Rebuild price on flathead 6

[Anonymous]

I want to build a rat rod and I am trying to find a way to do something "different." I am currently driving (and drag racing) a 285 HP v6 mustang so I don't mind making power the hard way. What I would like to know is what is it going to cost me (ballpark) to do a mild (200HP?) flathead 6 rebuild? When I first considered a 8 cylinder flathead the guys on the hotrod board told me 5k to 8k to rebuild, that is WAY more than I want to spend. Thanks,
CHAZ

 

[Anonymous]

First of all 200 hp is wild on a 215 6cyl.
I believe you would be looking at forced induction of some sort - turbo or blower.
That said, speed is a product of weight/ horsepower X cubic money, in other words , how heavy is your rod going to be? And how fast do you want it to go?
For rebuild parts, check out EGGE,MAC'S, C&G, etc. all on the web.

 

[Fred]

I agree with Keefer55. Stock the 226 made 95 horsepower. To get to 200 hp without a power adder you would have to spin the motor to well over 4000 rpm which isn't realistic with a 4.4 inch stroke and cast pistons. I am not aware of anyone making forged pistons for the flathead six. I am not aware of any blower kit ever make for the Ford flathead six. Turbos are not a good idea on a flathead. And with all due respect to your hot rod friends I can build a flahtead for well under 5K. Start with an 8BA block, get a Merc crank (should be $2-400), new french rods, cast or hyperutectic pistons, milled stock '52-'53 passenger car heads, do NOT relieve the block, polish the ports, four barrel intake, '42-48 distributor with electronic conversion, cam of your choice, and headers of your choice. Keep the chrome / shiny stuff to a minimum, assemble yourself, and the price goes down a LOT. Just my 2¢.
Fred.

 

[Luckyman]

Fred, would the engine you just described get close to the 150 hp range?

 

[Anonymous]

i'm building a 226 for a rat rod too. i've cut the top off the stock intake and made an adapter for a 48 stromberg. and am going to use a split manifolds. and a mallory dist. with a reground cam. its going in an A roadster pickup.

 

[MustangSix]

Unless the parts are way more expensive than other engines, you should be able to do a standard rebuild for under $2000. As I understand it though, most high perf parts for those inline flatties are made of unobtanium.

 

[Fred]

A flathead eight with the above treatment and a decent overbore (1/8 inch) should make about 150 hp. The stock '52-'53 Mercury engine makes 125 horses with 255 cubes utilizing a 7.2:1 compression ratio, a two barrel carb, a very mild cam, and a single exhaust. If you bore the block 1/8 you get 275 cubes. Add to that Ford heads and the compression ratio will go up as much as you can use on the streat anyway. Price everything out before you start on the project. If you have any other questions, please ask.

 

[Anonymous]

i would think the six would be less to build than a v8 flaty?

 

[FiddyFour]

less to build yes... less to get more than 140hp out of? not in this lifetime.

one of the car magazines did a "mild street" 8ba build about a year ago. no "exotic" parts like an ARDUN conversion... offy heads, offy intake, lightened flywheel, pertronix dizzy conversion, full flow oil mod, merc crank w/offset grind to give it a 4 1/8" stroke, beamed rods and hyperutectic slugs .080" over... they spent upwards of $9k and got about 190hp out of that mill...

now dont get me wrong, im a vintage only kinda guy, but for that kinda cubic dollars i can buy a 400+ horse crate engine and be done with it.

 

[Anonymous]

NOTHING SOUNDS LIKE A FULL-TILT FLATTIE!!!
Contrary to popular belief, horsepower ain't everything.

 

[addo]

It's about the only bent eight install in a Mustang or Falcon, that I'd appreciate. Especially with a little "period" gear. Navarro, Riley or Ardun heads would be a good start.

OTOH, a flathead six is (normally) such a quiet, smooth motor. Guess you can't have it both ways!

 

[FiddyFour]

MMMMMMMMM . . .

ARDUN

but DAAYUM. . . talk about cubic dollars... LOL

but can you REALLY put a price on cool? if you gotta have a V mill, thats the way to go