Not an IDI But Studded Anyway...

[icanfixall]

While surfing for Cord parts today I looked into what other stuff sellers have up for bids and found this monster... Funny how way back in 24 some engines had studs holding down the heads and copper head gaskets... I'm wondering what the compression is.... 6.5 or 7.5...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1924...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27b991b3a2

 

[RLDSL]

It was very common for a number of old flatheads to have studs. What really cracks me up was the torque specs. I rember one manual, can't rember the engine, but the torque spec was " as tight as you can get them with a 12" crescent wrench"

 

[Knuckledragger]

It was very common for a number of old flatheads to have studs. What really cracks me up was the torque specs. I rember one manual, can't rember the engine, but the torque spec was " as tight as you can get them with a 12" crescent wrench"

Engineering was not quite the exacting science it is now. Thank goodness for that, there are still lots of original Model A blocks around that are so stout that they have been rebuilt and reused many times over 80+ years. Wonder how many IDIs will be chugging around in 2066? I'll let you all know.

 

[FordGuy100]

Engineering was not quite the exacting science it is now. Thank goodness for that, there are still lots of original Model A blocks around that are so stout that they have been rebuilt and reused many times over 80+ years. Wonder how many IDIs will be chugging around in 2066? I'll let you all know.

None, it will all be jetson style cars

 

[oldmisterbill]

And that Schebler carb - all brass-needle valve centered in *****. I still have a smaller version from my old Fitzhenery Guptal fire pump. Real pretty when polished & in its full glory!

 

[BigRigTech]

That's back when they built **** to last...Imagine if you had their robust construction with todays engineering ability....Bulletproof.

 

[RLDSL]

That's back when they built **** to last...Imagine if you had their robust construction with todays engineering ability....Bulletproof.

Back before they had some blamed computer to tell them they could get away with less so they built EVERYTHING with overkill, my favourte way of doing things

 

[BigRigTech]

I hear ya, you could hang barn doors with the hinges on my 63 Mercury...Talk about overkill, original pins in them.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

And that Schebler carb - all brass-needle valve centered in *****. I still have a smaller version from my old Fitzhenery Guptal fire pump. Real pretty when polished & in its full glory!

oldmisterbill....

*****?

 

[david85]

Sweet - Flat head.

Our ferguson tractor is factory studded too - 1949. The engine is roughly 2L displacement and limited to about 24Hp, although car versions without a governor could push past 70Hp without right out of the box.

Old engines generally lasted because of lower power to weight ratio, but I was stunned to see how well this one lasted despite NEVER changing the oil in it for years on end in the rain and snow.

Computers - comshmuters! I took a micrometer and caliper to all sorts of internals when I went through that tractor over this winter and let me tell you they knew perfectly well how to make something last even without computer modeling. The precision in most of those parts would easily match something cut on a CNC these days and it was all by eye back then.

 

[82F100SWB]

David, from your description of the engine, am I correct in assuming TEA 20 with a Standard engine? My uncle has one of those I had to split and replace the flywheel attaching hardware on.

We have a '55 TO 35 with a Continental Z134 I re-built in high school, undoubtedly the most overbuilt engine I have ever had apart. 134 cubes, 6.6:1 compression, wet sleeves(quite thick too) 4 ring pistons, full floating piston pins at .860" dia, 3 rows of 1/2" head studs, copper gasket, not a bearing in the bottom end narrower than 1-1/4", 2.25" dia on the mains, 1.93 on the rods, everything in the bottom end is studded and lock wired, heck, even the flywheel attachment is. All for 34.8 hp...

As for the Hudson, I just happen to have a '31 Hudson-Essex sales brochure, it lists the six cyl at 60 hp, and the inline 8 at 80 hp.

 

[david85]

David, from your description of the engine, am I correct in assuming TEA 20 with a Standard engine? My uncle has one of those I had to split and replace the flywheel attaching hardware on.

We have a '55 TO 35 with a Continental Z134 I re-built in high school, undoubtedly the most overbuilt engine I have ever had apart. 134 cubes, 6.6:1 compression, wet sleeves(quite thick too) 4 ring pistons, full floating piston pins at .860" dia, 3 rows of 1/2" head studs, copper gasket, not a bearing in the bottom end narrower than 1-1/4", 2.25" dia on the mains, 1.93 on the rods, everything in the bottom end is studded and lock wired, heck, even the flywheel attachment is. All for 34.8 hp...

You know your fergies

Standard motors 80mm

And everything in this engine has a locking tab on the bottom end too. There were flakes of rust collecting on the top of the head under the valve cover but it still ran. The crank did have to be reground from some wear on it but any other engine other would have flown apart.

This one had a copper gasket too, but the engine kit came with a conventional one - still have the old in storage though. We priced out replacing the tractor with a new one or a "good used" one and came to the conclusion that overhauling this was the best option.

A very 'different' project compared to some of the things I've messed with over the years. It was a real treat to work on something this old and see the different way of thinking that went into it.

 

[82F100SWB]

I can't begin to guess how many times I've looked at that same dilemma with friends recently, the old iron is very hard to replace cost effectively, you get half the machine for 4 times the price, and maintenance costs are higher.

Our 35 had sat for 17 years before we got it, it had pretty bad blowby and fouled plugs pretty regularly, but not once did it not run. If the previous owner was to be believed it had 22,000 hours on it when I finally rebuilt the engine.

 

[MR.T]

Having rebuilt a couple flat-head ford V8's, there's a down side to studs: They can get corroded and practically weld themselves to the thru-hole in the head. I cracked one head when I was a kid before finally getting it off. Bolts turn and break the corrosion loose, but not studs. The stud might come out with a double-nut, but Anti-Seez works wonders on assembly.

+1 regarding the old stuff being overbuilt, and wishing we could have yesterdays longevity and maintainability with today's engineering. Our IDI's are probably about as close as gets.