59AB Flathead looking to buy.

oldiron73

oldiron73

Junior Member
Found a 59AB flathead was told it ran a couple years ago.
It is real nice and clean. I did pull the heads and they have slight ridge on the cylinder wall and the valves look good and clean.
It is missing the distributor, does anyone have one for sale at a decent price or am I better off running aftermarket.
Are all 59AB's 239ci.
I can purchase this engine for 300 dollars which seems like a good deal for a clean and almost complete flattie, and I think will run with some time and a little money.
Just would like some imput.
Thanks.......
 
i am assuming you already examined the deck for any cracks and haven't found any. this would be a real good sign if so. don't worry about the slight ridge on the walls if it is all uniform. you probably have some wear on the rings which you can deal with later. the distributor is fairly inexpensive, i would get one and have it re-done (bubba just did mine and he is on fordbarn and it lookss great) as this is something you don't want to be going back to fix once installed. i paid $30.00 for a good core, just make sure you get the right one. i believe all 59abs are 239ci, as far as i know. and $300 is a fair price for what you have described (assuming no cracks and assuming it does turn over by hand). good luck, flatties are a blast to run and work on IMHO.
 
Some 59ab's have been found to be 3 1/16, but that is very rare. Generally they are 3 3/16. I think the price is reasonable, and the fact you pulled the heads is good insurance. Not a guarantee of usability but your chances are good. Sometimes you can arrange for a refund if after total disassembly you find a fatal flaw.
 
Sounds like a pretty good price. You'll want to go over all the accessories - water pumps, carb, dist, etc. If you have trouble finding a dist., PM me. Good luck.
 
Here is the Flattie I am going to pick up, it has the pulley for the fan mounted on the crank, what years did they use that.
 

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The fan mount on crankshaft was 1939 Ford Deluxe and 1940 Ford,is that what it came out of? What are markings on the heads? Bellhousing 59? The aircleaner is a Donaldson probably a big D on the bottom ,oil bath they supplied these to Ford and I think correct 1935-41,they are a real nicely made oil bath air cleaner. If it is a 59AB engine that was installed in a 1939-1940 it may have had timing cover changed to 37-41 type to allow original distributor or it may be the 59AB one and that is the distributor you will need to look for,is it two or three holes?
 
Part of the question is, is it 239? You say the heads are off - measure the bore - 3-3/16 ? Might as well measure the stroke, too. It'll be (probably) 3-3/4. What if you got lucky, and it's 4.0 ? What if the bore is 3-3/8 ?
As posted above, be sure there isn't any evidence of cracks between the valve ports, and cylinders...
JMO
 
If your ID is based on the heads, confirm by looking at the top of the bell housing, where a large 59 would bite you if it was a snake.
 
Did they pull the cam gear or did you? If they did, maybe that is a clue as to why this one was left sitting.
 
The Bellhousing has 59 stamped on it.
What about the blue color on the block it looks to be original.
There was no distributor or cover that came with the engine.
 
Blue was the standard color for Ford and Merc engines as they were the same engine. The 59 should be cast in.
 
I might back out on the deal since it is not complete and save my money.......Hate to tie up 300.00 and still have to get a distributor and cover for it. Any thoughts.......
 
Offer him less. Can't imagine that he has a ton of buyers on the string. Did he have it at the Appleton swap meet?
 
Your credibility as a serious buyer is in question. What could you possibly be waiting for. Generally, when engines are sold, they don't include ANY accessories - no starter, intake, distributor, gen, carb, clutch, etc, etc.
The absence of a distr is a pretty poor 'excuse'.
JMO

oldiron73 said:
I might back out on the deal since it is not complete and save my money.......Hate to tie up 300.00 and still have to get a distributor and cover for it. Any thoughts.......
Click to expand...
 
bobH said:
Your credibility as a serious buyer is in question. What could you possibly be waiting for. Generally, when engines are sold, they don't include ANY accessories - no starter, intake, distributor, gen, carb, clutch, etc, etc.
The absence of a distr is a pretty poor 'excuse'.
JMO
Click to expand...
I agree, worth would be in a good solid block,but you will not know that for sure untill you get it magnufluxed. The oil bath air cleaner is more valuable and harder to find than dist and cover.I have gambled few times myself won more than lost.
 
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