Man I love it

[dulcich]

Just put the sweet tune on the Continental flat head six in my Baker forklift, and it works great. The thing would overheat terrilble, like boiling after a few minutes of idling and the alternator never worked so it always needed a jump. Got the radiator rodded out, replaced a bunch of hoses, completely rewired the beast adding a six-circuit fuse block and added a new internal regulator GM alternator and a set of gauges from Harbor Freight. A Pertronix distributor and cut a set of Accel wires. Built an exhaust system with a glasspack and some mandrel U-bends (2-inch) to replace the old system that had a 90-degree hard fitting almost completely blocking the muffler, and leaky flex hose. Added a new air cleaner assembly. Tune the propane mixture and adusted the timing. Nothing like good old fashioned wrenching - it now starts as soon as you turn the key, and runs ice-cold.
-dulcich

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Man I love it

Sweet!
I'm a Continental owner myself with the 4 banger Red Seal motor in my old Worthington Tractor.

Go lift some stuff.

Brian

[fahrenschnell]

Re: Man I love it

So lets hear it....After hearing Brian's Worthington purr....I have got a bit of a thing for the Flatties

Seth

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: Man I love it

Very nice... I especially like the glass pack muffler.... but 6 circuits - I wonder what you need the other 5 for...

[Scott Liggett]

Re: Man I love it

Very nice... I especially like the glass pack muffler.... but 6 circuits - I wonder what you need the other 5 for...

Power Corinthian leather seats.


Hey, Steve, when's our rematch at Famoso?

[dulcich]

Re: Man I love it

Very nice... I especially like the glass pack muffler.... but 6 circuits - I wonder what you need the other 5 for...

1. Horn
2. Headlamps
3. Rear work light
4. Ign
+2 Auxillary if I need them.

Originally not fitted with fuse block, but it makes the wiring cleaner.

Glasspack is actually pretty quiet. Don't know the brand, got it as stock from a local muffler shop, short, small diameter, big barbed louvers inside, 2" I&O. The Conty Flatty sound really good, no rasp, a mellow purr, if you will.

RD, let's line 'em up. BTW that smoke wasn't tranny, it was PS Fluid (yup, tranny fluid) blowing out at rpm, still haven't looked into why.

[Scott Liggett]

Re: Man I love it

Loved to go racing again. Sometimes high rpm will push pwr steering fluid past the vent hole in the cap of the resevoir.

I read your summer issue of Engine Masters and learned quite a bit. Waiting to see the next issue.

[NASBackyard]

Re: Man I love it

Yea, It's nice when you finally get something straightened out thats been out of wack for so long. "Dialed in" is what I call it. I did that to the underhood wiring on my RR, got some of that non-correct flex wire covering with some tie wraps and cleaned everything up since I had alot of extra stuff under there. Working on my Olds right now. Got any pics of the lift?

[milner351]

Re: Man I love it

SWEET!
the conti flatty 4 in my old towmotor forklift needs some help, the carb flange was cracked when I got it ($110 !)
I've ebayed a few zenith updrafts that looked a lot like it - but have not found the proper one yet.... so it's got it's tempermental issues.

Thankfully a manual choke and some attitude and it usually starts and runs - I need to spend some time on it as you have yours... mine leaks like from just about everywhere but the cooling system!

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Man I love it

John, it's most likely a Marvel Schebler carb on there and not a Zenith. My Conti is updraft Marvel equipped.

Brian

[milner351]

Re: Man I love it

Brian - she's a zenith on mine - at least that's what was on it when I got it.

I've rebuilt it and tried the multiple washers under the bolts to hold the flange tight- but it still leans out and stalls with a lot of load.

the other pesky problem with this old thing is it's gravity down on the forks - so - with little use as I give it - quite often the forks won't come down with out a load and some persuasion.... even my 225lb azz jumping up and down on them won't drop them when they're being stubborn.

[dieselgeek]

Re: Man I love it

you guys have a sickness. But I agree flatheads are awesome...

we put a junkyard TBI on a straight six flattie in a 1950 Dodge pickup truck. Happy idle at 400rpm is a weird thing!

[milner351]

Re: Man I love it

I loved listening to my great uncles pure stock '28 model A idling way way slow the last time I was down there - those old engines with massive flywheels are amazing.


Scott - we're all sick here - just not all as sick - about the same stuff!?

what's not to love about a $100 forklift!??

[dulcich]

Re: Man I love it

Milner, you know it brother!
-dulcich

[horsewidower]

Re: Man I love it

My favorite engine at my place is the 4 cylinder flattie in the Ford 8n tractor. The JD yanmar three cylinder diesel that replaced it for DD tractor duties is soul-less in comparison.

Both of em need turbos.