Thread: Hard starting Flathead V8 Ford

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I'll try the brushes first, and clean the armature, cables, and look it over.
Thanks for the help.

If I can't get it going soon I’ll just go with the 12-volt conversion. Don, on the way home from getting a police check, after which the car wouldn't start I thought it was low on gas so I stopped to put some fuel in. A guy was looking at my car and said he knew where one was for sale. I ended up buying a 4 door 50 Ford that is really nice, or I should say before the young guy wanted a chopped top. That car fires right up, when I went to see it the thing was spinning over like crazy, the guy had unhooked some wires that the previous owner had flamethrowers on. When we got the right wires on it fired up. I always wanted to cut a top but couldn't bring myself to make the first cut. This car is cut so now I'm going to make it a 2 door Carson topped car hopefully.

Richard

I do have to say that in my past I worked on and owned quite a few Ford flatheads. They are for sure not the best starting cars in the world with the 6V system - probably only just better then an old MoPar 6 flathead. Then let it get cold and/or damp......

Positive ground - and they do have to be clean and shiny, a well built starting motor - one that the end bushing or bearing(depends on the vintage) runs the armature true along with all four bushes being long enough so the (good/strong) springs hold them to the commutator hard enough - and that comm has to be clean, and true with no road grime, oil or mica showing. Then, you do have to have reasonably good compression with good valves plus a carb that is correct. These engines turn very slow in comparison to current engines so need every bit of help they can get. The best thing you can do is a 12V conversion but use a very good 6V starter - the windings are way heavy enough to handle the voltage increase though you may eventually see some pitting on the comm.