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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Buying a rebuilt flathead

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Buying a rebuilt flathead -- page: 1 2     dso72 10-22-2009 @ 11:54 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 37 Joined: Oct 2009 I'm looking at buying a LB engine out of a 1936. It was rebuilt a few years ago and has ~6000 miles on it. What should I be looking for when purchasing this item? One head has been removed and you can still see the hone marks in the cylinder.The engine had a compression check and had a week cylinder. Owner did a 2 angle valve grind and all cylinders are at 105. I'm new to the hobby and any help would be greatly appreciated. MOXIE 10-22-2009 @ 2:57 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 102 Joined: Oct 2009 What do you mean by a 2 angle valve grind. dso72 10-22-2009 @ 3:46 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 37 Joined: Oct 2009 MOXIE, A multi angle valve grind increases head flow and performance. This usually entails placing different angles on the valve seat itself, increasing the flow of combustion gases and improving horsepower and torque. A multi angle valve grind is the cutting or grinding of 2 or more angles on the seat and valve. TomO 10-22-2009 @ 4:13 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 It is very difficult to assess the condition of an engine that is not running. If you really want the engine, you will have to take a chance on the honesty of the seller. Tom ford38v8 10-22-2009 @ 8:41 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2758 Joined: Oct 2009 dso, Tom said it very well, but something you said about the condition gets me: you said the cylinders still show the hone marks. After 6K miles, if it hasn't broken in yet, the previous owner may have been using synthetic oil, which is never recommended for a break-in period. A multi-angle valve grind is, I believe, just a new moniker for an old fashioned port & polish. This is something best left to a machine shop, as too many flat motors have been destroyed by backyard mechanics wanting to "Improve" the flathead's flow. Alan 51f1 10-23-2009 @ 4:11 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 I have seen older engines that still have hone marks on the cylinder walls that had nothing to do with synthetic oil. Recently I saw an article that said that synthetic oil would not inhibit break-in. I am not familiar with a 2-angle valve seat. A three angle valve seat is ground at 30, 45 and 60 degrees to improve air flow and to eliminate sharp edges which could cause hot spots. Originally the flathead had only a 45 degree cut which would be more than sufficient. Richard supereal 10-23-2009 @ 8:03 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 We do use the two angle grind on valves at our shop to increase flow over the new valve seats. If you or your shop aren't familiar with this procedure, stick with the one angle. The term "rebuilt" can be misleading. Why was the engine removed? If the hone marks are still visible after 6,000 miles, I doubt the engine has been run that much, regardless of the type of oil. I'd be doubly cautious if the engine is a babbit bearing type. The compression reading is good, but when you are buying an engine you have not heard running, more often than not the "rebuild" resulted in some kind of problem. MOXIE 10-23-2009 @ 3:04 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 102 Joined: Oct 2009 Hearing one run is no guarantee. I purchase a 35 engine and drove the car before I brought the engine. The guy was making a rod out of it and did not need the engine. Engine ran great, but with every engine I buy, I like to remove the heads and flush the block out. Guess what. Found a crack near the cylinder hole, plus all cylinders were bored out as far as they will go. It is just pure luck getting a good one when you buy an engine. supereal 10-24-2009 @ 10:44 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Can't argue with that, but hearing an engine run still increase the probability that it is worth considering. We find cracks in just about every flathead block we check with our MagnaFlux machine. If they are not open into the water jacket, we drill and pin the cracks, then resurface the block to save it. One advantage in running the engine is to see if it overheats quickly. That usually indicates internal leakage. If anyone wants to see how the repair looks, we have photos of the results. If you can't pull the heads before you lay your money down, the asking price should be really cheap. parrish 10-25-2009 @ 6:09 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 349 Joined: Oct 2009 Supereal: I'd like to see those photos...how best to get them?

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