How fast were stock 1930's Ford V-8s?

[ledslinger]

I'll assume roadster was the lightest and fastest accelerating. How fast were they in the 1/4 mile or 0-60 MPH? What was the top speed?

What is fastest flathead Ford powered dragster and Bonneville racer?

 

[flanso]

Not quite the answer to your question but very entertaining:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFSGSL3Nrmc

 

[Charlie1935]

There was one built by Flathead City speed shop that went over 300 MPH on one engine at Bonneville but wasn't able to back up the run.
Been a couple of years ago or so.

 

[TFB1]

I dunno about the '30s but I've seen a stock, three on the tree '51 Ford lay down a high 21 second run in the quarter mile... He was bracket racing and dialed a 22, ran out with something like a 21.89... I dunno exactly how well t was running, but it's the oldest stock car I've ever seen make a pass at the track...

 

[ledslinger]

Here's a link to the worlds fastest flathead:

http://www.flatfire.com/Flathead300mph.htm

 

[Charlie1935]

Looks like I got my wires crossed. Well, the flat part was right.

 

[Charlie1935]

From Tom McCahill's 46 Ford road test.
My 1946 Ford, one of the hottest cars selling in the medium and low price range, could just eke out 84 mph after a helluva tune-up. Its 0-60 time was 21.5 seconds.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Clyde Barrow supposedly wrote a letter to Henry Ford, praising the Ford V-8 for its speed and reliability: http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/barrow.asp

So if you plan any bank robberies on your next time-trip to 1930s Oklahoma, you're set!

 

[eljefino]

They were the big deal for running 'shine, too, until the OHV olds took over.

The 32s had way lower compression, it was around 6:1 b/c of the lousy gas available at the time. In 33 things got better.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
They were the big deal for running 'shine, too, until the OHV olds took over.

The 32s had way lower compression, it was around 6:1 b/c of the lousy gas available at the time. In 33 things got better.

I have been told that in high altitudes, Ford flathead engines had a different cylinder head for higher compression.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Originally Posted By: eljefino
They were the big deal for running 'shine, too, until the OHV olds took over.

The 32s had way lower compression, it was around 6:1 b/c of the lousy gas available at the time. In 33 things got better.

I have been told that in high altitudes, Ford flathead engines had a different cylinder head for higher compression.


We had a set of Eddie Mayer racing heads for my grandfather's flathead build, as a well as a triple carb setup. The Eddie heads had MUCH smaller chambers than the stock heads.

 

[MrHorspwer]

Originally Posted By: ledslinger
Here's a link to the worlds fastest flathead:

http://www.flatfire.com/Flathead300mph.htm


I remember reading about this engine build in Hot Rod at least 10 years ago.

Anybody who's seen a flathead has noticed that the exhaust runs through the block, around the cylinders, and exits out the side of the block. The middle two cylinders on each side are shared, so there are only three exhaust ports on each side of the block. Needless to say, breathing on the exhaust side is somewhere between restrictive and nonexistent.

The engine used in FlatFire first reverses the usage of the intake and exhaust valves. What was the intake valve is now the exhaust and vice versa. To eliminate the *through the block* flow issue, both the intake and exhaust come out the top of the engine, where a traditional intake manifold would be. Strange, but effective.

The other big downfall of the flathead is crankshaft support... or lack thereof. Flatheads only use three main bearing caps to support the crank and they are tiny by today's standards. The FlatFire engine uses beefy custom machined billet steel caps. The crank is a one-off piece to support the resized mains and was also designed to use more robust Chevy-sized rod-ends.

 

[Lyman]

In 32 the 221 flathead only put out 65 HP in stock form. And that was considered powerful.

 

[supton]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flathead_engine

Pic of a Ford V8:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Valve_In_Block_Design_or_Flathead_Block.jpg

Interestingly enough, someone made a flathead engine recently for aircraft! I guess this old tech isn't quit dead tech yet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Motor_LF26

 

[Cujet]

I think they were capable of about 80MPH. We used to have vintage cars come through the shop from time to time. I was always surprised that many cars from the 30's and onward were able to keep up with modern traffic without trouble. Even on I-95!

Many times, today's owners simply drive them slowly.

 

[eljefino]

Saw a 1940 ford promotional filmstrip (with accompanying record!!!) claiming one didn't have to break in the flatty, just jump in, hit the starter, and do "a mile a minute off the showroom floor."

I need to find this, I guess.

 

[Spazdog]

7-25 mph, 7.5 seconds; 10-60 mph, 23 seconds (V-8 Times, November/December 2009)
Top speed – 85.6 mph mph (V-8 Times, November/December 2009)

The Buick Century was designed to be the first production Buick to hit 100 mph ....hence the name "Century" Now even the Scion iQ can go 100 mph. (if you really want to go 100 mph in a car that is barely 10 feet long)

 

[Cujet]

Resurrection of an old thread. Just watched the Highwaymen Netflix movie. About the lawmen who took down Bonnie and Clyde. It was superb. With Kevin Costner and woody Harrelson. Superb movie. Excellent vintage cars throughout. Some historical pics and real movie clips at the end.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted by Cujet
Resurrection of an old thread. Just watched the Highwaymen Netflix movie. About the lawmen who took down Bonnie and Clyde. It was superb. With Kevin Costner and woody Harrelson. Superb movie. Excellent vintage cars throughout. Some historical pics and real movie clips at the end.



Amazing movie.

"Manos Arribas"

Nice to see Costner back in the game doing something good.

 

[red7404]

years ago i went to a LOT of drag races. my remember going to the first NHRA nationals. 1955 Greatbend, KS. but i di gress. i remember seeing flathead Ford powered dragsters get beat by Hudson in line 6 flat head 308 CI.