I started a thread about my first ever 239 flathead a couple days ago that I saved from the s****per and ill be damned if I wasn't talking about working on it and a buddy said he had one of the rare 49-53 merc 255 flatheads that ran when he pulled it. his grandpa pulled it years ago because he thought it was bad but actually found out he had a hole in his gas line is why it was running like ****. well long story short he asked me what it might be worth and I said I had no clue but I bet I know some people who do, that's were you guys come in LOL
If it's not 'stuck' and block is not seriously cracked, about $500 tops, in my opinion. I have both bought and sold them (Mercs) in that range.
ok thanks a lot. i kinda figured they would bring quite a bit more than an 8ba in the same condition.
The thing is, the only significant difference between the 239 Ford and the 255 Merc is the 4" stroke crankshaft. That part is available new from ****. Considering that most, if not all, old stock cranks will need to be machined, the new crank is appealing. It does also change the supply vs demand equation of stock Merc cranks.
H & H was asking $795 for a **** crank in 2012. Did they drop their prices? http://flatheads-forever.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=118
No, my error..........should have done some "homework" before posting that price........."about" isn't close enough on this one
That engine, fired up and running good on a stand, would bring an easy $1000 around here. Maybe even a bit more. If it turns over, but you can't hear it run and you can't guarantee that it doesn't have any cracks, then $500-$600 is more likely. No one is going to want to pay more than core price for one that ran "when pulled" and "probably just needed a fuel line to run good". But if you get it fired up and it idles smooth and runs good, it would be worth decent money.
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