history · FF-0210

Why did Joe Abbin go back to the Flathead after 30 years?

Joe's last Flathead before this one was in 1961, in a Gasser, and he could not wait to replace it once the magazines were full of overhead-valve swaps. Thirty years later, with more knowledge and resources, he wanted to see what would happen if he did a Flathead right. The first engine he built for the 1934 Ford ran about 100 miles an hour in the quarter mile in around 13 seconds.

Expert

Joe Abbin

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

Flathead engine choice

Applicable scope

Joe Abbin's supercharged 1934 Ford (the Motorhead Mart Special) with a 1950 Mercury-based Flathead V8