[Ben Stevens]

Can anyone shed any light on what the missing part is in the attached picture?

Also, you can just see some of the engine number in that picture too, do they normally look like they’ve been scratched on by a 5 year old?!

• This topic was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by Ben Stevens.

[BartRatkiewicz]

On mine it is used for the heater take off. so if no heater just blank off.

[BartRatkiewicz]

Could also be used for the temp sender.

[Ben Stevens]

Ahhh perfect, I will be wanting to fit a heater so I’ll just plug it for now.

[Ben Stevens]

OK so… I now have a solution for this hole (plug it and fit a temp sender in the radiator hose) but I’ve found a new hole, in the inlet manifold.

As you can see from the picture, there’s a hole, and there’s a similar one the other side which has a little grub screw in it.  There does appear to be a thread on the hole, but I’m wondering whether it should have something in it?  There’s also a hole the other side.

Anyone know what these are for?

[Rick Newman]

The hole in the manifold is a vacuum take of mine is just blanked off.

[Ben Stevens]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the response, that’s what I wondered but there’s a similar hole the other side, actually two.  Seems a bit odd to have so many?  There’s only one grub screw (the one you can see in the picture), all the others are empty.

[Jane Loveys]

Ben. Many 1950’s vehicles had vacuum operated windscreen wiper motors. Our 1954 Ford Consul did. Certainly some of the Ford V8 distributors had vacuum advance /retard mechanism. My P1 amonst them. Therefore I wonder if that is the reason for your intake manifold holes. If the engine was ex a commercial vehicle it may have had vacuum assisted brakes

. Dave

[Ben Stevens]

Good point, I’m just going to leave the second hole blocked for now, and probably fit a second water temp gauge in there when I have more funds.

[Michael Knapman]

The vacuum hole is used to lift the friction brake on the Passenger car version of the Lucas distributor. The Passenger type dizzy (as opposed to the Commercial type) has a rotating disc inside it against the edge of which  a light spring loaded leather disc bears. This to to prevent the dizzy over advancing. However when the engine accelerates and creates a high vacuum on the inlet manifold the vacuum reduces the pressure on the disc.
The vacuum port is between cylinders 7 and 8 so if being used for a diagnostic vacuum gauge test it will only indicate the condition in those two cylinders.

Ford flatheads have no timing marks. The Ford recommendation is that the engines be tuned to achieved the highest vacuum reading.

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