The normal stroke for 1949 to 53 Ford flathead is 3-3/4". I thought that I read that some Canadian 53-54 Flathead 8RT truck engines have a 4" stroke crank. If they are all 3-3/4" then that is simple. Any help on the Cdn Ford Flathead 8RT stroke is appreciated. Thanks, Glenn
Canada: Ford/Merc trucks came with 3-3/4" stroke (8RT and EAB) . Merc cars had the 4" stroke in '49-54 (8CM and EAC). A lot of 4" engines were swapped into trucks over the years.
I had a line on a Ford 8RT & 53 Mecury Meteor that the owner said that the head is marked 1CM. I know Meteors were about 5hp less than the Mercury's which is done with a lower compression head. I have not seen the 1CM (One CM) listed anywhere as a head designation. That is one I do not recognize and it is a 3 hr drive to look. Both are asking too much and giving it time to let reality to set in then they may be more willing to negotiate. That is how I eventually got the 1940 car down to reasonable & where I could afford it. No deep pockets Thank you.
1CM is just a '51 Merc designation, probably a miniscule increase in compresson over the earlier 8CM. There were also C1CM, Canadian '51 Merc, that were aluminum and maybe 1 step higher comp. NEVER assume a flathead head designation means the engine itself is a Merc, as the heads will fit anything. Also, Merc cranks crop up everywhere in all versions of '39-53 Fords, as they were always well known and went into many rebuilds to suit the owner.
Bruce, Thank you for the information on the Cdn Mercury Flatheads. I agree that anything could exist under a set of heads. Anything to keep them running. There are the Meteors to add to the mix as well. It makes it interesting looking at these engines. I can understand why everyone is cautious and not keen to spend too much for an engine that is an unknown with a good probability of being cracked. Glenn
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