I Stuffed This Away 33 Years Ago. Just Dug It Out.

[PAUL161]

Re: I Stuffed This Away 33 Years Ago. Just Dug It

Thanks for posting those photos. Some of my earliest memories are of the races my parents took me to when I was about 3 or 4. I had to sit with my mother in the grandstands while my father flogged whatever piece of junk he was racing that night. Women weren't allowed in the paddock then. My heroes in kindergarten drove midgets (no, I was in kindergarten, not my heros) and I still have a yearbook from the late forties.

The cars were either Offy powered or ran V8-60's - I don't remember any third option at that time. I saw a Ford flathead powered midget on dirt at a vintage event a couple of years back and it just seemed so much classier than the later powerplants like the Chevy 4 cylinders.

Wicked cool.

The flat head 60 is my choice also John for looks. But for pure performance, that little 4 banger Offy could tear the opposition up. And it had the sweetest sound when it was torqued up, especially when coming off of it in the corners. Of course were talking three times the money as the Ford setup. Not everybody had that much loose change laying around back then. Not in our family anyway.

 

[PAUL161]

Re: I Stuffed This Away 33 Years Ago. Just Dug It

I've seen pictures of Ford tractors (8N's and 9N's) with flathead V8s...is this what would have been used?

Rick, I'm not sure if they used the 60 V8 in the tractors or the 85hp. You mentioned that to me once about some Ford tractors with V8s in them and I looked them up. There is a very distinct difference in the water pumps and block water inlets between a 60 and 85. I'll look again.

Getting back to you Rick. It seems that the 100 hp Ford flathead was the engine of choice and not the 60 illustrated in this thread. Around 1948, when Funk Aircraft Co. started building the conversion kits for the 8Ns, 100hp Ford engines were popular and easy to get. They even had a 95 hp in line 6 cyl conversion, but the V8s were more popular. Believe it or not, you can still get a partial conversion kit for an 8N today from another manufacturer.

Cripes! 100 bhp in an 8N?!?!?!?! No wonder the farmers didn't really like them...they tended to "bury" themselves in the field from all of the torque and power! Methinks a rollcage and five point harness would be in order should I even *think* about a V8 conversion in my NAA Jubilee! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Rick, The 100hp Funk V8 and the 95 hp funk 6cyl. The original reason for the conversions was to be able to pull a three bottom plow verses a two bottom. Of course the chrome on the 6 cyl was an option.

 

[coldplugs]

Re: I Stuffed This Away 33 Years Ago. Just Dug It

We have a fellow who shows up for a lot of the local tractor pulls with a V8 flathead in one of the Ford Jubilee "cyclops" models. I always figured it was original but maybe it's a Funk conversion?

 

[PAUL161]

Re: I Stuffed This Away 33 Years Ago. Just Dug It

Most of the early conversions were like the bottom photo where there was a sub frame added to strengthen the frame. Even the recent conversions available are of that design. As far as I know only Funk made a cast iron pan for the engine as the original engine was, eliminating the need for the extra frame work. Seems that the cast pan Funk conversion is the most desirable. I guess because it looks like factory.