1937 Ford Flathead V8-60

This was the motorcycle that I bought from Dale Olson who designed and built this fascinating machine.

Dale  did a great job of designing and fabricating the difficult and challenging hidden items: the frame, the engine mounting system, the 90 degree gear box, gas tanks with undersides that allow the radiator hoses to not interfere, a clutch with softened pull using half the original number of clutch springs so it is possible to activate  by hand, the clever clutch lever “hold” position so the motorcycle can effectively be put in neutral and not have one’s hand holding the lever, a Mallory ignition system, a Delco 12 volt “single wire” alternator, etc. He designed two manual switches to operate the electrical fan behind the radiator and the electric fuel pump.  The motorcycle I purchased was the 58th V8-60 he made.

The engine is a 1937 Ford flathead V8-60 engine.  There is no transmission so there is a bit of riding the clutch from a stop until it gains some speed.

While I have great respect for all that Dale created, I wanted to change the look of the machine and some of its functions.

Modifications: 

• Front fender that I cut out of a fender blank

• a second disk brake

• beach bar handlebars

• all new instruments

• air cleaner

• an engine overheating problem cured by running waterless coolant and adding a radiator overflow bottle

• a brass headlight adapted to run an H4 halogen bulb and to hold a fuse panel and electrical relays

• added fuses and additional electrical relays

• turn signals

• rectangular foot boards

• a fabricated stainless steel luggage rack

• a tail light consisting of a 4 inch LED trailer light in a PVC drain pipe cap supported by a Yamaha XS650 bracket

• a different seat supported by springs

• modern handlebar switchgear

• side mounted battery

• a geared starter

• paint and decals

• Many changes were made to the stock wiring so I first digitally scanned the original 8 ½ x 11 black and white wiring diagram, colored each and every wire using MS Paint and saved that as the original wiring.  Then I revised it to memorialize all my wiring changes to it and saved it to a different file name. This now allows me to print a large color 24” x 36” diagram.

If God has made a better sounding engine, He is keeping it for Himself.

When I sold this motorcycle I had ridden it 5,421 miles.