harmonic damper. The heads and valve covers are made from 356 T6 aluminum, far superior to the alloy used back in the day. Recommended bottom-line street-gas-friendly compression ratios are between 7.5-8:1 on naturally aspirated engines and 6.5-7.0:1 with a blower. First invented in the 30s it was 1934 when Stewart-Warner eventually produced over 3 million for use in cars, planes, and military vehicles. Earlier 3 1/16-inch-bore blocks will only go 0.090-over. There are several techniques; the accompanying photos show the method preferred by Baron Racing. Yeah, you should be impressed. The first-design 32 through early 38 engines had only 21 cylinder-head studs and until mid 1936 even used poured babbit main bearings. For that, you're getting cylinder heads with a ton of development work and premium-quality pieces. Blower Kits. The only drawback with the Ardun heads is cost. If anybody is following Terry Bertz and his five main bearing cast iron Model A block, you'll know the heartaches and headaches he's been dealing with and the only solution to his problems was to go across the Pacific. For even more protection, install a crossflow radiator and increase coolant system pressure to 17-21 pounds. The foundation for this 1936 Ford three-window coupe is based on a Roadster Shop 1935-1940 Ford REVO chassis engineered for optimal street ride and handling performance. TCMP #538: Pro-Touring Update with Larry Callahan: How To Create a Garage Studio and Upcoming Pro-Touring Events! Most of these parts became the foundation for the Sharp Speed and Power Equipment company. The new engines overpowered the old chassis, so modern suspensions and disc-brake swaps were added to the mix. Other appointments include the Autotrend EFI with a Holley HP ECU, an electronic ignition housed to look like a vintage magneto (possibly a Vertex), an MSD coil, cloth braided spark plug wires, while the juice is derived from the trunk-mounted Optima RedTop battery. The bottom end is beefed with soli, A potential new kid on the block: Uncommon Engineerings working on a SOHC three-valve F, Mechanical solid and roller cams are available for both early and late blocks. The front fenders were then modified to allow for valve cover clearance. In the end we should be so lucky to drive our end result as many miles as we traveled in our quest. Still not enough? The new old cars got a lot of attention. Available in black t-shirt or white t-shirt. DD. I just got around to reading my Street Rodder magazine and again noticed an ad from Shadow Rods with that Aluminum Flathead engine. The 57-inch-wide Ford 9-inch rearend (Detroit Truetrac limited-slip differential with 3.90 gears) is further enhanced with a triangulated four-bar setup, again Penske coilovers, and upgraded with a Roadster Shop sway bar. We have continually grown and expanded our engine services. 1949-53. . Sharp 32 Super Dual Early Intake Manifold can accept either Holley 94s or Stromberg 97s. Yes, you can have a classic flathead with modern fuel injection. Many hard-core guys still swear by Iskys 400-JR solid (0.400 lift, 244-degrees at 0.050, 111-degree LSA). Barney Navarro started machining Weiand speed equipment right before he started making his own in 1947. It should be remembered that, although the Ardun has gained cult status over the years, the Arkus-Duntovs didn't have the money for fancy engineering and were working to a tight schedule as well as the restraints of the Ford engine block. Seal the heads to the block using slick new graphite-impregnated head gaskets available from Best Gasket, Reds Headers, and Tatom. But with modern solid cams and big stroker cranks, overall engine rpm and piston speed is considerably higher than the old stockers. Earlier 3 1/16-inch-bore blocks will only go 0.090-over. HOME | Mysite Denny is right.ALL of the above is true scoop! Correct-length flathead 1.800 intake/1.600 exhaust valves are available from flathead specialists like Baron Racing. But I still have one dumb question.how does this block in video cool? And in a sense, the flathead also begot HOT ROD Magazine, for this publication probably wouldn't exist if not for the flathead speed industry and the advertising dollars it spawned. Coolant needs to remain in liquid form when it circulates through the motor. The old cam grinders-including Isky, Schneider, Elgin, and others-have both old and new cam grinds. Tony Baron runs 10 degrees of base timing and 23 degrees max at full advance. It was only at the very end of the flathead's reign that the first small four-barrel carbs appeared; back then everyone used multiple-carb setups. The man behind it all is Mark Kirby of Motor City Speed Equipment, out of Dundee, Michigan. There are over 50 different flathead intake manifolds, but they arent all created equal. Tony Baron says French blocks can be bored 0.250-over (1/4 inch). These second-design 38 1/2-48 blocks (often referred to as 59A castings) retained an integral cast-in bellhousing, used a distributor that mounts flush to the front cover with a horizontal shaft on the front of the engine and had insert-style main bearings but still used full-floating rod bearings (one bearing shell for each rod pair). Much has been written about the legendary Ardun Flathead conversion over the years-some truth, some myth, and some hearsay. It offers adapter kits to mate GM automatic transmissions and Ford C4 automatics to '49-'53 8BA blocks, as well as a variety of adapters to mate both early and late flatheads to most GM and Ford manual transmissions. The body has an assortment of mild changes but we feel they are well measured as the coupe has a great stance and the appropriate hot rod look. Austin Lincoln 337 32 Barrel Intake Manifold, Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 3:00pm Four-bolt center main cap. Even stock flatheads can run 6-7 psi boost with no problem. With modern aftermarket cranks and rods using modern insert bearings, 5,500 rpm normally aspirated is not a problem, even with only three main bearings. Most hot rod engines use oversize valves. With just three mains (modern V-8s have five), a flatties bottom-end is marginal for high, Tom Roberts uses a 6-inch-od early 327 Chevy small-journal damper, honed and rebroached wi, Dont want to do any machining? Younger guys yearned for a simpler, back to basics approach. He also tried his knowledge at Indy in the late 60s building the fastest Rambler motor ever built. Adjustable, Change a front-mount distributor cam to vertical drive with this Baron adapter. He offers spark plug tubes in two diameters: a reproduction of the originals, which will fit the original plugs, and a new style, narrower tube that accepts contemporary plugs and offers a little more room to clear the rockers, should you want to get more radical with the lift. Baron, Edelbrock, Sharp (Wilcap), Navarro, and Offenhauser make both old-style heads as well as improved new configurations. Hilborn and Ardun Enterprises offer EFI conversions that look like old-time stacks but with EFI nozzles. French blocks have some unique features and are covered separately.