The Ford Barn

corvette8n · 04-13-2015, 05:51 PM

Found this on a Craigslist ad, I can't verify this info using the Early Ford V8 book, is this guy pulling my leg.

The block is a 1946 "F". It looks like a 59AB, but it has a factory 4 inch stroke. This is not the Mercury crank, but a ford factory crank......very hard to find. Not only that, the block was factory ported.

http://bismarck.craigslist.org/cto/4942307754.html

Kahuna · 04-13-2015, 05:56 PM

Pulling your leg, I think

deuce_roadster · 04-13-2015, 06:09 PM

While the car looks to be worth the asking price, the info on the engine is very suspect. Probably the engine was rebuilt by someone who did the porting work on it and changed to a merc crank (if indeed it has a 4" crank and was ported). I would ask the current owner where he got his info regarding the engine. Did he see it apart?

Scott H in Wheaton · 04-13-2015, 06:16 PM

Maybe that's the engine Ford has been looking for in the last 70 years...you know the story, its a factory experimental and was never supposed to be sold, it has a carburetor that gets 100mpg and the oil industry and automakers don't want the public to know because it would kill profits, etc etc

Making a one-off engine with a 4" crank and spending the time to at the factory to port the engine just doesn't jive with assembly line production methods used in the 40's.

Is he claiming it was something done for the war effort?
Mac Van Pelt might know something if anything is available on it.

JSeery · 04-13-2015, 06:19 PM

He may be referring to factor relived. There are a lot of factor relived blocks, but don't thing I have heard of the factor ported block.

Scott H in Wheaton · 04-13-2015, 06:24 PM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Is it a French Flathead?

Bruce Lancaster · 04-13-2015, 06:40 PM

Yessir, the fabled F motor, handbuilt in the toolmaking department especially for Harry Bennett's fleet of speed cars that shuttled Henry to his mistresses' houses and transported union organizers to their free company sponsored diving lessons in Lake Huron...
They were all supposed to have been destroyed at Henry's death...obviously one survived!
Must be worth millions! Of something!

51 MERC-CT · 04-13-2015, 06:50 PM

Very possible that it indeed may be a factory Ford crank that was stroked but not by the factory.

B-O-B · 04-13-2015, 07:10 PM

My roadster has an F block & I thought it might be a 4" stroke but have not pulled the heads to verify. Sure does have some rough casting heads. It also came from the midwest. Revs up pretty quick also. My thought is if it ain't broke don't break it. so I ain't pulling a head to find out. Some where someone suggested an F block was a foreign import ,like Argentina.

Bruce Lancaster · 04-13-2015, 07:37 PM

Argentine cars were built from USA parts...there was no factory, just assembly in flathead days. I think in 1934 flathead engines were built only at Rouge plant and in Canada, which between then supplied all assembly plants everywhere.
Before the Merc 4" crank was released in '49, strokers were scarce and expensive.
'39-48 Merc cranks could be offset ground to Ford rod size for a pitiful 1/8" increase, or given a shaky larger larger increase with welding or metal spraying. Risky and expensive. Some entirely special cranks were made, off the financial map for most humans.

Tinker · 04-13-2015, 07:56 PM

Isn't a merc 4" crank still a ford crank? It's not a Chevy crank anyway. No pictures of the famous engine in the add? Strange...

It'd be interesting to check out anyway. Grill looks repop too. Maybe not.

Bob curiously for the price of a gasket would have me pulling that head...

tubman · 04-13-2015, 08:13 PM

Bruce Lancaster is right. That was the same group that produced the "factory" McCullogh blown F1 that they were hawking a few years ago. Guy selling it swore up and down that it came from the factory that way.

Bruce Lancaster · 04-13-2015, 08:23 PM

...the price of a gasket would have me pulling that head...
You'd need to pull the pan and a rod cap for meaningful search of the almost certainly false claim...he seems to be calling it an early engine with something predating the '49 merc!
It would have to be an unaltered crank in early style, one hole per throw and no cleanouts, to be anything unusual. If it has a merc crank, it is simply a normal hop-up performed after 1949, not what he seems to be claiming. I'm not saying Ford didn't do undocumented private tests of unusual experiments, but if one turns up...it needs more than unexplained mystery codes and a unique crank that so far only exists in unsupported verbiage...

Tinker · 04-13-2015, 08:46 PM

Hey it's the Internet it must be true.

B-O-B · 04-13-2015, 09:44 PM

Tinker:
My thought is if it ain't broke don't break it. so I ain't pulling a head to find out.
Runs good & that's good enough for me.
Bruce:
So what does the l* 3152*
l8F
stand for? the two vertical (l) indicate the front of the block & the 8F is underneath the numbers.
8F
S**** I tried to line up the 8F under the numbers but it keeps going to the beginning of the next line.

Mike B · 04-13-2015, 11:18 PM

I'm not nowhere a FH expert, tis why I come here to the barn...but, makes me think hard and long on the ad's description, the ad owner has done "30 FLATHEADS", or had 30...regardless. then mentions an obcsure engine, no one..even Bruce, has heard of...then goe's on to say rust free, etc...

Yes, nice looking car, but is it?

Mike51Merc · 04-14-2015, 08:01 AM

If the guy has done more than 30 flatheads, he ought to be a member here (or is he?).

ricklove · 04-14-2015, 08:56 AM

Bottom line; IMHO it appears to be a reasonable price if the car is as nice as the pics present and he claims (always inspect before you buy). The "fluff" about the engine could be what he was told and is passing it along as gospel. If I was a potential buyer; I'd probably be making a trip to Rapid City to check it out personally.

Bob C · 04-14-2015, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike B

I'm not nowhere a FH expert, tis why I come here to the barn...but, makes me think hard and long on the ad's description, the ad owner has done "30 FLATHEADS", or had 30...regardless. then mentions an obcsure engine, no one..even Bruce, has heard of...then goe's on to say rust free, etc...

Yes, nice looking car, but is it?

Have to be careful there, he didn't say it was rust free
he said "It has no rust through anywhere"

Bob

Bruce Lancaster · 04-14-2015, 09:35 AM

Those numbers are way too low to be serials and aren't right for Ford engine part numbers or models...as a flying guess, they may be an engine number stamped on by a rebuilder to identify the engine as one he did.
The thing looks like a neat car with a running flathead...that's plenty good enough. The top secret unknown goodies, though...

04-13-2015, 05:51 PM	#1
corvette8n Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: 36 miles north of Albany NY Posts: 3,323	Is this really true Found this on a Craigslist ad, I can't verify this info using the Early Ford V8 book, is this guy pulling my leg. The block is a 1946 "F". It looks like a 59AB, but it has a factory 4 inch stroke. This is not the Mercury crank, but a ford factory crank......very hard to find. Not only that, the block was factory ported. http://bismarck.craigslist.org/cto/4942307754.html

04-13-2015, 05:56 PM	#2
Kahuna Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NorCal Posts: 2,617	Re: Is this really true Pulling your leg, I think

04-13-2015, 06:09 PM	#3
deuce_roadster Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Shelton, WA Posts: 4,043	Re: Is this really true While the car looks to be worth the asking price, the info on the engine is very suspect. Probably the engine was rebuilt by someone who did the porting work on it and changed to a merc crank (if indeed it has a 4" crank and was ported). I would ask the current owner where he got his info regarding the engine. Did he see it apart?

04-13-2015, 06:16 PM	#4
Scott H in Wheaton Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Wheaton, IL near Chicago Posts: 861	Re: Is this really true Maybe that's the engine Ford has been looking for in the last 70 years...you know the story, its a factory experimental and was never supposed to be sold, it has a carburetor that gets 100mpg and the oil industry and automakers don't want the public to know because it would kill profits, etc etc Making a one-off engine with a 4" crank and spending the time to at the factory to port the engine just doesn't jive with assembly line production methods used in the 40's. Is he claiming it was something done for the war effort? Mac Van Pelt might know something if anything is available on it.

04-13-2015, 06:19 PM	#5
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Is this really true He may be referring to factor relived. There are a lot of factor relived blocks, but don't thing I have heard of the factor ported block.

04-13-2015, 06:24 PM	#6
Scott H in Wheaton Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Wheaton, IL near Chicago Posts: 861	Re: Is this really true Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Is it a French Flathead?

04-13-2015, 06:40 PM	#7
Bruce Lancaster Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Madison, NJ Posts: 5,230	Re: Is this really true Yessir, the fabled F motor, handbuilt in the toolmaking department especially for Harry Bennett's fleet of speed cars that shuttled Henry to his mistresses' houses and transported union organizers to their free company sponsored diving lessons in Lake Huron... They were all supposed to have been destroyed at Henry's death...obviously one survived! Must be worth millions! Of something!

04-13-2015, 06:50 PM	#8
51 MERC-CT Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: East Hartford, Ct Posts: 5,898	Re: Is this really true Very possible that it indeed may be a factory Ford crank that was stroked but not by the factory. __________________ DON'T RECALL DOING SOMETHING FOR MYSELF BASED ON SOMEONE ELSE'S LIKES OR DISLIKES

04-13-2015, 07:37 PM	#10
Bruce Lancaster Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Madison, NJ Posts: 5,230	Re: Is this really true Argentine cars were built from USA parts...there was no factory, just assembly in flathead days. I think in 1934 flathead engines were built only at Rouge plant and in Canada, which between then supplied all assembly plants everywhere. Before the Merc 4" crank was released in '49, strokers were scarce and expensive. '39-48 Merc cranks could be offset ground to Ford rod size for a pitiful 1/8" increase, or given a shaky larger larger increase with welding or metal spraying. Risky and expensive. Some entirely special cranks were made, off the financial map for most humans.

04-13-2015, 07:56 PM	#11
Tinker Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: MN Posts: 7,063	Re: Is this really true Isn't a merc 4" crank still a ford crank? It's not a Chevy crank anyway. No pictures of the famous engine in the add? Strange... It'd be interesting to check out anyway. Grill looks repop too. Maybe not. Bob curiously for the price of a gasket would have me pulling that head...

04-13-2015, 08:13 PM	#12
tubman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys Posts: 12,139	Re: Is this really true Bruce Lancaster is right. That was the same group that produced the "factory" McCullogh blown F1 that they were hawking a few years ago. Guy selling it swore up and down that it came from the factory that way.

04-13-2015, 08:23 PM	#13
Bruce Lancaster Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Madison, NJ Posts: 5,230	Re: Is this really true ...the price of a gasket would have me pulling that head... You'd need to pull the pan and a rod cap for meaningful search of the almost certainly false claim...he seems to be calling it an early engine with something predating the '49 merc! It would have to be an unaltered crank in early style, one hole per throw and no cleanouts, to be anything unusual. If it has a merc crank, it is simply a normal hop-up performed after 1949, not what he seems to be claiming. I'm not saying Ford didn't do undocumented private tests of unusual experiments, but if one turns up...it needs more than unexplained mystery codes and a unique crank that so far only exists in unsupported verbiage... Last edited by Bruce Lancaster; 04-13-2015 at 08:29 PM.

04-13-2015, 08:46 PM	#14
Tinker Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: MN Posts: 7,063	Re: Is this really true Hey it's the Internet it must be true.

04-13-2015, 09:44 PM	#15
B-O-B Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ft Mohave,Az Posts: 2,011	Re: Is this really true Tinker: My thought is if it ain't broke don't break it. so I ain't pulling a head to find out. Runs good & that's good enough for me. Bruce: So what does the l* 3152* l8F stand for? the two vertical (l) indicate the front of the block & the 8F is underneath the numbers. 8F S**** I tried to line up the 8F under the numbers but it keeps going to the beginning of the next line.

04-13-2015, 11:18 PM	#16
Mike B Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oakdale,Ca Posts: 1,323	Re: Is this really true I'm not nowhere a FH expert, tis why I come here to the barn...but, makes me think hard and long on the ad's description, the ad owner has done "30 FLATHEADS", or had 30...regardless. then mentions an obcsure engine, no one..even Bruce, has heard of...then goe's on to say rust free, etc... Yes, nice looking car, but is it?

04-14-2015, 08:01 AM	#17
Mike51Merc Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Northeast Pennsylvania Posts: 1,582	Re: Is this really true If the guy has done more than 30 flatheads, he ought to be a member here (or is he?).

04-14-2015, 08:56 AM	#18
ricklove Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Columbus MS Posts: 241	Re: Is this really true Bottom line; IMHO it appears to be a reasonable price if the car is as nice as the pics present and he claims (always inspect before you buy). The "fluff" about the engine could be what he was told and is passing it along as gospel. If I was a potential buyer; I'd probably be making a trip to Rapid City to check it out personally.

04-14-2015, 09:35 AM	#20
Bruce Lancaster Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Madison, NJ Posts: 5,230	Re: Is this really true Those numbers are way too low to be serials and aren't right for Ford engine part numbers or models...as a flying guess, they may be an engine number stamped on by a rebuilder to identify the engine as one he did. The thing looks like a neat car with a running flathead...that's plenty good enough. The top secret unknown goodies, though...