Help with Block ID

42Ford M-H

42Ford M-H

Senior Member
I've looked all over the internet and I'm not having any luck figuring out what the block ID on my motor is.

I just bought a 1940 1.5 ton ex military truck and I'm trying to identify the motor thats in it. It does have 24 bolt heads. The owner said it had 110hp but after doing more reading I think he just had his numbers off.

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A272 is what I see? This is in the middle top of the bell housing.

Any help is appreciated.
 
Any numbers on the heads?, how about a picture of the entire motor from the side, also vanpeltsales.com he has a section on identifying flatheads.
 
I doubt you will find many, if any, who are still alive and know what that (A272) meant. There is an engine/block ID post here that may be of some help to you. Also, if you post some pictures of your complete engine, taken from various angles, I'm sure someone here can ID what you have.
 
Sceptre155 said:
Looks like tearing it apart at some point to figure out if its a 221 or 239 is best way.
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Take one head off and measure the bore. ~ 3-1/16" or a little over would mean ~ 221ci. ~ 3-3/16" or a little over would mean ~ 239ci. This would assume a stroke of 3-3/4"
 
This will be my first flat head rebuild, been doing tons of reading. Looks like even using a engine stand needs to be a different technique. Going to be a lot of fun :)
 
Your not wrong, hang engine from exhaust ports, tick.
Fun, tick.
When you tug a head, you'll know for certain what block it is. Water ways in the deck are an almost certain 221 or 239 tell tale.
It won't be 110 hp factory rated engine for sure.
Martin.
 
the tag under the drivers sides head bolt-does it read 99
?, if so this is a merc/truck engine that has 95 hp in 1941. I have three of these engines, one is in a 1941 former army fire truck, one was in a 3/4 ton stake truck the other was blown up but came from a 40 station wagon. look to see if it has the "raised" intake on the block it self--this is the same profile as the gasket
 
looking at the engine again it could be a 59AB as it has dual belts, is there a raised number on the engine bellhousing, what numbers/letters are on the heads
 
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Truck engines had a short service life, quite common to have 2 or 3 engine replacements during its working life, the last one usually ends up a 1949-53. You said it is a 1940 1 1/2 ton but it shows accessories of 1942 or later, such as wire looms, coil, fan assembly, and exhaust manifold, can't see clearly but it could have a 42 crab distributor which would require an adapter if it was a 1940 block. Also look (or feel) along the sides of the engine at the bottom where the block meets the oil pan. If there are two outward bumps, one toward the front and one toward the rear on each side of the block. That would make the block 1938-41 era. 1940 trucks could have 100hp engines, 3 3/16 bore, with either 8T or 9T raised letters on each head.
 
I'll do some more scraping on the bell housing to look for a 59. And I'll take a peak and look for head numbers or tag numbers.

The other strange thing about this truck is that its a LH drive truck, but all the gauges are on the RH side. Meaning the glovebox is in front of the steering wheel :)
 
nospartsman said:
Truck engines had a short service life, quite common to have 2 or 3 engine replacements during its working life, the last one usually ends up a 1949-53. You said it is a 1940 1 1/2 ton but it shows accessories of 1942 or later, such as wire looms, coil, fan assembly, and exhaust manifold, can't see clearly but it could have a 42 crab distributor which would require an adapter if it was a 1940 block. Also look (or feel) along the sides of the engine at the bottom where the block meets the oil pan. If there are two outward bumps, one toward the front and one toward the rear on each side of the block. That would make the block 1938-41 era. 1940 trucks could have 100hp engines, 3 3/16 bore, with either 8T or 9T raised letters on each head.
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This is a good point, The truck shows 5400 miles on the odometer. But who knows if the speedo has been working. Not sure that trucks fast enough to get a ticket with unless you drop it from a plane. lol
 
Well I did some looking with a flashlight. No other numbers on bell housing. Couldn't find any numbers on the heads. No freeze plugs in the block. Or bumps near the oil pan. Took some more pics that I'll post tomorrow. Looked on the flat section between the intake and heads also along the back corners. No numbers. I'll have to read what a raised intake means.
 
Also try the "pencil test". If a pencil will rest on the ledge above the front cover, it is pre 59AB.
 
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