Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Flat Head Engine

Flat Head Engine

I found this flathead V-8 engine in a salvage yard. It had been used on the back of a truck at one time as an auxiliary engine. It probably ran a welder but the power take off shaft had been cut and it was impossible to tell what it originally connected to.

Anyway while reading about “The Great Race” in a Hot Rod magazine I read this article by a guy that built a flat head engine as a sort of hybred between a racing engine and a stock engine to go in this car he built for The Great Race. I thought it would be pretty cool to assemble the components and build that type of engine for my 1940 Sedan I am working on out in my shop….So I ordered all the parts from Speedway Motors.

Turns out it is going to be one darned expensive engine.

While I was waiting for these parts to arrive I tore down the old engine. It was in rougher shape than I had hoped but it was not beyond redemption. I had it cleaned and it came out of the hot tank gleaming. Then I took it over to the machine shop in Salk City which is where it sits waiting to be bored and get everything trued up.

When that is done the assembly process will start which is a real hoot! When that is done I’ll put it in the test stand and fire it up. It is hard for me to describe the thrill of hearing a rebuilt engine fire to life.

When I get my 1940 ford Sedan all ready to go I intend to take some time and drive around the country….I’ll try and get my wife to come along but you never know with her….she’s a real sweetheart but likes her creature comforts. I know camping is a no go but maybe if I promise to stay in motels that will be the incentive she is looking for.

In the meantime I will continue to write and hopefully finish my Novella, Habit of Despair. I like the way it is coming along and intend to keep it as my first priority until I finally get it finished. Then I will take some time to try and get it published by a traditional publisher and if that fails then have it self published.

One of my goals in life is to have a book published so I can say I did it…come hook or crook I intend to see that happen.