George Britnell, 2016 metalworking Craftsman of the Year, had always wanted to build a true Ford flathead V-8 engine, but with extensive research and drawing the only way to make it perfectly accurately would have been to make castings. Even then it would have been very questionable as to the outcome.

George likes to build engines that are not already documented. Being an employee of Ford Motor Company before he retired gave him access to more information than most people. More than 1900 hours went into measuring, drawing and building this model engine. His first attempts at building resulted in a compression ratio that he felt was too low. He re-engineered the piston and combustion chamber shapes to get it up to a more respectable 8.5:1 ratio. He also built the radiator. The scale starter and generator are non-functional but add to the realism of the model.

He started the detailed drawings in August 2014 and finished the engine in December 2015, with further modifications ongoing. Other than the exhaust location the engine was built to replicate a late Ford flathead engine (8BA). All the work was done on manual mill and lathes.

Here are some details of the engine:

1. •The block and all the major components, heads, water pumps, oil pan and bell housing are machined from 6061 aluminum.
   

2. •The crankshaft is made from 1144 stress proof steel and is made in one piece.
   

3. •The camshaft is made from W-1 drill rod.
   

4. •The connecting rods are made from steel with bronze bearing inserts.
   

5. •The heads, intake manifold and waste pumps are all made in two sections to create internal water passages for cooling.
   

6. •The engine has a full pressure oil system, from the pump to the cam bearings, to the mains and out to the individual rods.
   

7. •The oil pump and distributor are driven by helical gear sets that George machined.
   

8. •The bore is .830 diameter and the stroke is 1.125.
   

9. •The valves diameter is .416 with .094 diameter stems.
   

10. •The carburetors are an air-bleed type machined to resemble Stromberg 97s.
    

11. •The ignition is spark triggered by a Hall pickup mounted on the side of the distributor.
    

12. •The radiator was fabricated by hand from brass tubes and plates with the top and bottom tanks milled from solid.