The Ford flathead engine continued to be manufactured in France until the early 1990’s. These engines were used in military and industrial applications. In this newsletter we will get down and dirty as to their benefits and uses. The major benefit being that these engines were made using modern cast iron and machining process.

     Anyone who has ever worked on an original Ford, US built, flathead engine can tell you all the horror stories of the cracks that commonly occur in these old engines. I have torn down as many as 5 to get one that will even work. A friend of mine, who has been working on these engines for 60 years, once told me that he had disassembled 10 to get a good one. You can skip the gym on the day you have to tear down more than one flathead engine, getting the studs out, removing the valves and a couple of frozen pistons will get your attention.

     The French block is beefy, it weighs about 50 pounds more than most original blocks. The cast iron used is much denser and seems to be of a higher nickel content. When you machine one of these blocks it’s more like machining a modern race engine. The amount of metal in the deck and bores of the French block is substantial. These blocks provide a great base for a big cubic inch high horsepower engine. Anything you can bolt on a stock original Ford 24 stud block will work on the French block.

Notes regarding fitment of COMPLETE French engines

     Unless your project of choice is a French military vehicle the complete French engines that we sell will need to be modified to fit your application.

Important:

     All French complete engines or bare blocks use the 59A or earlier type bell housing (1932-1948 in most cases). They will accept any commonly used Ford or aftermarket manual transmission, providing that you use the correct bell housing.

All complete French engines that I have seen use the 8BA type distributor and timing cover. Any flat head distributor may be used if you include the corresponding cam and timing cover.

     The water pumps, generator and mount, pulleys and fan assembly are unique to the complete French engine. You can modify your motor mounts and fan spacing to accommodate them, but this would require extensive modifications and is not recommended for most passenger cars.

     The intake and carb that are used on the complete French engines is not something that you would use in any passenger car application and are usually discarded.

     The French complete engine and the bare blocks are not drilled for chatter rods, if you intend to use them the holes will need to be machined.

Bare block notes:

     The center head bolt in a French block is a different length than a normal 24 stud block. Most people will install an insert in the center bolt hole and use an appropriate length head stud or bolt, to match whatever head you are using. Note: most aftermarket heads use different length studs or bolts than the OE part. No matter what block you are using you will need to verify head stud or bolt lengths. For example, the fastener you use on an old Thickstun head is not going to be the same length as what would be used on a Edelbrock or a Eddie Meyer head and so on and so on.

      The exhaust studs on a French engine go into the water jacket so you need to use sealer on the threads.

      The heads and gaskets on the complete French engines are the 8BA type. You can install an earlier center outlet head on a French engine if you use the appropriate gasket. You will need to plug one hole in the deck surface to use the earlier heads, same as you would on any 8BA block.

      Remember any part that was used on an original 24 stud engine can be used on a French block or complete engine.

Be sure to reach out to us with questions. Email is best.

Until next time we wish you and your family’s all the best.

PS I wish that Punxsutawney Phil would not have seen his shadow, it’s cold here today in northern Wisconsin, minus 13 when we woke up. The Hot Rods sure would enjoy an early spring, cabin fever is starting to set in !