This flathead had been floating around on the local internet for quite a while about 5 years ago with no takers so i took the gamble and bought it back then. What got my attention then was the little silver tag on the left side . ( i put the red circle on the original photo from the ad ) It,s a tag from a engine rebuilder. So why did,nt anyone else grab it sooner ? Maybe the missmatched heads or the crappy dipstick modification or the blue curtain or the round trip of 250 kilometers. These days just about everyone over here want,s to find all their parts around the corner, clean and all . Anyhow i got it home, put it under a tarp with the firewood and left it there until last week when i brought it inside. The thing still turned with a big wrench. So the date on the rebuild tag is 26 September 1962, big deal , that 56+ years ago. After a bit of cleaning i found the 99 stamp . Then i took of the heads, inlet manifold and oilpan. Would you believe clean as a whistle inside, everywhere. Even the cam still looks new. So after a bit of investigation it,s a 99A Mercury 239cu inch from 1939. I have a feeling after the recondition this engine was used for a short time and then went under a workbench somewhere. I believe the last owner just switched heads and oilpan for another engine. Last week i also found two replacement 81T heads which is actually why i finally decided to have a closer look at this engine. So this one is going in the collection with my 8BA & 8RT aquired from a U.S. airforce base about 25 years ago. Those two only have about 50 hours use according to the fitted hour clock .
Nice find! The double pulley arrangement would indicate that the water pumps, generator, and crank pulley are for a large truck or bus application.
A whole lot better than the Merc flatty I found. I had to hole saw the piston tops out to get the crank out to use in another engine.
Cool on you to take it and the reward of a nice clean motor - can you post a picture of the rebuild tag ?
Removed the waterpumps this arvo. Bolts inside the waterneck came loose without trouble. Like new. btw the engine shop is a fashion botique now.
W O W ! Goes to show you never can tell.....hm, sounds like a song & i'll bet that flatty will sound real nice too. GR8 find.
The Jalopy Journal
