block id

Lawrie

Lawrie

Well-known member
I have just pulled another of the blocks apart I got the other week,it has 99 cast on the front by the waterpump ,
is this a murcury block?
Thanks.Lawrie
 
Lawrie said:
I have just pulled another of the blocks apart I got the other week,it has 99 cast on the front by the waterpump ,
is this a murcury block?
Thanks.Lawrie
Click to expand...
As 99 is easy to 'add' to a block it is imperative to check (amongst other things) the shape of the very center water passage. a Mercury block has a round hole there while the Ford block has a keystone shape hole.
Bearing journals are larger in a Merc as well.
 
If the 99 is CAST like you say, I believe that is common on Canadian engines...which is what you would have, so it presumably really is a 99.
USA ones had no cast ID, and only some had the stamped 99.
USA early 24 studs have to be identified by detailed examination, Canadian ones are as easy as the 59A.
 
Lawrie or Bruce
Which water pump is the "99" casting near (right or left side) and I assume it would be just above since the rest is machined flat.

I don't see too many Canadian made flathead FoMoCo parts down here in Texas but you never know.

Kerby
 
Mine had 99 cast on the front of the block at the right water pump. It also had 99 cast in the block, INSIDE the casting, down in the center water hole.
 
check this pic
 

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  • New Block 02.jpg
    New Block 02.jpg
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USA engines had no such ID as the Canadians, and only a portion of '39-40 blocks from here had the "99" stamping, which was on the right front area of the upper block manifold surface, right about where the above photo is cut off at the top.
 
Walt,the block has the 99 cast as in pic, it will hold a pencil, has the large bearings,the round water passage in the centre, it also has thick liners,bore is 3.3/16
The rods were rusty so I binned them,I have not got the cam out yet,
So I should keep the block, or pass it on to someone with a murcury.
Lawrie

5079071537_f5853e566f.jpg
 
Hey Lawrie, is the block factory relieved? It's hard to tell in the pic. It looks as if the sleeve sticks up above the block on the valve side. It would be interesting to know how thick those sleeves are. The .040 wall sleeves have a shoulder on the top so they look thicker just looking at the top. Walt
 
Walt, the block is not relieved,there is just so muck crud around the valves.
The sleeves look about .100 thick,I dont think they have a lip on them as when I drove the pistons out a couple moved,one moved up and the other down,.
Would the eng be a 39.How would I tell.
Thanks .Lawrie
 
It is definitely a '39 block the the 99 identifies it as so. The first '9' denotes the year 1939 and the second '9' denotes that it is 95 HP (3 & 3/16 bore). They were not installed in Ford passenger cars, they were only installed in Mercury passenger cars in '39 and I believe they were also an option for some commercial vehicle applications as well as being the engine of choice for a wide variety of military vehicles as well as stationary equipment i.e. generators and pumps etc.
 
Yes, 39-40 Merc and truck 239...but I've never seen one with the 99 cast into the block! I wonder if it could be a migrant Canadian block; look at rods and bearings and see if there is any Canada or USA mark, or if there is a "C" at very beginning of the rod or bearing numbers. C99, for instance.
 
I had better get them from the bin and look,I know that the bearing shells had ford on them but looked no further.
Are the liners availible as a ford part or just from the local eng reconditioner shop.Thanks Lawrie
 
Hey lawrie, if the sleeves are thick and don't have a lip, it's probably been resleeved back to std. There probably 1/8 wall sleeves. If so with the sleeve out the bore will be 3-7/16 Some people have bored those thick blocks to 3-7/16 and run them. You might be able to make a screamer out of that engine. Walt
 
Walt,I think I will clean it and store it under the bench.
I have been playing around with the data logger on the dragster,we will be able to get lots of hopefully good usable info from it.
Lawrie
 
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