I know I've seen this before, either on here, fordbarn or the msn site....but I just can't find it with my searches.... There is a thread that shows putting 59ab heads on an 49-53 engine.....I think you have to plug the two holes just above the water pumps AND (I think) the two on top of the deck towards the front of the block...Also, I think I read where you have to use the head gaskets that match the heads.....59ab heads, with 59ab gaskets EVEN if used on a 49-53 engine....I guess I just want to do it, so I can say I did (I know, I know) Good ole' Bruce Lancaster said that any crankshaft pulley 39-53 will interchange......then I can use 59ab water pumps.....that's solved... I don't really need to switch to 59ab heads but like Bruce said, they look better than the later style IMHO.......I have both in finned heads..... I'm not going to mess with the intake, just run a late model....however, have any of you made a bracket to hole the distributor? What did you do for the pump rod and the road draft tube? Lastly, I want to run a mechanical fan up on the generator. Grandpa said he used to weld a regular fan onto the late style generator.....problem was, if the generator went bad you lost your fan......well, he cut a hole in the center just large enough to get a socket into......problem solved but a little crude, maybe...dunno yet, haven't tried......have you solved this problem......no electric vans please.... edit: oooops, I may have a distributor clearance problem...
on the drivers side if you remove the water pump you will see a by p*** hole for coolant..... tap this hole and run a plug in there ...there is more meat on this side ( front of block) of that byp*** hole than on the head side where its pretty thin and probally wont have good thread contact.. on the p*** side its a hole that sticks out forward from the old style head ( throw the head on there and look) plug that as well... then fab a dizzy hold down......
I plugged the holes in the front of the block on both sides, and the holes in the heads, and used early model gaskets. I cut a slot in the front cover, and use a hose clamp to hold the dizzy. I used a truck fan from a '49 and it lines up with the pumps to use only one belt. I use truck pumps. I used an early style intake, with a PCV underneath, and a new filtered oil fill cap. I use no fuel pump pushrod.
well, if i use a 8ba crankshaft sheave, it will hit my cross member.....so, use a 59ab crankshaft sheave.....well, then the belt grooves with the water pumps won't line up with the 8rt pumps, right? so, use 59ab pumps i'm not sure they'll clear the distributor.... and, with all of that, i still have to run the fan on the generator....the fan is too far forward on a stock 49-53 engine..... hmm.....i know i saw this somewhere....
Using the full 1939 type dress knocks off several inches over what can be done with truck pumps, important in an A, and gets you a useable distributor for cheap...I think that byp*** hole connects only to itself, so if using BOTH early heads and pumps it doesn't need plugging. Second hole at edge of early head I think takes 1/4" pipe tap... On the distributor, consider making a small steel or aluminum block the thickness of gasket and distributor shelf on an 8BA; hold it down with maybe a couple of flatheaded machine screws into the block and a 5/16 stud right through it to take the distrib clamp. I think that's cleaner and neater than clamping. Here's an old thread iI did with some numbers: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35029&showall=1 Somebody jump in and complete the 8BA section--or come over here with one of them Tesla cameras and do a photoshoot on the early combos.
Well, it looks like I'm gonna change the crank pulley to an early style, change the water pumps to 59ab style, change the cam shaft to a 59ab (grandpa has an old block to donate for this- anyone have a slightly used Isky cam to donate to the project), use a crab type distributor, block the three holes that need blocked.......not sure on the intake yet...... It'll be a while but we'll see.....if anyone has any more input, let me know...
As far as distributor hold-down...We used a piece of an un-used spring shackle, and bent it in the vice, bolted it to the top of the head using a head bolt. The bottom of it rests on the hold-down flange of the distibutor. I plugged the two holes on the block with a couple of "beefy" little freeze plugs from the auto parts store. Everything else is stock 8BA with wide pulleys, and 8BA intake with all the stock fittings, except the road draft tube.
It just occurred to me to add...you can't use late distributor wit early pumps because the drive belt needs to go through the distributor shaft...that distributor location is what drives the extra length of the late setup.
Hi: I think that most of the issues have been covered. Water Pump Oiling P***ages: The one thing that you'll need to check is that if you're running the early pumps, with original bronze bushings, then I'm not sure the 49-53 block has the oil p***ages to lube them. I can't remember sitting in my kitchen -- but I can go check in the shop if need be. Anybody know if the 49-53 blocks have the water pump oil p***ages? If not, then make sure you have "modern" versions of the early pumps that have sealed bearings and don't need the oil. I think you'll find that you really want the early water pump, crank pully setup -- as you'll need the space in front of the motor. Timing Gears: Another thing - depending on which timing cover and distributor you use, you need to consider the crank and timing gears. The 32 - 48 engines used a different tooth pattern - pushing the thrust toward the block, the later ones were b*** ackward - pushing the cam thrust toward the timing cover. (I think I have that right?). I've always pondered this - and my way of thinking is that I can't see any reason to not run the early setup and keep the thrust toward the block. Anybody else have an opinion on this as far as why one would ever want the trust toward the timing cover? If you are running something like a roller cam (that wants to walk) - I believe I'd always want it to walk toward the block and not out of it. Just wanted to make sure you considered these two things as well . . .
Well, if you want to look like a 59A, it sure isn't going to work with the distributor sticking up & as Bruce mentions, you'll probably have issues with your belts. You need to do as B&S mentions, swap out gears for early gears, use an early cover, & a crab distributor. Might even need to change cams...some of the aftermarket cams use a bolt-on distributor drive gear, so you can just remove those to run early distributor, but if not, you need early cam too.
Its a good time to block off the breather in the oil galley and install a PCV setup. Easy install and really helps with byp*** g***es and keeping the crankcase clean.
Early late engines, that is about 1949, used early rear thrust gears--then production moved to forward thrust. One theory is that this allowed easier production control of thrust clearance, more important to the already wonky timing of the late engines because of all the extra junk in the drive system. Forward thrust is potentially a danger to the early distrib IF clearances are such that cam pushes distributor before hitting front cover--probably unlikely, certainly cheackable, but i just go to the early gears and ignore this. I did have a distributor failure on an early with late gears once, and suspected this, but I was about 17 and had no idea how to figgeritallout. Rebuilt original early pumps need oil--add a cup to top maybe?? New pumps and leakless rebuilds have sealed bearings. Late pumps and blocks have no oil p***ages.
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