Ford Flathead Engines. Tony Thacker

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       W. R. Campbell, president of Ford Motor Company Canada, stamps the first V-8 produced in Windsor, Ontario. Note the early long-neck water pumps. Canadian blocks were produced until 1954, as were Australian blocks. (Photo Courtesy Fordimages.com)

      Across town at Highland Park, Henry Ford had been experimenting with V-8 engines as early as 1922 (he didn’t like to follow the competition), but by 1928 he had decided, “to go from a four to an eight, because Chevrolet is going to a six.”

      Ford engineers gathered up the competitors’ V-8s, including one of their own Lincolns (Lincoln had introduced a V-8 in 1921, the year before Henry Ford purchased the company), but they were complicated assemblies with separate cast barrels bolted to a crankcase. Ford wanted something much simpler for the new car he was developing to replace the Model A. Ford had been able to cast the Model T cylinders and crankcase en bloc (that is, in one piece), and he wanted the same mono construction for his V-8.

      To begin, Ford engineers came up with two designs, one of 299 ci and another of 232 ci designated Model 24, which Henry eventually chose. The first engine ran at the beginning of 1931, and soon more were assembled and installed into Model As for testing.

      Eventually known as the Model 18 (1 for first and 8 for, well, eight cylinders), the new Ford V-8 was unique. In addition to the revolutionary, one-piece casting, Ford wanted the exhaust passage running through the block for quick warm-ups because it gets cold in Detroit. A quick warm-up notwithstanding, Ford demanded that his engineers use existing Model A water pumps to save development and tooling costs. He wanted a thermosyphon system, whereby the pumps acted only to accelerate the flow of water.

      A thermosyphon system acts on the principle that hot water seeks a higher level than cold water. Consequently, when the water reaches approximately 180 degrees F, circulation commences. The water flows from the lower radiator outlet pipe, up through the water jackets, into the upper radiator water tank, and down through the tubes to the lower tank to repeat the process.

      Unfortunately, because of Ford’s demands, the V-8 suffered overheating problems until the 1937 redesign. Ford also wanted to eliminate the gears used to drive the distributor. Rather, he wanted the distributor bolted to the front of the block and driven directly by the camshaft, which itself was gear-driven and located above the crank. Ford did not want to give up the Model A’s gravity-fed fuel system. However, he had to relent and have a fuel pump that would suck fuel from a rear-mounted tank.

Growing Pains

      Although the Ford flathead V-8 was produced virtually unchanged in concept from 1932 to 1953, it wasn’t an instant success. It was put into production perhaps too quickly, and there were numerous problems. Nearly all of the first 2,000 engines needed their cams, valves, valveguides, and front covers changed. The next 2,000 also needed repair, and most of the first 4,250 cars assembled were used as demonstrators and not sold to the public. Many cars were fitted with the more reliable 4-cylinder engine. Teething troubles aside, Ford produced 212,238 V-8s between production start-up in March 1932 and December 1932.

       The first mass-produced monobloc V-8, with a cam-driven distributor and integral coil, went into production on March 9, 1932. (Photo Courtesy Fordimages.com)

       This cutaway engine was photographed on May 12, 1932, for display in France. Thank goodness for the French and their long association with the flathead. (Photo Courtesy Fordimages.com)

       Oh for a day in the engine testing room in 1934 when this photograph was taken. Most of the engines have aluminum heads, but a few iron-head versions are down the middle. (Photo Courtesy Fordimages.com)

       Although not immediately adopted by racers, a few flathead Ford V-8s appeared at Indianapolis. Chet Miller drove this nice roadster, entered in the 1934 race by the Bohn Aluminum & Brass Company. It had what was undoubtedly the first flathead V-8 speed equipment: Bonalite aluminum heads and a brace of Stromberg 97s sideways atop a Don Sullivan intake. Apparently it produced 140 hp and achieved 109.252 mph, but it sailed over the wall on the 11th lap. (Photo Courtesy IMS Photo)

      All domestic V-8 engines were produced at Ford’s River Rouge Plant, southeast of Detroit, and shipped to other assembly plants. Eventually, engines were built in other countries, including Canada and Great Britain. Until 1941, all Rouge-produced V-8s were painted Ford engine green before machining. Stamped parts were painted black, and cast-aluminum parts were unpainted. Colors changed over the years, so do not use engine color as a guide to the date of manufacture.

      There were problems with the fully floating main bearings and lubrication system, and throughout 1932 a flow of factory service letters detailed fixes. (“Fully floating” means that not only did the rods rotate on the bearing, but the bearings also rotated on the crank; consequently, all three components were freely, or fully, floating.) Excessive oil consumption was a problem. Some cars used a quart of oil every 50 miles. The dipstick was made 1 inch short to prevent the public from operating cars with insufficient oil. In fact, between 1932 and 1935, five different oil indicators were used with various pan designs.

      Piston wear was another issue. Early pistons, from 1932 to 1935, were aluminum alloy, but in 1935 steel dome pistons were put in limited use. They were standard on all engines from April 1936 until 1938.

      Because the water pumps were located in the cylinder heads, they supposedly pulled СКАЧАТЬ