Old Race Tracks

[Roger Dowding]

Ford introduced the 24-stud heads in 1938 across the board, prior to that they were 21-stud. The Mercury engine had a larger capacity than the Ford for a while, but later Fords were the same size.

as mentioned Beach Hop is on this weekend and a local family [ Katikati ] are taking two Fords a Model and a very rare in NZ 1941 Ford V8 Super Deluxe .. the car has been fitted with 1952 Mercury Flathead .. the article in the localpaper is confusing as it states
" The V8 has a 52 Mercury flathead motor - 1941 was the last year Ford flathead motors were built, he said "
He being Eric the owner ..

I thought that Ford built the flathead up until the introduction of the " 272 " Y Block in about 1953 or 54 .. Ray will Know.

This is what I found on Wikipaedia

" Also called Ford L-head V8
Production 1932–1953 for the U.S. consumer car-and-truck market
1932-1954 Ford the Canadian consumer car-and-truck market

(1973 in Germany for trucks and 1961 for Simca versions, but later with a head akin to the Ardun OHV conversion) "

and from a Ford site ..
" The Ford Flathead is a valve-in-block engine and the valves open adjacent to the combustion chamber, rather than from the top, as in later engines. The four different V-8 flathead displacement sizes between 1932 and 1953 are 136, 221, 239 and 337 cubic inches. "

Remember the Simca version used in a car called the Vedette - a grown up Aronde, and of course we had in NZ the Ford V8 Pilot from Ford UK,engine by Ford USA and Canada.





A wet Saturday morning in Omokoroa, Fine in Te Poi on the other side of the Kaimai Ranges..

Time for a Coffee it's 10;45 NZDST ..



Then the day will be like this