1934 Pickup with 8ba...install problems

Redhorse1947

Redhorse1947

Member
After several years driving an un-restored 1934 pickup (59ab motor w/alternator mounted fan & single 5/8” fan belt) I began a rebuild. I will install and 8ba (Mercury) with 59ab heads. I have read all the info about plugging the water by-pass holes in the head and block and using 1948 8RT truck water pumps. My question is “why” 8RT pumps?
The old 59ab motor used 78-8505/6 pumps lubed from the block. I realized an 8ba does not allow for oiling the water pumps but when I use 8RT pumps it moves the wide pulley center line forward an additional 2 1/8” and now the alternator w/fan won’t fit and even if it did would crash into the radiator.

Can someone that has installed an 8ba in a 1933/34 pickup tell me more about the:
water pumps or
pulleys or
alternator or
fan you used to complete the 8ba installation? Pictures would be WONDERFUL.
 
gotta clear the distributor from the 8ba is reason for the 8RT pumps....if you use the distributor, etc. from the 59A, you can use those early pumps, etc...Mike
 
Mike, THANKS for your input. I plan on using pre-1949 distributor so "clearing" the post distributor is not an issue. If I use my current 78-8505/6 pumps HOW will they be lubricated? The 8ba block does not have any sort of opening to allow crankcase oil to enter the 78-8505/6 pumps.
 
If you use the early distributor on the 8BA so you can use the "early" style water pumps, there's a camshaft issue to be dealt with. The 8BA cam has a "nose" which protrudes forward.
 
I have a 34 pickup with a 51' 8BA engine that I installed. If I had it to do over again I would have put the early cam in it with the early distributor and water pumps. The stock 8BA engine is quite a bit longer due to everything being moved forward to clear the distributor. In stock form there isd no way that you can put the engine in the 33/34 as they are, I believe, the smallest engine compartments of all the early Fords. Unless you are converting to open driveshaft the engine location is what it is.
I raised the engine to clear the crossmember using the 8RT truck water pumps mounting off of the frame rails.
I used a wide sheave 8BA puley which matches with the wide sheave truck water pumps and then I put a wide pulley on the generator. I use an electric fan behind the radiator. With a nice clean block and the timing set correctly I rarely use the fan anyway. It can be wired thermostatically or manually switched.
By the way, raising the engine requires shimming the transmission mounts a little for aligment. I have a 39 tansmission in it with a stock 4;10 rear (soon to be 3:54)
My truck runs well with no problems. I drive it almost daily.
 
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