Thread: Hard starting Flathead V8 Ford

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junkyardjef, It has heavy cables, and a heavy-duty battery.
I noticed the ground from the battery is grounded to the engine. I read that it should be grounded to the frame. The engine has been painted it may have been put over a painted surface, so I'm going to try that first. I saw Speedway has a high torque starter for $200 if that would work I would try that. I don't want to through money at this car without being a little confident that what I'm doing will help. I noticed yesterday after having the trickle charger on all night it would turn over then hit a spot like the timing is off in a regular car, like they want to kick back. It's a real pain when you don't know, it's bad enough to change things that break but at least you know what the problem is. Thanks for the tip.

Richard

Checking for paint at the contact point is a good idea, same for the starter grounding to the block/bell housing. Grounding the battery to the engine isn't necessarily a problem as long as the engine in turn is grounded to the frame. A strap/cable from a starter mounting bolt to the frame is a good dual purpose solution as it ensures grounding of the starter.

Years ago, 1962 to be exact, I bought a 1940 Ford 2dr sedan for a guy in Culver City, Ca. It was bone stock and it would not hold a charge. My dad was living in Long Beach at the time so I drove there and worked on it on weekends as I was stationed at MCRD, San Diego. After three weekends or so of changing out all of the normal suspected culprits my dad had a wise old Ford mechanic he knew come and take a look at it. The ignition switch had shorted between the terminals and was draining the battery. New ignition switch, problem solved.
IMHO, before you start throwing parts at it I would make sure of the integrity of the electrical system.