wow 722 hp "flathead"

[pbf777]

     The old Flathead is still quite popular, perhaps actually having become more so in the past decade or so; this as the Hot-Rod crowd is in many camps moving away from the old 350/350 standby, looking for something more dynamic to park under the hood.   

     And along those lines we currently are working on a Ford 337 (big-boy) Flathead which will blown for his application.   

     Scott.

[shady]

I was so impressed when somebody crossed the 400hp line with the Y block years ago. This is incredable.

[pbf777]

     Though it is true, that at some point, particularly with the "old stuff", one has to realize that to make it go faster............you just drive downhill!   

     Scott.

[Joe-JDC]

Well, I don't know about going down hill, but I have a 292/375Y Block that has made 613.3hp/546lbft, and I hope there is a bit more in it before I quit with the testing.  My little 292/303Y made 463hp after the 2019 EMC, so there is still hope for those of us who still like working on these antique engines including the FE.  Joe-JDC

[Royce]

Joe, have you ever flowed an Ardun head?

[pbf777]

Well, I don't know about going down hill,............... so there is still hope for those of us who still like working on these antique engines including the FE. .

     Maybe (?) you misunderstood my perspective in my statement, but to clarify, I'm definitely one of those whom enjoy working on the "old-stuff", including the challenge of proving to doubters that some of the antiquated examples can be made surprisingly capable today.   

     But, there is also the fact that in being realistic, one is generally going to have to work a wee bit harder on the "old-stuff",  and the limits will often be found sooner, this as compared to much of the more modern engineering examples.  Don't you agree?     

     Scott.

[bsprowl]

My Dad was a welder for the Navy in WWII and worked on nuclear submarines in the ’60s and into the mid ‘70s.  He once told me that metallurgy changed a lot during WWII and changed a lot more in the late ’60 and early ‘70s.  Machine tools that were calibrated in thousandths became calibrated in 10 thousandths.  Straight 8 engines would sag in the middle if not supported properly; the cast iron blocks were that weak.  Small changes in the metals made machining with great accuracy possible.  They could measure in ten thousandths but the metals couldn’t be worked reliably from batch to batch.  He said the quality of the metals was so much better when he retired than when it was when he started.