My next flathead build?

[Ziggster]

Acquired this 59A? industrial engine yesterday. Posted a few pics in this thread.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338208

It was used locally as a ski lift on some private property probably 70 yrs ago or more according to the seller (son of the original owner/operator). He says it ran when “parked”, which I’m guessing was close to 70 years ago. He says though it was always covered, and there was a large steel cover that seemed to fit the engine stand, but they were keeping it. He felt positive that it wasn’t seized, but we’ll see. I will start digging into it over the next few weeks as time permits.

[Ziggster]

Some more pics. Has some sort of belt-driven “governor” (last pic) that is connected to the throttle. If anyone knows what it is, or how it works. Please chime in. I’m hoping the aluminum heads are salvageable. If they are, I might swap them into my other flathead. This just might be another gem in the rough. Weird how I ended up with two flatheads used as industrial engines.

[Ggmac]

Thats a complete and interesting set up . Good luck and I’ll be following.

[Bored&Stroked]

Best of luck with it . . . looks like some fun! That is one big ole' industrial generator - have never seen one like it. Hopefully you can get the heads off of it without too many swear-words . . . that will probably be a bit of "fun" to say the least! I'll be watching and working with you vicariously! LOL

[cadillac512]

That governor is similar to others added to automotive engines used to power farm equipment or other steady rpm applications. Inside the gov unit are weights attached to a shaft,balanced by a spring, and when the weights spin they pull against the spring which in turn opens or closes the throttle to maintain preset rpm. That way varying load doesn't change engine speed or require an operator to control the throttle.

[Ziggster]

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Ok. Thanks. That makes sense based on its’ use.

[Ziggster]

There seems to be a thermostat(s) under all that rust. Nuts came off the head studs easily on the PS along with some studs. Qty 10 studs came out with the nuts. All the threads on the studs are in great shape so far. Next are the plugs.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

There seems to be a thermostat(s) under all that rust. Nuts came off the head studs easily on the PS along with some studs. Qty 10 studs came out with the nuts. All the threads on the studs are in great shape so far. Next are the plugs.

[GB SISSON]

I had an industrial flathead on a trailer mounted welder in the early 90s. It was always overheating. During one of those times when "I'm gonna get out of this flathead thing" occured, I gave the engine to a local guy for his '40 ford. Turned out to be crack free and had that beautufully executed factory relief. I'm hoping your's has it too. I may still have some of the 'industrial' parts for it in my attic.

[Ziggster]

The PS head started coming off easily towards the front of the block, but of course there had to be one stud with crud/corrosion around it. I slowly worked my way towards the rear of the head, prying on it while driving in some slim carpenters tool (not sure what they’re called). I could see the stud was moving with the head, while all other studs remained still. Placed the nut back on the problematic stud and began tapping it with a small hammer. That loosened up some crud, and now I could see a gap around the stud and the hole in the head. However, prying on the head still causes the stud to move with it. Not liking what I’m seeing, I decided to call it quits for the day. Thinking I might just weld the nut to the stud and hope it comes out easily like some of the others.

[Ziggster]

Some pics of the plugs. All look good except second last one from rear of block.

[GB SISSON]

You're gonna leave us dangling til tomorrow to see what's under there? I probably know what most of those carpenter tools are, but I use a series of hardwood wedges. Just be mindful that there will be some open valves you can hit with a tool or a wedge.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

The PS head started coming off easily towards the front of the block, but of course there had to be one stud with crud/corrosion around it. I slowly worked my way towards the rear of the head, prying on it while driving in some slim carpenters tool (not sure what they’re called). I could see the stud was moving with the head, while all other studs remained still. Placed the nut back on the problematic stud and began tapping it with a small hammer. That loosened up some crud, and now I could see a gap around the stud and the hole in the head. However, prying on the head still causes the stud to move with it. Not liking what I’m seeing, I decided to call it quits for the day. Thinking I might just weld the nut to the stud and hope it comes out easily like some of the others.

[38 coupe]

When you get a chance can you post a couple pictures of the big generator and matching regulator? I have a small collection of big generators for the 8BA era stuff, but nothing from the 41-48 era.

[Ziggster]

Originally Posted by 38 coupe

When you get a chance can you post a couple pictures of the big generator and matching regulator? I have a small collection of big generators for the 8BA era stuff, but nothing from the 41-48 era.

Are you referring to the “regular” generator above the intake?

[Ziggster]

Got a bit further, but still haven’t tried to get the head off. Surprised at how easily all of the bolts/nuts are coming off even though some look really corroded. Thought the intake you just pop off, but it’s stuck on the two locating dowels/pins. Being really stubborn. Going to leave it for a bit.

[Ziggster]

Just about have the DS head off, but she’s stuck on one stud. Always one problem child…

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

Just about have the DS head off, but she’s stuck on one stud. Always one problem child…

As a father of four, I can relate

[Ziggster]

Haha! I only have two (girls), but they’re good for the most part (now that they are out of the house). Well, technically, youngest just finished first year of engineering, and is back for the summer.

Good news! Got the DS head with a piece of wood used as a lever. What do you folks think?

Of course, being the idiot I am, I left one bolt on the intake manifold, once removed, it popped off. Yep, I even said to myself beforehand to make sure I got them all.

[Ziggster]

Damn! What happened to the pics? Too many attachment windows open.

[Ziggster]

The sludge is super thick in the valley. I can scoop it out with my fingers. Noticed the block isn’t relieved like my C59A block. Interesting also is the intake is different with the filler neck, and mine also had the crab style distributor. Not sure what you call this style distributor. Can’t see any cracks, and cylinder walls look good.
Next is to weld on a nut or two on the PS studs to see if that makes a difference in getting the studs out and the head off.

[38 coupe]

[38 coupe]

That looks crusty and gunky, but so far nothing looks catastrophic. I would check the oil pan rail for freeze cracks before getting too excited, but I'm cautiously optimistic for you.

The head looks surprisingly good, can you tell if the internal water passages look solid?

[Ziggster]

Will get back at it later this morning. Need to get the PS head off next. Then get the trans pulled, and then get it on an engine stand, but I need to get at least one of the exh manifolds off to mount it to the stand.
Honestly, it doesn’t look too bad. A bit of water came out from the block heater coolant hoses, but that is my fear - cracked block along the pan rails.

[Ziggster]

Finally got the engine free from the stand and in my garage. Pulled the starter and PS exh manifold shine it was still on the stand in my trailer. Got one stubborn bolt left on the DS exh manifold (front bottom).
Welded a nut to the stubborn head stud and no luck. Tried two more times, and nut/weld just breaks off, and now threads are getting beat up. The crud between the head and the stud is disappearing a bit I guess burning off from the heat developed during welding which is good, but not sure how to proceed. It feels like the stud is really stuck in the block as it not even budging.
Going to remove the trans next and see if I can get it in my engine stand. Noticed it has the same rare truck oval clean out as my other flathead which is a nice bonus.
Hers is all the dirt that came with the stand. Lol! Oh yeah, the oil actually looks clean on the dipstick!

[Bored&Stroked]

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If you don't need the head, then you might use a hole-saw and just saw down around the stud. It is a brutal way, but sometimes yah gots to do what yah gots to do!

BTW, I've seen oil like that . . . thinking how nice and clean it was. Then I found out that the ole' non-detergent oil had separated in the pan and there was a nice thick layer of sludge to greet me on the bottom!

My bet, that is what you'll find . . .

[Ziggster]

I want to keep the head as if it is like the other, will be in excellent condition. I agree, there will be lots of sludge in the pan just like the valley, but it was nice to “clean” oil on the dipstick. It seems to be shaping up that this engine is actually in very good shape. Fingers crossed.

[kurt v]

I would heat stud red hot let cool pb blaster, next day same thing after couple days block of wood and heavy hammer , wack the head front to back and up and down, not to kill it just shock it. It will come lose just takes time.

[Ol' Ron]

my next Flathead build (already started) will consist of a small displacement built will all flathead parts except the carb distributor ar generator. The engine will have adaquit power Long longevity and low Cost under 3K$ if you have a good block. any block from late 38 thru 53 will do. Stay tuned/
Gramps

[Ziggster]

Will do. Thanks.

Got it on my engine stand and of course made a royal mess when I pulled the pan. I removed the large plug first, but nothing came out, so figured there wasn’t much in there. Lol!

Snapped a bolt that was in the inlet of the PS water pump, but was using the impact. Other one came out easily by hand. Not sure why I decided to use the impact. Impeller on DS was disintegrated! Looks like some kind of white metal. Never seen that before. Impeller on PS pump was intact but with some holes from corrosion.

Good news is there are no cracks along the pan rails! I think this block is good, but only a thorough cleaning and pressure test will confirm that. I want to get the crank, rods, and pistons out, and that will be it for a while.

All three main caps are wired together. Interesting.

[Ol' Ron]

I have a question about the blocks used in the above post. I am fimilar with the 37 blocks and the 39 blocks but not sure about the 38 blocks at onepoin they had the small main 2.398?? then switched the the standard 2.498 crank Mamery is alittle vague!!

[Ziggster]

I think it’s a 59A block Ron. Pic of the casting number.

[Ziggster]

Forgot to post pics of the water pump impeller(s).

[Ol' Ron]

I Waz just thinking of the 38 block??
G

[Ziggster]

From VanPelt. Says, from 32-26, crank journals were 1.999”, and in 37 they increased to 2.399”. Their site doesn’t mention crank size journals for anything post 37 that I can find.

[Ziggster]

Noticed this hose and “cup” assy on the trans. What’s this for? I think my other flathead had the same same trans, but not this setup IIRC. Will need to check though.

[Ziggster]

Also, looking at the pistons, and the carbon ring at the top of the bore, they appear to much lower below the deck at full compression than my other flathead. My other flathead was bored 0.060” (bored 0.040” previously at some point), and I just got Egge 0.060” pistons, but they come up much higher in the bore. Curious to know if these new Egge pistons have dramatically increased the CR over stk in my other engine?

[38 coupe]

That is a interesting combination of parts. In the USA the core plugs in the oil pan rail were phased out in late 1940 with the switch to the "raised deck" blocks for 41 model year. The combination of round center water hole with upside down keystone bottom center water hole indicates a factory 239 pre-war or war time engine. Does the block pass the "pencil test"?


I would love to find an complete oil pan like that, they don't seem to have wandered south to Texas much at all.

[marko39]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

Noticed this hose and “cup” assy on the trans. What’s this for? I think my other flathead had the same same trans, but not this setup IIRC. Will need to check though.

that looks like a remote oiler for the clutch release bearing.

[Ziggster]

Almost there. She’s stuck on another stud. Patience is the key I guess…

Does this mean it passes the pencil test? Lol! My other C59A block is the same.

[Ziggster]

Finally!!!

Did what @kurt v said. Just heated up the stud with my MAPP torch for a few minutes. Gave it a few whacks with my brass 3lb hammer (best tool ever), and slowly wiggled it off. Used a pry bar with some bocks of wood under the gasket for the last little push. Also, got the stuck exh bolt out after heating it as well with the MAPP torch.

[cas3]

A 59a block should be sloped at the front, and not hold a pencil

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

Finally!!!

Did what @kurt v said. Just heated up the stud with my MAPP torch for a few minutes. Gave it a few whacks with my brass 3lb hammer (best tool ever), and slowly wiggled it off. Used a pry bar with some bocks of wood under the gasket for the last little push. Also, got the stuck exh bolt out after heating it as well with the MAPP torch.

[Ziggster]

Originally Posted by cas3

A 59a block should be sloped at the front, and not hold a pencil

That’s what I thought, but both my blocks seem to be C59A/59A. Maybe Canadian made blocks were different than those made in the USA?

The nut on front of the crank pulley was bent with all the tangs passing the hex, so had to cut them off. Not sure of the hex size, but can’t find any sockets to fit. Think it is 1 3/16”. I must have one somewhere as I have a new nut on my other flathead.

I’m going to see if both thermostats still work. Lol!

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

That’s what I thought, but both my blocks seem to be C59A/59A. Maybe Canadian made blocks were different than those made in the USA?

The nut on front of the crank pulley was bent with all the tangs passing the hex, so had to cut them off. Not sure of the hex size, but can’t find any sockets to fit. Think it is 1 3/16”. I must have one somewhere as I have a new nut on my other flathead.

I’m going to see if both thermostats still work. Lol!

[Ziggster]

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Couldn’t get the oil pump hsg out from the block. Got it to rotate a bit using a soft blow hammer and a large adjustable wrench, but it just doesn’t want to pop out.

The oil and sludge is just disgusting. It really smells, and I think it has to be somewhat toxic. I got a new jug of Fast Orange Microgel hand cleaner, and my hands are slightly swollen/
with a slight burning sensation. Not sure if it is the hand cleaner (Used Fast Orange before with the pumice with no issue) and/or the oil, but started using latex gloves which I should have used from the beginning. Started cleaning out the oil pan, and it’s beyond a mess.

Thanks to @PeteHoovie fast making the pics full size!

[38 coupe]

Your block is interesting. All the normal casting features indicate it is a 39-40 "99" block type (239 cubic inch engine):

• Round center water hole
• Upside down trapezoid lower water hole
• Core plugs in the oil pan rail
• Flat intake gasket surface

In the engine block identification thread we have pictures of a C69 block, which has most of the features of the USA 59 blocks. We might need to add a C59 block category to the list. Please keep posting pictures!

[Ziggster]

Will do for sure. Got the crank nut off last night. Took out my calipers, and measured the hex distance at 1.140”. Managed to get my 1 1/6” socket on it with a little persuasion. Tried again to get the crank to budge with my 3’ breaker bar, and no way. I’m going to see if I can get the crank pulley off and the crank out today. I have other things I need to do, but this is too much fun and much more interesting. Lol!

[Bored&Stroked]

That thing is one messy ole' girl now isn't she! It probably just ran and just chugged along at lower RPMs . . . building up all that carbon and sludge over the years . . .

[Ziggster]

Yeah, the seller said he remembers being a kid and that it was pretty slow (tow rope) going up the slope in 1st/2nd gear, but he said in 3rd gear it was pretty fast. He also mentioned that they would huddle up against the radiator to warm up after spending the day skiing. I love these kinds of stories.

[Ziggster]

Tried the thermostats. Both work really well. Respond almost instantly to boiling water and close quickly as well. Can’t get good pics because the steam instantly fogs up the camera on my phone. Seems a much better design and quality than modern stuff.

[Ziggster]

Now I know why it was so hard to get the oil pump out. Lol!

[Ziggster]

Wow! This is just nasty! No wonder it wouldn’t crank over.

[Ziggster]

Got the first piston out. Not too bad. Cleaned up some of the carbon and rust with an OLFA 1” blade and knocked it out, but busted one of the internal ridges of the piston. Crank main bearing is no good as I can feel ridges with my finger nail, so it will need a regrind.

[Ziggster]

Well folks, by some miracle, I was able with help from my youngest to get all the pistons out, and eventually the crank out. It wasn’t easily by any stretch and at several points I thought I was at a dead end, but I guess perseverance pays off in the end.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

Well folks, by some miracle, I was able with help from my youngest to get all the pistons out, and eventually the crank out. It wasn’t easily by any stretch and at several points I thought I was at a dead end, but I guess perseverance pays off in the end.

[Bored&Stroked]

I sure hope you get at least a great block out of it! That thing needs about the more thorough cleaning one can imagine! I've never seen so much carbon and sludge buildup. Amazing that any oil actually got through to the crank/rods. Great job!

[Ziggster]

Thanks! Words of encouragement mean a lot. These things really are largely a labour of love. In an age of throw away things, I really appreciate being able to touch and experience the things of yester-year where there was incredible quality, ingenuity, and beauty. This thing will live again, and hopefully will inspire others to get involved in the hobby.

[Ziggster]

Some more pics of some of bores with the wurst corrosion. Just cleaning up my tools now, and trying to get this disgusting grease/oil off of everything. The sludge/oil from the pan is so thick it won’t even drain through the funnel into the container. It’s like a super thick milkshake. Lol!

[Ziggster]

Also noticed my home made 1/4” thk plate used to support the block had warped. Will need to add some gussets or add another plate.

[sidevalve8ba]

I sure hope that block is not cracked. You have put too much effort into this for that disappointment.

[tubman]

If that bent your mounting plate, I'll bet it is one of those super heavy blocks Ford made specifically for Ski-Tow use. I have heard the walls are so thick that they'll take a 4 inch bore!

[RB]

Need to back track & read further, however by virtue of the sludge you describe am I correct in assuming this was not a propane operated engine?

[Ziggster]

Haha! She was bent even more when the engine was upside down. Forgot to measure the bore. She’s stk!

[Ziggster]

Originally Posted by RB

Need to back track & read further, however by virtue of the sludge you describe am I correct in assuming this was not a propane operated engine?

Not sure, but I doubt it.

[petehoovie]

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Originally Posted by Ziggster

Haha! She was bent even more when the engine was upside down. Forgot to measure the bore. She’s stk!

[38 coupe]

So far the pictures look encouraging. That looks like a great candidate for the bake and shot blast method of cleaning.
The worst disassembly I have done involved torching valves out to salvage adjustable lifters. Your efforts look harder.

[Bored&Stroked]

Yeah, the deck surface of that block is a bit strange . . . like a Merc 'Keystone" block from 39 - 42. Hopefully you end up with a good block - you're certainly putting the work into it!

[Ziggster]

Thanks gents! My first flathead was already disassembled when I purchased it, so this was my first attempt at disassembly. I had reassembled the short block so I had some experience, but it was an interesting learning experiencing figuring out how to get the crank in the relative correct position to knock the pistons out. The first two pistons (cylinders 7&8) I removed just happened to be positioned correctly. It seemed that no matter how much torque I applied to the crank pulley nut was going to make it budge. Even added a 16” long pc of pipe to my 3’ long breaker bar. Felt that I was about to snap the nut, so I stopped. Then got the idea to use my long pry bar on the flywheel teeth. That did the trick. I heard a snap, and the crank was finally free, but only. As blue to rotate about 1/4 of a revolution before some of the pistons hit the nasty corrosion on the lower parts of some of cyl bores. Tried a few more pistons, but the con rod would always get caught on the block. Would reassemble, rotate the crank and try another piston. Had one piston that was almost out, but again the con rod would get caught on the block. I would keep using the pry bar on the flywheel, and I think bit by bit I was able to get the crank to move ever so slightly more. I had to first clean away as much of the corrosion from the cyl bores as possible using a long and large flat nose screwdriver, and one of my prybars. I also used up 3.5 cans of PB Blaster in the process. Lol!
Will be a while before I get at removing the springs and cam as it seems I might need to get some special tools. I’m also a bit nervous about trying to remove the remaining head studs. Watched a few vids where some swear by heating them up with a oxy torch and then using lard, candle wax, or even bee’s wax. Haha! I think Wired Customs mentioned the lard. Still wasn’t sure what he used to remove the studs after that until someone in the comments asked, and he replied saying he used an SAW stud removal tool. Had to Google that as I had never heard of such a tool. Seems some swear by it and others say they’re junk. So not really reassuring.

[Ziggster]

Decided to pull the timing cover/ gear and the oil plugs/ fitting on the bell hsg. Passage to oil pressure gauge was blocked solid. Lol! Timing gear appears to be aluminum!

[Ziggster]

Here are some pics of the identifying marks/numbers/letters I could find on the block.

[Ziggster]

A couple more.

[Ziggster]

Decided to try cleaning out some of the coolant passages. I blew some of them out when the engine was still sitting on my trailer with the one head removed, but had to stop because the cloud of rust was so bad. There was an incredible amount of rust in the rear PS large coolant port/passage. I probably pulled out a total of 30-40 lumps with my magnetic extension pickup tool in this port, and about 15-20 on the DS port. I used a couple of large slot screwdrivers to scrap the internal passages as best as I could. Also used a short piece of coat hanger. There was significantly less rust in front passages on both the PS and DS sides, and no real difference between these two sides.
IÂ’m sure itÂ’s been discussed thousands of times as it concerns overheating issues with these engines, but it is imperative that candidates for rebuild be cleaned from all the rust inside the block. On my previous flathead, the machine shop did not have the fancy equipment to do a really thorough job, and I did some remedial cleaning after I got the block back.

[38 coupe]

The marking on your block is confusing. It has all the features of a 1939-1940 "99" block. Can you wire brush the "59" marking to clean it up and post another picture of it?

Also, it may be worth it to find a shop just to clean the block that has the bake & blast equipment. Once clean you can do a good visual inspection, and if that passes, take it to a machine shop that knows flatheads.

[Ziggster]

Will do. Looks like there might be a “C” in front of the “5”. I checked my other engine, and like this one, there is no “59” or “59A” cast into the bell hsg. I watched a vid from Iron Trap garage the other day on YT, and he stated that all “59” blocks had the marking on the bell hsg.

[Ziggster]

Should mention that I posted this thread on the HAMB the other day, and someone commented about getting it checked out prior to putting it into storage. So, I dropped by a local machine shop while in town and the machinist who worked on my last flathead now works there. Spoke to the owner, and will be dropping it off next week for final disassembly, cleaning (hot tank), and magna/fluxed.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...orage.1316677/

[38 coupe]

I suspect that is "C99A" on the block. We have a nice thread here on the Ford Barn on identifying engines, it is more informative and more accurate than any youtube video I have seen.
Link: https://fordbarn.com/forum/showthrea...4280&showall=1


glennpm has included it amongst a large amount of technical information that is all downloadable here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ud0kc...=ticcdsmp&dl=0

[Bored&Stroked]

From looking at the lettering in the casting . . . sure looks like a C59A moniker to me?

Given that this is a Canadian block, the "rules" that IronTrap noted do not apply. The block also has the secondary oil port on the back - which I've typically seen in WWII production blocks and some industrial applications. My 1942 keystone block came from a WWII engine (still in the crate) - it has the same port.

Also, for every hard-fast rule that I've heard about in the 50 years I've been working on these darn things, there seems to ALWAYS be an exception. Multiple foundries, WWII in the middle, the need for replacement engines . . . it is a pretty "grey" area between 1942 and for a while after post-war civilian production was restarted.

[38 coupe]

I'm really curious what the mark looks like on the crusty engine after more cleaning. I suspect you are right, it is "C59A", but have learned not to speculate too much about an engine block before final details are known. We may (probably?) need to update the engine identification thread to include "C59A".

[Ziggster]

I played around with the settings on my iPhone camera. This is about as good as I can modify the image. I’m pretty sure the first digit is a “5”. There seems to be a faint “C” in front of the “5”, but really hard to be 100% positive. Having said that, this particular engine block seems to be identical to my other engine which has a better “C59A” identification mark. What I find interesting (at least to me), is that I ended up with two industrial engines, both with the heavy duty truck transmission included, and the rare truck oil pan with the large oval clean-out plate. What are the odds of that? Lol!

[Brian]

That is a C59A block... in the C69A block, the top row of coolant holes are oval/elongated...whereas the C59A block has round holes as pictured in post #20 in this thread.

[Ziggster]

Originally Posted by Brian

That is a C59A block... in the C69A block, the top row of coolant holes are oval/elongated...whereas the C59A block has round holes as pictured in post #20 in this thread.

I should mention, that the pic you referred to still had the head gasket on. I was even a little confused when I looked at that pic at one point, and had to go back and actually look at the block without the head gasket. I went through all the pics in this thread, and it seems there are no good pics of the block without the head gasket. I apologize for any confusion that may have caused. Here is a most recent pic of the block without the head baskets ready to be dropped off at the machine shop on a skid.

Having said that, I’ve always been a bit confused between the difference between a C59A and a C69A and perhaps I use them interchangeable sometimes.

[Ziggster]

Just to add to the point I made about C69A vs C59A, here is a pic of the rebuild plate on my first flathead which is stamped C69T,A. Damn!

[38 coupe]

That looks conclusively like "C59A". When I get some time I need to update the engine ID information.
Thanks for all the information and pictures.

[Ziggster]

Looking at the Van Pelt description, it mentions that the Canadian C59 blocks have the same marking on the bell hsg as the 59A blocks. As I mentioned previously in one of my posts, both my C59A blocks do not have this marking on the bell hsg, but have it only on the front DS portion next to where the head is located.
Also, the shape of the coolant hole(s) in the centre of the block do not match the Van Pelt description for a post war block. Again, the two C59A flatheads I have, have a large trapezoidal opening at the top, a round centre opening, and a smaller trapezoidal opening at the bottom.
Going through some older threads here on the Barn about the C69A/59A blocks, there was talk of them potentially having thicker cyl walls which can be seen apparently and measured. So, I going to try to measure the thickness of the cyl wall if I can since it seems this latest block is unmolested with the stk bore.

[Ziggster]

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So, hot glued a roller bearing to my caliper so I could reach down inside the lower coolant hole to measure the cyl wall thickness. Measured just under 10 mm (9.97 mm), or 0.393”. Not sure if this is a normal wall thickness or not, but folks with more experience should know. Seems kinda thick to me though.

[Ziggster]

Here is the measured dia of the same cyl bore I took the cyl wall thickness measurement from.

[GB SISSON]

That's a great idea with the ball glued on. I tried to do this measurement with some custom bent calipers, but got pretty inconclusive results. And I agree about the rare chance that you would end up with two of something that it seems many of us had never seen. You are really going at this thing!

[Mart]

The walls can sometimes be a little thicker right at the top. This is only from memory so please make checks yourself. I did have some success with an ultrasonic thickness checker.

[Ziggster]

Agree. I’ve read a few threads mentioning that on the HAMB. Rigged up a similar tool using a pair of dividers. A little less accurate for sure as the two larger points of contact on a curved surface won’t a give a true reading. Having said that, I measured the distance across the two arms of the divider just about the screw thread, in three places. At the top, about where I measured before, about the middle height of the bore, and as low as the divider could go which is about 4” down into the bore. At the top of the bore, I measured 0.321”, at the centre and “bottom”, I measured about 0.240” to 0.260”. There are definitely ridges/corrosion on the coolant side of the bore, so you have to keep that in mind. It is also thicker at the top of the bore just below the deck for about 1/4”. So, the first measurement is not a good point of reference. Measured the top again, a little further down and got 0.271”. I would say, at least with this block, and this particular cylinder wall, one could safely say it has a wall thickness of at least 0.250” top to bottom.

[Ziggster]

Some pics. Block is now in the back of my pick up. Will drop it off today instead.

[Ol' Ron]

I use that oil filter system in all my engines. It may not be the best but it works. I can also locTE THE FILTER ON A BRACKET BEHIND THE STEERING COLMN FOR EASY REPLACEMENT ANT NOT ON THE ENGINE./
gRAMPS
Sorry about the caps, computer soz that sometimes,
G