[Land-speed] V-8 Flathead big blocks

[23weldon]

Beats me.  My hat's off to anyone who can get more horsepower out of a 
Flathead Cad block than an equivalent class GMC 6.
Maybe the "answer" is a specially machined hemi overhead conversion for the 
a 325 inch Cad. I know little about these blocks so whether a suitable head 
could be machined without an aluminum casting to start with is a mystery to 
me.  Start talking patterns and castings and the project starts to look 
pricey even with lost foam pattern construction. On the other hand there are 
a lot of idle CNC machining centers these days; so who knows?
Or maybe the softness exists in the XXO category as a 375" flathead.  Will 
50 cubic inches make up for the need to run the Cad flathead with valves in 
the block against an all out 12 port head?
For a flathead "big block" in the XO category (325" limit) cooling could be 
a problem in the blown or fuel categories; but in unblown gas there is some 
precedent  to show that the potential is there for well designed flathead 
breathing to exceed what modified cast iron stock heads have so far been 
shown to deliver.
 IMHO the superiority of a flathead Cad or Lincoln given the benefit of the 
latest ideas in breathing will not be a lasting thing.  I don't think it 
will take long for the guys committed to GMC sixes to start getting creative 
with what can be done with one of those cast iron heads.  For long they have 
been able to fall back on aftermarket specialty heads to get the horsepower; 
so I think that little corner of engine development has been ignored by 
most.
Note here (and studying the 2010 rulebook) that with a couple of exceptions 
the XO roadster records look pretty soft until you get up into the 200 mph 
area as well as the 6d. modified category.  Not so the XO Vintage Coupe 
category where there have been some very serious competitors in recent 
years.  ............Ed Weldon

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe & Lynne Lance" <jolylance at earthlink.net>

> Why is the flathead Cad the "answer"?
> Lance

> -----Original Message-----
> From: land-speed-bounces at autox.team.net
> > Subject: Re: [Land-speed] Ford Flathead
> Apparently there are at least three people who believe the Flathead Cad is
> the answer.