Projects I'm 18 and building my first flathead 59AB+merc crank for my chopped 34 4 door sedan

Jesse, those mains do not look terribly bad. Probably a .010 undersized and new bearings will get another 100,000 miles out of it.

 

Awesome, I got a pile of flathead stuff this weekend I'll post about all of it when I get to my dad's, it was an eventful weekend.

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So this is what my 3 day weekend was full of I found all these parts that somebody had 2 hours away from me as a bundle on facebook marketplace. I got piles of generators, heads, and single carb manifolds. I also got a 59 L motor that was running but not well that has like .10 over left on it so it might be junk but it came with all the rest of the stuff. I also got a complete 8ba and a merc block that needs at least one cylinder sleeved.

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nice score, sort out what you need, sell some and fund your project

 

That was my plan!

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Did the Merc block come with a crankshaft? If not it's a Ford block. Even if it was no good, I'd clean and paint that 59L block and leave it sit in the corner of my shop just for braggin' rights.

 

It did not the guy I got it from kept it for his motor it was just thrown in with everything else. I did also get 3 nice ford cranks with everything and I have a 4 inch crank from my original motor as long as I can get it out. I might end up doing that with the 59 L at some point it has adjustable tapits in it and it's bored to 3 3/8 which I think is the max but I've read on here people being able to bore 59 L motors more than a standard block.

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You done good with that load.

 

What else did you score???? [emoji12]


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From the Flat Spot...

You have something to work with now!
I'd check the new Mercury block to confirm it needs to be sleeved. It's a given that the block you started with is going to have to be sleeved.
In short...
I think you need to concentrate on that 59L.
Why.?....
8BAs are a pain in the butt. Two things...Loadomatic distributors and the road draft system. These two things make souping up an 8BA troublsome.
To soup up an 8BA, you have to change distributors if you change carburetors. Either you have to get a GM distributor modified, a vintage Mallory Flat Top, A HEI distributor that looks like ass on a Flathead or newer China Made Mallory of questionable possibly dubious quality.
The vent system of a 8BA means earlier intakes like the Slingshot( not offered for the 8BA) require a make shift vent/PCV system to run a 59 or earlier style intake.

Build the 59L!

 

You may not have to bore that 59L engine at all.
Heck even it it needs sleeves, that's the one you should build. The others are are going to need sleeves. If I was going to sleeve one, it would be the 59L....
You may not need too. It may only need honing and rings. Scratches and even a few minor gouges in the cylinders are OK. Even a some bore taper is fine.
It does not have to be perfect to be a good engine.
Example...
Bore taper checks out well within limits on 6 cylinders. #1 and #5 show borderline bore taper clearance....
This would still make a great engine. The rings may wear out quicker on 1 and 5. How long will that take?....Maybe years, maybe decades.

 

Shhh that's an entire project on it's own[emoji23]

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Factory relieved Block!!!!

 

Thank you I was really hoping that I could do something with the 59 L and this makes me feel alot better about it!

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Thank you for all the awesome information!

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Would it be a good idea to put the 4 inch crank into the 59 L?

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I'm really conservative with my flatheads. My gut answer is no.
If the stock crank checked out good, I would just run it with the stock crank. I don't think it makes that much of difference these days. In 1951...yeah. Now I do whatever is the least costly to preserve and enjoy the engine for a long as possible.

 

If you have the 4 inch crank, and you do need to have it turned, and if the block needs to be taken over, I can’t see anything other than the benefits of more cubes and power at the same cost it would be to turn the other crank, etc.

Besides, what fun is a hotrod with a stock engine?
Bore it, stroke it and build it. I mean it should last you so many years, by the time it’s worn out, you’ll either have some spare blocks, or be thinking of a different engine anyways.

 

I think I'm going to start with removing the crank and pistons just to see if there is any issues in the cylinders and figure out where I want to go from there it would be pretty badass to have the 4 inch crank in it

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It sounds like a case of the dreaded "project creep" is setting in here!

 

If you recall when I offered him up some pumps, I made mention that he needs to start his own pile while young.

Warms my heart

 

Hell yes. My recent 59L was built by one of the best. It’s s factory relieved 59L at 3 3/8+ .030 X 4” for 292 ci. The 4” gives you 16 extra ci., plus more torque plus new style bearings. You just need to use the 8BA rods as well

 

...Hahahahahahah!!!!


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That's good to know thank you, is there any specific way to tell which rods are 8ba?

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Use some of the funds you get by selling off parts you don't need from your latest find and buy these rods.
http://vxgrf.crzvw.servertrust.com/Stock-Rod-7-Set-of-8-p/sflat001020.htm

 

Yes. There will be a cast in 8BA on the rod, but the easiest way to tell is if there is a notch for the lock in bearings.

Earlier rods used full floating bearings and do not have a notch to hold the bearing shell.

 

Great advice. I use to buy these when they are only $125. Even at $275, they are a good deal. Great quality rod and no machine work required except checking weights.

Please listen to this bit of advice: DO NOT buy any parts until your tear down your block and have the following done to it (in this order):
1) Prod, poke, jab, scrape as much of the gunk out of the water jackets as you can. Use long screw drivers, copper cable, heavy wire, etc. Rock the block over a few times on a piece of plywood to help knock the crap loose. Vacuum or blow gun it out.
2) If you have a pressure washer, clean it off and degrease as much as possible. If not, take it to your local self-serve car wash and hose it down. Spray degreaser on it for a few days prior to making the trip.
3) Have it pressure tested. You may have to find a flathead friendly shop
4) If passes the pressure testing, have it mag'd tested.
5) If passes mag testing, have the block bake and shot blasted cleaned.
6) Last step is to have the bores sonic tested to help identify any possible issues when overboring.

Only after it passes pressure and mag testing is a block considered good and then you can order parts. Knowing the thickness of the bores will help you know how far to go.
Talk to your machinist. Some won't order pistons until they are near the final hone stage. Good idea to use a torque plate when boring and final honing.

Please, please, please make sure the shop is flathead friendly. Sadly, good blocks have been ruined by machinist not familiar with them.

 

When I had the 8ba rebuilt the flathead experienced machinist that did all the work told me that rebuilding/resizing flathead rods wasn't as straight forward as say rods for a SBC and the end result wasn't like a new rod. That said at the time the cost of the new rods I posted was about the same as the cost of reconditioning my old rods. Plus I was able to sell my old rods. The cost of the new rods has increased but my gut feeling is that the new rods are still the way to go. Others may have different opinions. Also X2 on making sure the shop you use to do any machine work on a flathead has real flathead experience. They may be experts on SBC but flatheads are a complete different animal.

 

Ok good to know I'll have to do some research because I don't think my dad's guy that he's known since high school that builds all our motors has done anything with flatheads.

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For a budget build I'd say use the Merc crank now. The locked rod bearings for the later rods will be cheaper than the full floating bearings in the earlier rods. And, they are way easier to set up for first-timers.

Pistons will be the same cost whether you are buying for a 3.75 or 4 inch crank. You might need to get some custom pistons for the 3-3/8 + overbore, but it should make a nice big motor.