rebuilding · FF-0361

Should you buy parts before the machine work on a Flathead rebuild?

No. Ed always does the machine work first, because it shows what sizes are needed. He bores a block no more than he has to, and the crank can be turned to suit whatever bearings can be found: if 10 under bearings are not available but a set of 20s is, the crank goes to 20. Buy parts first, he says, and you end up going backwards.

Expert

Ed Smith

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

order of work

Applicable scope

1938 Ford Flathead V8, 21-stud, 221 cubic inch, as Ed describes it