Flathead

[dirtbag]

Which 1/25 to 1/24 kits or vendors have a flathead engine?

[ColonelKrypton]

Just off the top of my head to start,

in 1/25 the AMT '34 Ford pickup, the Revell '37 Ford pickup, the recent release of the Revell '32 Ford Tudor, I think the AMT '53 Ford pickup, and I know there are others.

in 1/24 various older Monogram Ford kits but couldn't say which ones for certain.

VGC Resins makes some very nice Ford flatheads.

Which one(s) are best?  I kind of like the version in the Revell '37 Ford pickup and the VGC resins ones.

cheers, Graham

[Fat Brian]

The Revell 40 Ford kits have a nice one that can be had with speed parts. The Revell 32 Tudor that has just been brought back had a neat one with a C4 automatic. The AMT 41 Ford Woody custom has one with modern efi. 

 

Texas_3D_Customs has a good selection of flathead stuff too.

[bobss396]

The Revell '48 Ford has a great flathead. VCG Resins makes a nice one with ordering options, IIRC, Iceman Collections has a bunch too.

[Mothersworry]

Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland has an excellent selection of very high quality resin flathead goodies including a beautifully detailed S.C.O.T. blower setup.

[TarheelRick]

Another beautiful flathead that is often overlooked is in the Lindberg/AMT 53 Ford (convertible and hardtop versions). Also the AMT 49 Mercury has a very presentable flathead. Almost any Ford kit from 1932-1954 has some form of flathead, most often the quality of detail varies with the age of the original kit. The Revell '50 Ford pickup (custom-version) also comes with Ardun heads.

[Aaronw]

There are different generations of Ford flathead with minor differences if you are looking for a specific use. A hot rod 1950s or later probably doesn't matter too much since they could have used any generation engine they salvaged, but if you are going for period correct / factory stock you may care.

The '34 Pickup has a first gen flathead ('32-36), the '37 pickup a second gen (37-39')and the '50 pickup the 4th gen and final variant ('48-53). The water pump and cooling arrangements kept changing and the the position of the distributor changed on the 4th gen. Some variants '38-47 combine features of the 2nd gen and 4th gen. A "24 bolt" 3rd gen could probably be made by using the heads from the '50 pickup on the engine from the '37 pickup. 

The original issue '50 pickup (molded in blue with a blue truck box art) had a stock flathead, later issues replaced the stock heads with aftermarket Ardun heads, and unfortunately did not leave the stock heads in the kit as an option.

 

One of the Revell midget racers includes the smaller 136cid V-8 flathead.

[dirtbag]

Thanks everyone. I finally was able to get my hands on a belly tank & it seems that putting a flathead in it would be the best option.

[robdebie]

I have a WIP report of the AMT custom 1949 Ford, with a section on the flathead engine: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/49ford.htm

 

 

Rob

[Richard Bartrop]

The recently re released Revell Tudor has a flathead with the crab style distributor that was unique to the '42 civilian models, and seems popular with the vintage not rod crowd.  

As for what they used back in the day, there is variation, or course, be the tendency was towards the latest and the biggest.   Motor Trend's online Hot Rod Magazine is a handy reference for what people actually used back then.

[NOBLNG]

1 hour ago, robdebie said:

I have a WIP report of the AMT custom 1949 Ford, with a section on the flathead engine: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/49ford.htm

 

 

Rob

Fantastic slicing and dicing you’re doing on that ‘49 Ford. I have a couple of those kits now so I am interested to see how it turns out.??

[robdebie]

48 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

Fantastic slicing and dicing you’re doing on that ‘49 Ford. I have a couple of those kits now so I am interested to see how it turns out.??

Well..... I bit off more than I can chew, in several ways.. At the start, I cut the kit in 10 pieces. I then had quite a problem getting all the parts properly aligned again. And now that that's sorted, I find that playing car designer is not as easy as it looks.. The model looks kind of weird. Maybe the wheels/tires are too big? Possibly the rear wheels need to move forward? The real car had its trunk lengthened 12 mm (in scale), maybe that helps? I'm kind of stuck.

Rob

[MeatMan]

First, my disclaimer: I'm not a customizing expert! ?

Personally I like the look. Purists may have a prob with it but to me it flows well.
I do think the look would be enhanced if it sat lower, and I agree that the rear wheel could move in a tad.
Try putting a piece of tape primed with the same color over the gap in the front fender to see how it looks. I think it is visually distracting.
You may also want to try different wheel sets to see how they look.
Thanks for sharing your work.

Edited June 16, 2024 by MeatMan