59ab & 8ba

Thanks Ol'Ron (we may be near the same age).
Calculating the costs, it looks like going the 8ba route is best.
Since I am a newbee to ford barn, tell me about your book.
Even if I don't use the 59ba setup, I am always interested in learning.
ol'dave -TX
 
My book is called 'Nostalgia" rebuilding and modifying the ford Flathead. You can get it from Max VP and allot of parts as well. If you want a good read about these engines, get JWL's book as well it called "Flathead facts". It's really a fun little motor.
 
Thanks all.
I live at Ennis - about 40 miles south of Dallas.
As you can tell from my ID, I have a 62 Skylark convertible, and:
a 62 skylark hardtop
53 Chevy belair hardtop
64 dodge dart convertible,
40 ford pickup - hemi
2000 special edition Miata
and currently working on 46 tudor - mild, but not stock.
I also note that some end their posts with a clever thought.

Mine is - Learn from others mistakes, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself.
 
Update on my 59ab and 8ba saga.
My search for an 8ba crank turned up a nice one nearby.
It happened to be a Merc 4" that had already been turned and polished .010/.010.
Research showed that my 8ba rods were ok, but I would need different pistons.
My machinist said that was a good route to go, and suggested boring out to .125.
Speedway allowed me to return the 59ab pistons and then I got 4"- .125 pistons.
Early Ford let me return the 59ab rod bearings and I got bearings for the Merc crank.
Machine shop finished my engine work and I was looking forward to putting everything together this weekend.
Rear main bearing seemed a little tight. The crank would not seat on the thrust surfaces. Oh the fun of mixing parts.
Which is the correct bearing to use? The 59ab main or the 8ba main, or does the Merc crank use a different bearing?
dave-TX
 
If y our block is a 59AB, you must use the 59AB bearings. The front and middle are the same for both engines, but the rear is unique to the block.
 
Thank you very much.
After I went to bed, still thinking about this, I remembered that I still have the set of 59ab main bearings +.010 that I got for the original 59ab crank.
I planned to check them for fit this morning.
 
Aw Ron, if you know what you are doing takes all the fun out of it;-)
Remember those days when there was no online, and few books.
Trial and error was our education.
 
And we remembered what we did wrong.

Side note:
Those 59ab bearings I have are NOS.
An interesting find was that someone had packed a piece of newspaper in the box.
The top of the page was torn off, so I don't know which paper or exact date.
One side was stock market info and the other side were obituary notices.
I can't exactly determine the year, but the day was May 10th.
I am sure that it was a Massachusetts paper, because they list "Massachusetts soldiers missing or wounded".
There are a few used car ads that I can make out:
a 38 dodge coupe - $600, 41 olds w/16000 miles - $1400, 36 plymouth - $265.
Interesting find in a box that hasn't been opened in 70+ years.
 
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