(Disclaimer
- listing here does not necessarily imply my endorsement.)
Despite the online resources available these days, it is pretty hard to beat the published word as a source of information. What follows is a list of books, booklets, magazines and newsletters that might be of interest to flatheaders.
John Lawson
© 2008
Available from the author: John Lawson, 134 Flamingo Rd., Fitzgerald, GA 31750
John Lawson has been building high performance engines from Top Fuel to street rods for a lot of years. This is his comprehensive look at engine dynamics with fact-filled pages highlighting 400+ dyno tests. It features an in depth review of engines and components with what works, why it works, and how it works. If John wrote it, I believe it. No guesswork here. All tested.
Here is a link to the book’s electronic flyer.
Frank Oddo
© 1997
ISBN 1-55561-119-2
Published by Fisher Books, 4239 W. Ina Road, Suite 101, Tucson, AZ 85741
A comprehensive overview featuring stock and high-performance rebuilds. Includes much of a series of articles from a Street Rodder magazine series by the same author featuring Motor City Flathead. This is one of the few flathead books I regularly see in the automotive section of large chain bookstores.
Ron Ceridono
© 1995
ISBN 1-884089-11-9
Co-published by CarTech, Inc., 11481 Kost Dam Rd., North Branch, MN 55056
and by Tex Smith Publishing, P.O. Box 726, Driggs, ID 83422
A comprehensive overview featuring stock and high-performance rebuilds. Several interviews with and articles by the greats of flathead high performance.
George McNicholl
© 2003
ISBN 0-7603-1493-4
MBI Publishing Company, 380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
The author shows three basic styles of flathead engines and features Luke's Custom Machine & Design in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. This book has some information I haven't seen in other books, like how to build an Ardun, and has an interesting slant to it.
Mike Davidson
First Edition © 1995, Second Edition © 1996
ISBN 0 949398 96 9
Published by Graffiti Publications Pty. Lit., 69 Forest Street, Castlemain, Victoria, Australia
This book is about hot rodding the flathead, although it does have a certain amount of basic information. Contains reports of Mike's flow bench testing.
Mike Davidson
© 1998
ISBN 0 949398 95 9
Published by Graffiti Publications Pty. Lit., 69 Forest Street, Castlemain, Victoria, Australia
Mike's second book about hot rodding the flathead. Don't let the title fool you - lots of information of interest to the competition oriented flatheader, too. Contains some very interesting flow measurements for various heads. Also features a number of aftermarket products.
Mike
Davidson
© 2004
ISBN 0
949398 03 9
Mike’s
third book featuring some of his newer parts and dyno
tests. I
like hard data.
Ron Holleran
© 1992
No ISBN number
Self published by the Author, Ron Holleran, RR2, Box 241, Chester VT 05143
Ron spent a lot of years building flatheads for circle track racing. Then he built a flow bench and discovered lots of interesting things. Loaded with hot rodding techniques and opinions for street and competition engines. Having reached out of print status, a recent reprint with some updates has been available through the MSN flathead message board. I don’t know if these are still available, but try here for info.
Joseph P. Abbin, P.E.
© 1998, 2nd Edition © 2000
ISBN 1-8800047-64-0, 2nd Edition ISBN 1-880047-81-0
Published by Creative Designs, Inc., 11024 Montgomery NE, Suite 311, Albuquerque, NM 87111
Reports on flow work and other aspects of flathead performance make this book useful even if you never intend to add a blower. You can see Joe's car at the top of this linked page.
Ron Bishop
© 1981
ISBN 0-8306-2066-4 for the paperback version.
Published by TAB Books, a division of McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Primarily a stock rebuild guide, but with lots and lots of good "how to" information.
Bill Sinclair
Original Edition © 1989, but revised several times since.
ISBN 09631350 2 3
Published by Thunder Road Motor Works Inc., P.O. Box 1242, Hudson, NY 12534
Besides the engine itself, this book goes a little further beyond with subjects like 12 volt conversion, PCV valves, electric windshield wiper conversion and the like. I don't have the latest revision (shame on me), but I understand it is expanded over the 1993 edition I have.
Bill Sinclair
I don't have this one (shame on me again), but it is by the author of Thunder Road Flathead. I understand it answers those nagging questions about converting from 6 Volt to 12 Volt systems and more.
Mike Bishop & Vern Tardel
© 1998
ISBN (couldn't find one)
Published by Mike Bishop Communications, 921 Saracen Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
This book tells how the authors built a Model A-V8 street rod. There is a chapter on the flathead engine with some helpful suggestions.
Ray Seidel
No copyright notice, but I estimate it being assembled in about 1997 or 1998
No ISBN number
Published by the author as loose sheets in a binder. Ray Seidel, Vintage Motor Works, 7050 6th Street, White City, OR 97503
This is a thought provoking piece. Notions on coatings (which the author sells), porting, heads, spark plug location, rod ratios, and more. I don't agree with everything he puts forth, but I certainly haven't put the time in on my notions that he has on his. You can see his car at the bottom of this linked page.
Roger Huntington
© 1950
Roger Huntington
© 1951
Fred W. "Bill" Fisher
© 1952
All three of the books listed above have been republished by Fisher Books, 4239 W. Ina Road, Suite 101, Tucson, AZ 85741
These are the classics of flathead speed. Although advances in technology have made some of the information presented obsolete, there is still a wealth of knowledge in them. If nothing else, they chronicle the reign of flatheads at their height of popularity. Bill Fisher's book is the only one I have ever seen that covers the Ford flathead six in any kind of detail. I recommend getting all three.
Jerry Hagens
© 1981
All three of the booklets are published by the author, produced and distributed through Midnight Graphics Advertising Agency which is a division of Speedway Motors, Inc., 300 Speedway Circle, P.O. Box 81906, Lincoln, NE 68501-9896. I have never seen them offered outside of the Speedway catalog.
These booklets contain some really good information, but you wouldn't want them as your only flathead guides. The Gear-Torque booklet deals with the '32-'48 rear ends and any of the transmissions with the early bolt pattern.
George McNicholl
© 2003
ISBN
0-7603-1493-4
Published
by MBI Publishing Company, 380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
USA
This
book and another title by the same author that I have not seen are among the
more recent flathead books written. It takes the reader through a rebuild of
three styles of flatheads, including an Ardun
overhead valve conversion. There is emphasis on Luke’s Custom Machine &
Design in North Vancouver, BC, Canada.