Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I went to see a friend today and after a few hours of looking at old engines and talking we did a deal and I have bought all his Ford flathead V8 engines. I plan to build one good one from the three to power a 1930's New Zealand built wooden barrel back, V stern speedboat I have to restore.

I would love some help getting the engines years and types nailed down.

1. "the car engine" Pulled from a twin spinner car. Number "RE2 92" stamped on block face.... 24 bolt. Has on 8BA cast on one head and EAC on the other. (head swaped for Merc head??) Made in Canada. Side dizzi.

2. "the truck engine" Pulled from a bus. Number "RE2 71" stamped on block, both heads have 8RT on them, so truck? Made in Canada. Side dizzi.

3. "Rust ball engine" 24 stud, water outlet in middle of heads, front dizzi mount. Built in bell housing. Only good for parts if I am lucky. Seriously rusty.

Any clues there? I was figuring 1952 for 1 and 2??
Regards
Gavin
New Zealand

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

there is a very good engine id thread running now. go back a day or so, "block id" i believe is the title. good luck with the motors, and whats a "twin spinner" ?

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

'51 Ford grille is a twin spinner.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

i had a 50 once, i guess i had a single spinner and never knew it!

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

rustball engine appears to be late 38 thru 41 engine. 24 stud, pencil ledge above timing cover, different years have slight variables

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

look on here for the boat motor vs industrial motor thread, you need that motor!

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Than for the tip, I had seen that and I tried to message the seller to see if he would sell the exhaust manifolds but I got an error message.
I can make my own wet exhaust manifolds anyway... old ones will need work especially if they had been in salt water.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I will try and put up another photo of the front s the distributor drive might help date it too....

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Welcome to the ‘Barn. Post some pics of your project as you progress. Sounds like fun. Mike

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Thanks for the welcome Mike! :)

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Twin pulley water pumps is big truck.

The one in the middle is leading me to believe it's a '48 truck motor due to the 8BA style block but use of head studs. This was the only series of 8BA style blocks that used studs.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

That's really interesting!! I was wondering why it had studs and not bolts on that block... it came from a 1952 bus but who knows what it was fitting from new... you might have it there.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Went mad and bought 5 books on rebuilding and hotting up the flathead! They should be here in a few days.... no substitute for the right information!

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

The "truck motor" with the studs, is Canadian made and has "C1BA" cast in razed letters on the back of the engine just behind the right head above where the bell housing goes on... a web page listing Canadian production as that casting meaning 1951....
I wonder if the Canadian engines used the studs longer than USA built motors?
Or mine have been changed??

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

The motor with the bolts "the car motor" is also "C1BA" block casting number....

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I love learning new things so I am having great fun here... I have spent all day and all yesterday reading about Flatheads. Lots to learn! I was just reading about fitting the crab type distributor on the later 8BA block.... I like that idea. I might have to hunt up the parts I need. Some of which I might be able to get off my "rust ball" engine?? Was that a crab originally? Fingers crossed the cam might be OK in there also.... if I can use that one for the conversion..?

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I think I have found more clues on the "ball of rust" engine...
It fits this description of a Model 29A engine built from 1942 to 45....
"Crab-Style distributor, water outlet on center of cylinder head, passes pencil test"

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/f...85to100mid.htm
This may help identify your early block, lots of good info on this site.
Welcome to the barn.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

rusty motor looks like the distributor itself is cast iron

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

could be a LUCAS distributor as they were on some engines during the war years from Canada

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

when you dissemble these engines, make sure you keep the rods with the crankshafts. I say this to insure the balance of the crank asssy is not broken. The factory balance job is very good and just replacing the pistons will have little affect on it. Thus you can save a few hundred dollars on the rebuild. besides very few balance rs know how to balance flathead rods.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Thanks Ron, I will take lots of photos and have labels and a pen ready to go to keep everything in order. I have a bad memory so I HAVE to do these things!! :)

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I have the first of many questions.... if I was to use a Ford Flathead gearbox that will bolt right up to my 1951 239 engine to drive my boat, using reverse, neutral and third (which would want to be 1:1 ratio). Also using a weak clutch with hand control on the gear lever?? I have one from the bus (off "the truck motor") to go pick up when I get the engines, but the seller says it's huge and maybe I could get something smaller?? Thoughts?

Were car and truck gearboxes even different when behind the 239?

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I may be speaking out of turn here, but most of the boats that I know of have a two to one reduction gearing in the "transmission".

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Bigger slow displacement hulls use reduction gearboxes... speedboats with planing hulls use 1:1 forward gear. I have a marine trans that is 1:1 that I will sell as it's more period to use the Ford box. So all my shaft and prop calculations have been done on 1:1.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Both the clutch/pressure plate and the transmission from a truck would be larger and heavy. I would think you would want a small diameter light weight clutch setup and a passenger car transmission.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

and, the truck trans will have a very low reverse, so you wont have much for brakes without the throttle being wide open. if you have a marine trans already, thats what i would be using

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Brakes?? :)

I could see how you you would think that... here is my reasoning for wanting to use a Ford flathead gearbox....

I have a Ford gearbox.
Low reverse is great! Slower the better for maneuvering a small boat.
It will bolt right up without expensive engineering for adapter plates and linkages.
I can sell the marine trans (which is too modern for this build) and put the money into the Flathead.
It's more likely what someone in New Zealand in the 1930-50's would have done and therefore more period authentic.
I have a bell housing and clutch parts that would work.
I would not have to worry about an oil cooler for the trans like you do with the hydraulic marine trans... with all it's clutches creating heat.

The only down side is that I would have to make a thrust bearing block to take for and aft forces from the prop that a car trans is not designed to absorb.

I hope that helps explain my thoughts.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Can some one help me id this bell housing? Seems bigger than all the Ford car ones I have seen on the net... the only one I did see that looked like this was a 51-52 Merc. Is it light or heavy truck??

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I can answer my own question now... that is the standard bell housing from the "car engine"..... So not truck.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Does the rusty lump engine have a dual pulley on the crank still? That is a nice part for the guys putting blowers on their motors and is kinda hard to find. Worth a couple coins. The dual pulley water pumps are easy to find, but the crank pulleys always disappear. The dual pulley for the generator is coveted too if that was around the pile.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I will check! Could be good for me to run extra pumps for marine use also!

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I have spent the last 9 days reading everything I can about the Ford flathead V8 engines... steep learning curve I must say. After 9 days non stop I am now thinking and dreaming in cast iron!! :)

I have only just scratched the very top surface of the subject yet I have gained a real appreciation for what a following these engines have and the character they have which gives them such an attraction.

I am looking forward to getting into my engines and learning more when I get them to my workshop in a few weeks.

Thanks to those who have helped me learn.
Regards
Gavin
New Zealand

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I have a model A tranny that's been converted for use in a boat. Forward and reverse with 1:1 only.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I went and picked up the two 8BA engines today, left the rust ball for another day... Not overall good news! The "truck engine" had bloody water inside the crankcase.... and the "car engine" has had a crack between the valve and cylinder repaired in the past with what looks like solder! So not the best start for the project... tomorrow when it's light again I will clean off the barrel surfaces of the truck engine and look for cracks... in the vain hope I don't find any.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Picked up a HUGE gearbox from the "truck engine" which came from a bus.... I think I can use the bell housing to attach a car gearbox?? Is it the same pattern?

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Engine pictures.... the repaired crack....

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

More pics...

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

I have all the heads and the other inlet also, plus the car bell housing and clutches.
One bugger starter, no distributors or carbs could be found... but I did get a generator and a fan and few other small bits.

Re: Bought three Flathead V8 engines yesterday
 

Just noticed that the truck engine has a iron front housing for the distributor and the car block as one in aluminium.... does that say anything at all??