So I may be purchasing a 35 coupe but the issue is it has a different flathead in it. It's a 21 bolt that I was told came out of a 37-38? If anyone can help me figure out what this came out of I'd greatly appreciate it. Also what flathead originally was in the 35? The guy mentioned the motor has a leak that he can't get to stop at the water pump so I ***ume the head is cracked. So I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble messing with this flathead. Thanks, George
Engine is 21 stud, has plates on the front covering the holes for later pumps so that it can use the '35 type heads with pumps up there. Engine is '37-8 swapped to earlier heads, identifiable probably by the numbers I can't read.
Thank you! Can you explain the "plates on the front covering the holes for later pumps so it can use the '35 type heads with pumps up there"?
The plates block the waterpump holes in the block so they can use the earlier heads with the pumps bolted to the heads.
Off topic, but since there is no air filter in the picture. Has the previous owner been driving around with no air filter? I've seen other old cars for sale where the seller would say runs and drives good, but in the pictures, the air cleaner and filter are missing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
1937 blocks were the first year of the water pumps being mounted at the lower front of the block (instead of the cylinder head). These were still 21 stud engines. In service work back in the day, the shops and Ford dealers could repower a customer's 32-35 vehicle with the new long block, reuse the original type heads with the pumps in the front of the heads, and everything fitted up just like before. No changes to the radiator fittings etc. the only modification was that they had to reuse the 32-35 front motor mount/radiator hose fitting, and install the special block off plates where the 37 type water pumps would have gone. The block off plates were actual Ford parts with Ford part numbers. The plates are roughly 3/8" thick and bolt up with two bolt holes. Bruce was able to see the edges of the plates in the two photos of the engine......clearly the plates instead of pumps. The earlier blocks would have had no place to install the plates.
Bought a flathead one time with 4 water pumps. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app View attachment 3359634
I've never seen this modification, (late 21 stud engine with block off plates) Did the 'plates' have engine mount brackets on them? (I never had a '35 or '36 with original engine, either...all of mine had been 'retroed' with 24 stud 59A types)
The plates fit the TOP half of the pump area, leaving the lower hole and the bolt holes around it free to take the early hose ******/mount setup! Ford thought of everything... Another thing is that the '32-6 engines used flat top and domed pistons in different applications...'37 and up were all domed. A '37 could have been rebuilt with flat pistons, but if stock would have needed a swap of heads if the engine being replaced had flattop heads.
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