How to compile Linux Kernel and write it to a 1.44M floppy disk?

Hi guys! I'm a retro computing nerd and I want to make a Linux Distro for very old computers (486 and up). To start off I just want to compile the kernel and put it on a 1.44M floppy disk. What would be the most recent version of the kernel could I do this with, and how would I go about compiling it to a .img file or whatever?

Thanks!