Just picked up a nice running 8ba Flathead and trans and was wondering how I can figure out the year of the motor and it's cu. in.? Also would like some opinions on weather to rebuild her completely while she's waiting to be installed or just run her the way she is since she seems to be in pretty decent shape? I'm not ready to start the project she will be going in just yet so I'm not sure if I should do a rebuild in the meantime or not?
If it runs and is in decent shape, why would you want to rebuild it? Flathead rebuilds are an expensive endeavor, so I'd wait until it really needs it or you want to do extensive performance modifications. Bob
I thought that was 49-53? And maybe the 48 trucks? Did ford put casting dates on their blocks like chevy did? If it has the original paint that can help identify. Henry got cheap towards the end of production, he stopped using hardened valve seats around 51 or 52? The shape of the oil pan can also tell you if it is a truck or car motor as well as the style of water pumps/belt width. Thats all I got.
Pretty sure the truck engines were 8RT, but when it came to Ford, anything available could be slipped in on the production line. The bottom line is that an 8BA is a 239 CI without an integral bellhousing, and with front water outlets.
Ask it how old it is then subtract from 2012, but ask nicely they can be sensitive about their age...
Thanks to everyone for their help and input. I'm considering the rebuild because i'm just the type that likes to do things right directly out of the gate.I'd rather spend the money and know what i've got rather then wondering when it's gonna crap out on me. Mostly what i'm looking to do,performance wise,is get a nice set of heads and whatever else would be required to go along with that. If anyone has any build suggestions as far as what parts are worth spending $ on, it would be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to figure out the date of manufacture, I have read and seen the stampings on the top, right, rear of the block, manifold area, indicate the date. Hopefully it has not been machined and removed. If no one jumps in with the letter, number deciphering, I will try and look it up.
If it runs good and you treat her right, it will run for years. Flatmotors are tough as long as you don't cook 'em.
If it runs why rebuild it? We pulled a stock running 8AB from a '49 truck chassis we found in a neighboring town about 50 miles away. Friend of a friend kind of thing. They said it ran so we plugged it into our 32 roadster project with a T5 and the thing came to life! Compression tested out good on all cylinders - no idea how many miles on the thing. Added electronic ignition. Been on the road about 2 years now. Only problem we had was a rod knock that appeared about a year after we installed it. We dropped the pan and installed new main and rod bearings. Price of the bearings was the painful part! The thing runs on down the road like a champ!!
'49-early '52 was 8BA (Merc was 8CM and truck 8RT), late '52-'53 was EAB (Ford) and EAC (Mercury). As has been mentioned already, EAB and EAC did not have hardened valve seats.
Early Years 21 Stud V8 (1932-38) Ford 1933 V8 Engine Shown (pumps in heads) The first section here will cover the common 221 cubic inch 85hp engines which had 21 studs per head. The displacement remained the same from the 1932 to 1937 versions. Ford started with cast iron heads but changed to aluminum heads for 1933. The aluminum heads were a problem in service and were frequently replaced with cast iron heads. Corrosion made the aluminum erode and become difficult to remove. The engines started out with poured main bearings as earlier Ford engines had used, but the change was made to insert type main bearings late in 1936 production. Production of V8's in 1932 was limited due to initial casting problems with the blocks, causing a high rejection rate. Many 1932 Ford cars were actually equipped with the four cylinder engine for this reason and the concern of the buying public about the reliability of the new V8 engine. The four cylinder engine was dropped in 1933 as production problems and reliability issues with the V8 engines subsided. Middle Years 24 Stud V8 (1938-48) In 1938 Ford made new changes to the flathead V8, the most obvious change being the use of 24 studs per head instead of 21 as previously used. The engine underwent various other changes as years passed.In 1939 when the Mercury car line was introduced, the engine's cylinder bore was opened up for a larger displacement in the Mercury car. Changes to the distributor occurred in 1942 and again in 1946. The cooling fan was driven by its own v-belt beginning with 1942 models. The engine continued to be cast with the upper bell housing integral with the cylinder block assembly. In the post-war production both Ford and Mercury versions had the larger bore (3-3/16"). Water outlets were in the top center of each cylinder head for all 1938 to 48 motors. Water pumps were mounted in the lower front corners of all blocks from this era, and doubled as the front motor mounting pad. Latter Years 24 Stud V8 (1949-53) Major changes occurred to the mid size flathead V8 in 1948 for the new Ford trucks and in 1949 for new Ford and Mercury cars. The new engine incorporated several changes, some obvious and some not. The heads are now bolted to the blocks with 24 bolts (rather than studs and nuts) and the water outlet fittings are moved up to the front corner of the head (rather than the middle of the head). Another major change was the use of the new "Load-A-Matic" distributor, which was driven off the front of the engine, but through a shaft mounted vertically at right angle to the axis of the engine. With this new engine, Ford stopped casting the bell housing integral to the cylinder block, and provided it as a separate component which was bolted on. Internal changes include using a straight stem valve with one-piece valve guide. The belts and pulleys for 1948/49 stayed with the 5/8" wide of previous years, but changed from 1950 on to the narrow belts. In general, the latter year flatheads were commonly referred to as the "8BA" type for Ford and "8CM" for Mercury. The truck version was identified as an "8RT". Later 1952 and '53 Fords and Mercurys were known as "EAB" and "EAC" respectively. These markings are generally cast into the cylinder heads. The truck versions often had different oil pans to accommodate the different suspensions, and some truck V8's were factory "relieved". The EAB's and EAC's did not have the hardened valve seat inserts like the earlier engines. http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flat ... ations.htm
Thanks so much for this information. According to this my engine would be in the 49-53 range due to the water outlet fitting being in the front of the motor.
Just food for thought. If you pull that motor apart there is about a 70% chance the block is cracked. You might be looking for a new one to rebuild. 3 out of 5 of my flatheads are cracked. They run fine with some cracks but when you magnaflux during the rebuild you might find a surprise. Might want to pull the heads and look around the valves, head gaskets are cheap.
No doubt i'm going to go through the motor before installing her. I'd probably want to put some new gaskets on her,anyway? In this hobby the word "surprise" is usually not something to cheer about
Its a good idea to pull the heads and pan anyway to see how things look. I bought a running motor and then it sat for 4 years before firing. Surprise! smoke. Left the motor in my A, pulled the pan and heads. Three pistons had cracked rings. New rings and gaskets and I was driving it the next day. Purrs now. My bearings all looked great and I got lucky that the motor was not cracked. If I had rebuilt it I would expect to pay 2 to 3 grand, not for a hop up, just basic rebuild. Your motor looks exactly like mine. All perdy and shit.
I think im going to pull my EAB, in favor of a 302 with an AOD. cost is the main factor in my decision to swap. i love the look of the Flathead, but the rebuild is gonna cost me an arm and a leg. Otherwise i would just rebuild.
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