cylinder heads · FF-0291

What was the ARDUN overhead valve conversion for the Ford Flathead?

It was an aftermarket conversion, available in the late 1940s and early 1950s, that took the valves out of the block and put them in the head. Steve explains it was aimed at trucks, where the Flathead was too small, ran hot and did not breathe well with its valves in the block. With a crossflow hemispherical head, the exhaust no longer runs through the block, which largely solved the overheating.

Expert

Steve Coppock

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

ARDUN overhead valve heads

Applicable scope

Ford Flathead V8 with the ARDUN overhead valve conversion