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Flat Plane Vs Cross Plane V8 engines. A flat plane V8 (animated on the left) is very much like two inline-4 engines mated together in a V configuration. Therefore end-to-end balance is inherent, as the first and last piston of a bank is always exactly in the same position, as are the center two pistons on each bank.
In these, valves are on the side of the combustion chamber, in the engine block, and fuel and air enter from the side and exhaust exits out the same side. A cross section of this type of combustion chamber looks like an upside down letter L. So, flatheads are sometimes known as L-head engines.