Block Identification Please !!

5

56thunderbird

Junior Member
I have come across a flathead V8 that I want to build for my 48 F1. It has J2 41 raised on the bellhousing where I was expecting to find 59 or similar ,can't find any reference to these numbers in my books .The block is 3-3/16 bore and is relieved ,con rod bearings are pegged ( not floating ).Possibly a Canadian motor as it's in New Zealand ,anyone help me ? Cheers Russell
 
Sounds like a wartime production engine. To further help with positive id, can you advise if it has the 'raised intake manifold' surface? Having locked in rod bearings suggests Canadian manufacture, but with the amount of interchangeability of parts, and the long time it's been on the planet, anything is possible! Could have later crank and rod assemblies fitted. Need more info...your turn brother.
 
Have a look at Mac Vanpelt's web site "Vanpelt sales" there is a good block id page on there.
If it is a Canadian war issue block it may have big thick shell bearings in the rods. These are very very hard to find. You will probably have to go with floating bearings. I believe these can be used with your rods unmodified. You defiantly can with the thick shells that come in Pilot engines.
Good luck.
Martin.
 
Thanks Brian ,Have checked and the inlet surface is may be 1/8 inch higher than my other engines , learning learning!!! What does this make it ??Cheers Russell
 
Wartime production with the raised deck and relieved block is commonly referred to as a bren gun carrier engine down here in NZ, although they were fitted to all manner of stuff. What scooder says is correct; if it has thick shells, you can run full floaters, alternatively you can run 8BA rods and shells on that same crank.
 
It is sounding like a Canadian C29 engine, basically a '42 Merc used in all manner of trucks and carriers. Look over the plugs at left rear of block, on bell...2 or 3? Any funny fittings? Many of these have three holes for full flow to Bren oil cooler or truck filters, and after somewhere in '43 many had PCV system too.
 
I don't know about Canadian production but the 48 F1 pickups had the 8BA engines here in the USA. If it had a 59 type block then an older one back to 1939 would fit easily but if it had an 8BA type engine there would be some differences that could be overcome with the right parts.
 
On the Canadian connection...all normal Ford mechanical stuff sent to Australia was from Canada, and much of the WWII stuff as well since Ford Canada was the most important supplier of motivation for all of the Imperial armies. However, USA Ford engines were also fed into Canadian supply channels during the war, so likely there are a fair number of US 99 and 29 engines there too...
To keep things interchangeable across all the different armies (including German! Germans and British were always glad to capture each others' Fords, since everything needed to keep them going was produced by both.) things were kept interchangeable... From about '42-42, USA engines added the drilling pad location for full flow, and the Canadians kept their funny connecting rods able to accept the heavy duty US bearings.
A C69 is equivalent to a USA 59, while a 29 is a prewar one with the early valve angle and minor appearance differences from 59.
 
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