We’d be remiss if we didn’t recognize one of the coolest gearhead birthdays in the world. On March 9th 1932 the first Ford V8 engines began rolling off the production line in Dearborn, Michigan. The engine was a humble 60hp affair that would become the mechanical platform for the high performance industry to grow off of. The venerable Flathead V8 was a revolutionary piece in that it brought then exotic eight cylinder power to the masses. Prior to the Ford V8 being mass produced the only real way to get your hands on a “bent 8” engine was from an expensive coach built domestic or even more expensive high end imported car.

With the V8 engine, Ford sent the world’s thirst for horsepower into overdrive. The number of companies and careers launched by this single engine has to outnumber nearly anything else in the history of hot rodding. Edelbrock, Duntov, Weiand, Herbert, and dozens more built whole companies around building parts for the Ford V8.

Three men were largely responsible for secretly taking one of Henry Ford’s ideas and making it a reality. Their names, often left out of the story of the flathead are, Carl Schmaltz, Ray Lard, and Mil Zoerlein. Totally behind the back of Ford’s upper management, these guys became obsessed with making the idea, specifically, the idea of a V8 block made of a single casting, come to life. To that point in history V8 engines were made of banks of cylinders bolted together or similarly mounted. The mono-block casting is what allowed for the price to reach the point that an average Joe could buy one. Outside of the engineering the three men named above did, brilliant Ford casting engineer Charles Sorensen actually designed the methodology to create what the others had dreamed up.

The flattie had poured babbit bearings, a forged crank, a single belt, twin water pumps, and a Detroit Lubricator carb up top. It was all in at 65hp while churning 3400RPM.

The engine continues to be loved by hot rodders, despite a myriad of shortcomings and famously, Ron Main’s “Flatfire” streamliner ran 302mph at Bonneville about 10 years ago with a 301ci  blown flathead that made about 700hp. We believe that this is probably the most  powerful flathead ever built.

Happy belated Birthday flathead! Without you, there’d be no BangShift!