RE: Blocks Being Expensive and Hard To Find . . . To me, this is only one part of it . . . the other part that is on flatheads of any kind, the amount of work you put INTO the block far out weighs the cost -- time is the killer! I've kept track of my porting hours alone on the FlatCad, have 116 to date. Now that is just one part of the other big time sucks and associated expenses that are related specifically to this block, things like:
a) Block Pan Girdle - 1.25" steel . . . had to be made to fit just this block - as the exact bolt/stud locations tend to differ a bit.
b) Intake/Top Girdle - .75" steel . . . darn thing isn't symmetric, ports don't align on one side like the other . . . just this block . . . or all blocks . . . who knows!
c) Steel Main Bearing Caps . . . will probably fit another block (hope we don't have to find out!)
d) Moving center thrust to the rear, new main bearing sizes. Many hours of complex work on various boring, align boring and milling machines.
e) All the valve guide work, large valves, etc -- expensive work on a mill, much more than on a OHV head
On an OHV engine, we'd have far less time and agony in the block . . . just a fact of life. Now that is not to say that the time/money can't be spent on the heads of an OHV, just that if you lunch the block, the heads are usually usable on another block. When you grenade a flathead block, you cry yourself to sleep and resist slitting your wrists in a warm bath!
I can't wait to see this on the Dyno -- I'll be like a kid at Christmas time! Buddy and I will be shaking like dogs crapping razor blades . . .
Dale