221 motor - couldn't resist

[46ford]

Got this off Craigslist. Was this an original color for these motors? Appears to be a 221.

Wife says I'm not allowed to bring any more home because they make the garage look "yucky". I told her that for what I paid I will stack them.

 

[ford1]

fords were dark green till 42 then after the war they were dark blue till around 49 50 if my memory is correct, there were some bronze an orange colors around that time till 53

 

[Russ/40]

The pans were black. Been repainted

 

[ken ct]

Looks like a 24 studder,38-41,not sure if they were 221 or 239.They were green. 3 bolt dist was up to 41. ken ct.

 

[Barry WNY]

Like a box of chocolates... I was given a junk motor for scrap, the cylinders were cracked from water. But there was no ridge & had a tag " ford replacement " crank, rods, cam, hollow adjustables, bearings like new & saved them all.

 

[46ford]

This one has no ridge either. He said it was rebuilt at some point and not used much, that explains the green pan maybe. Cyl walls look good and couldn't see any cracks. For $100 I said "load it up".

Just need to find a 3-bolt distributor now. Oh, and another car to put it in.

 

[Gumpy]

I picked up an engine similar to that...the gent said he had it running 8 years ago before his grandfather passed on...I said I'll take it....had a truck then but one time loaded up an engine in the trunk of a honda civic....put it on a piece of plywood......lived about a mile away and unloaded it myself!

 

[ken ct]

This one has no ridge either. He said it was rebuilt at some point and not used much, that explains the green pan maybe. Cyl walls look good and couldn't see any cracks. For $100 I said "load it up".

Just need to find a 3-bolt distributor now. Oh, and another car to put it in.

I got 3 bolt dizzys. ken ct.

 

[JM 35 Sedan]

Got this off Craigslist. Was this an original color for these motors? Appears to be a 221.

Wife says I'm not allowed to bring any more home because they make the garage look "yucky". I told her that for what I paid I will stack them.

Tell your wife you will make her a coffee table and a set of end tables using those old FH blocks LOL. I rescue every FH engine that comes my way if the price is right. One complete '36 engine that was given to me turned out to be an LB with low miles and no ridge at top of cylinders. Don't discount those 221 engines. They can usually be built to take you as fast as you need to go on the road. Now if you are going drag racing or trying to set a new land speed record at B'ville, that's a horse of a different color. JMO

 

[46ford]

I have extra crab distributors and 2-bolt front covers. Looks like this can be adapted to run the 2-bolt distributor. Anyone done this?

 

[Barry WNY]

Yes, I forget the arrangement but some situations require a "button" extension for the driveshaft, others a spacer to move the distributor body out, I have somehow aquired both. Seem's to have to do with different cams. My 37 uses the 2 bolt cover & crab, has a weber cam. Originally it had the 3bolt & i believe that's where the button came from.

 

[ford1]

LOL gumpy, i could never do that, but back in the 60's when i raced the flatheads on a short flat paved track i went thru a lot of those engines, but could buy all you wanted at the wrecking yards for $15-20 apiece, no way to get an engine hoist over to the pile where they were at, so bob shannon and i would go over and pick up a six pack of lucky larger then go get Harold Hammontree, take him over to the pile and tell him what motors we wanted, that guy would reach down and pick the engine up and carry it over to my p/u, i will tell you i was a little afraid of that man, i dont think he knew how strong he was, just a memory you brought back with your story

 

[oldford2]

If you want to change over the 221 from a 3 bolt dizzy to a 2 bolt crab. When you mount the 2 bolt cover you will find that the cam "sticks out too far" so the crab will not seat. So, you need a spacer to make it work. Dick Spadora has these. John

 

[danliveshere]

I bought my 37 21stud motor about 15 years ago for $100. It hadn't run for over 20 years but was in a barn for most of that time and it had never been repaired as the owner had the truck from new. Got it home , took the sump off, the inlet cover off, filled all the cylinders with oil and slowly rotated it. Every valve was stuck in the open position but with persistance I got 16 valves free and had compression. Put the motor back together with my exhaust manifolds, replaced the water pumps, crab distributer and put it in the roadster and she fired straight up. Yes she burns oil, not alot of power but at the time it's all I could afford. I do have a 35 motor to put in at some stage but it did the job for me and many a good time. Yep, I'm at the stacking them stage too, cause they're getting too scarce to let them be turned into recycled new cars.