Model B engine serial number question

[miketx]

Hi,
New guy here. My father in law recently passed, and left the family his 1930 Model A hardtop pickup. The engine serial number in the truck maps to April 1930, and the dash indicates post June 1930.
However, he also has a spare engine block in the bed. He always said it was a "Model C" engine and that he bought it from a Model A club guy years ago, who bought a bunch of these engines as new/old stock (or something like that).
Anyway, it does have the "C" on the cylinder head, and I realize that means it is likely a '32-34 Model B engine. But the serial number stamped on the side doesn't have any A/AA/alpha character......just a *1008174*. What does that indicate?

 

[Bob C]

That's a Russian GAZ engine. Ford Obsolete in CA imported a bunch of them
in the mid 60's.

Bob

 

[miketx]

Thanks Bob. I figured it was something different, as my search of serial numbers was coming up blank. The timing maps well also: my father in law was a professor at UC Davis in the late 60s and he had the Model A there....so it's very probable that he bought the engine from Ford Obsolete.

 

[hardtimes]

Hi,
New guy here. My father in law recently passed, and left the family his 1930 Model A hardtop pickup. The engine serial number in the truck maps to April 1930, and the dash indicates post June 1930.
However, he also has a spare engine block in the bed. He always said it was a "Model C" engine and that he bought it from a Model A club guy years ago, who bought a bunch of these engines as new/old stock (or something like that).
Anyway, it does have the "C" on the cylinder head, and I realize that means it is likely a '32-34 Model B engine. But the serial number stamped on the side doesn't have any A/AA/alpha character......just a *1008174*. What does that indicate?

Hey Mike,
I have a GAZ Russian B from the trailer load that was brought in decades ago by Joe. Has markings that you show on block.
Interesting to know if Joe and your Dad were in same Model A club. Joe was a most interesting old car guy that one could know.
Is it possible to confirm that Joe was the guy in club with your Dad, or that GAZ was bought from someone else ? Joe was the ONLY guy known who brought in a whole tractor trailer batch, to my knowledge

PM, if you wish.

 

[miketx]

Interesting...it's possible that Joe is "that guy". Story sounds the same.

I found Alex's receipt for his MAFCA membership (member # 2688).

 

[1931 flamingo]

I didn't think the B's had s/n's or am I thinking of the V8's??
Paul in CT

 

[KUDZUVIPER]

US B engines had the serial number stamped on the bell housing above the starter, this GAZ does not have a bell housing attached, but I sure would love to have one, or a German B that was produced up until the 50's.

 

[29Phaeton]

I have a Russian GAZ B block in my Cabriolet and there is no engine number...the area where the number goes is blank. I'm told this was standard for Russian B engines. Mine did come Ford Obsolete in Long Beach, CA.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[hardtimes]

Interesting...it's possible that Joe is "that guy". Story sounds the same.

I found Alex's receipt for his MAFCA membership (member # 2688).

Hey Mike,
If you have a telephone # on the membership receipt or any place else, I would like to confirm that Joe was (or not) a member of that club.

As you can see in my GAZ block picture (faintly due to paint), there is an engine # stamped. The first three numbers (100) are same on your block and on my block.

Good luck on your efforts to all the sorting that has to be done .

 

[lsr490]

Just ran across this, sorry for opening an old thread, couple of question. Do only Russian blocks have "3M" cast into them like the top picture? Are these blocks just as crack susceptible as Henry's "B"s, better overall worse overall opinions ???
Thanks,
Bill

 

[Synchro909]

There's one guy who posts occasionally on this forum who will know all these answers. I suggest you find M2M in the list of barners and send him an email (not PM)

 

[M2M]

Hi, I've seen photos of this particular GAZ engine before; a guy on Facebook contacted me a few months ago. The engine number puts it well into the 1960s, but this block actually has a casting date of Dec 1966...take a good look at the block and you'll find it. The number on the head is also likely to be a casting date of Dec 1965 which you can see in the photo above. The last digit in a Russian casting date is often (but not always) the batch number so you need to remove it to understand the date. In the late 1950s B block production was moved from the GAZ plant to the ZMZ plant (Zavolzhsky Motorny Zavod).

http://www.zmz.ru/eng/about/factory

These B blocks were made in small numbers until the early 1970s.

 

[lsr490]

Thanks,
I"ll post some pictures of what I have when I get an opportunity. I was looking for the low hanging fruit of quick general I.D. when I was asking about the "3M".
For what it is worth, and I know its a shot in the dark, but here goes... I currently own Cal Rose's truck if anyone knew him or the history of the truck that would be helpful.

Again thanks,
Bill

 

[M2M]

Just ran across this, sorry for opening an old thread, couple of question. Do only Russian blocks have "3M" cast into them like the top picture? Are these blocks just as crack susceptible as Henry's "B"s, better overall worse overall opinions ???
Thanks,
Bill

Not all Russian blocks are marked "3M". "3M" are the Russian letters "ZM" ("3" is not the number "three"), which probably stands for "Zavolzhsky Motorny", the factory which I mentioned above. Earlier B blocks do have GAZ markings.

 

[lsr490]

Not all Russian blocks are marked "3M". "3M" are the Russian letters "ZM" ("3" is not the number "three"), which probably stands for "Zavolzhsky Motorny", the factory which I mentioned above. Earlier B blocks do have GAZ markings.

But then if a block is marked "3M" it is a Russian block, corrector? I believe mine is a 36 or 37 based on memory I'll post pictures later. Any there any advantages or disadvantages to these engines?
Again Thanks,
Bill

 

[katy]

What kind of water pump is that in Bob C's first picture (post #2)?

 

[Jim Brierley]

The German "B's" that I have seen had an aluminum pan, also had full-pressure oiling and different-looking rods. Internally, all B parts were interchangeable, if not identical. As far as I know???

 

[lsr490]

Here we go:
1st Picture is of the block,
2nd Only casting mark on the top of the head is the "C"
3rd Is the date of the head April 30th 1937 correct?
4th Is the date of the block July 23rd 1962 correct
5th is the side cover

Again thanks,
Bill

I'm not sure where the pictures in the post went so i guess we'll have to use the link

http://s802.photobucket.com/user/lsr490/library/

 

[lsr490]

 

[Charlie Stephens]

Here we go:
1st Picture is of the block,
2nd Only casting mark on the top of the head is the "C"
3rd Is the date of the head April 30th 1937 correct?
4th Is the date of the block July 23rd 1962 correct
5th is the side cover

Again thanks,
Bill

I'm not sure where the pictures in the post went so i guess we'll have to use the link

http://s802.photobucket.com/user/lsr490/library/

This may be a dumb question but is there any reason you don't just post them directly on Fordbarn?

Charlie Stephens