From: Kenny J.
Email: [email protected]
Date: December 04, 2001
I have to agree with Mike. From personal experience as well as from talking with old time Mopar restorers and machine shop people, here is what I gathered. The flathead sixes are reliable, economical and respond well to performance modifications. They do, however, have soft cranks, UNLESS you find a rare circa 1955-1960 truck or industrial duty crank. My experience? Traffic in this town (Las Vegas) is extremely fast. Drivers are impatient and very aggressive. A 4000 pound wagon with a 3.73 rear end and no overdrive is really churning out the RPMs at a steady 65 to 75 mph. I changed my oil and filter every 1500 miles or three months (it's very dusty out here.) I kept my crankcase full and used premium oil. My reward? A spun rod bearing after only 11,000 miles on a professionally rebuilt engine. Once I rectify this problem, it will be side streets and secondary arterials until I can find all I need to convert to a V-8 or at least add an overdrive for expressway use. The sad thing is, my neighbor will not part with an overdrive tranny from a '60 Dodge pickup and even if I could find the correct main shaft for an overdrive tranny, none of my Borg-Warner overdrive units would fit my current transmission's case. Their cases are machined for GM Saginaw three speeds (I also have a '59 Impala with a three speed overdrive and several spare transmissions.)
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