I'm shopping for a replacement for our 59ab (it was 3-3/8 + .020, cracked, needed some valve seats, etc). I'm newish to flatheads, and identifying blocks sometimes gives me trouble. I can obviously spot an 8ba, and I know it can be adapted to our torque tube '41. And I know that anything with a 59 in the bellhousing area is a good candidate. 59, 59a, 59*, 59@, 59-(Batman symbol)--all the same. But the prewar stuff get's murky for me, so I've been ignoring them so far. But I hate to eliminate possible good candidates because of my ignorance. This will be a hot rod motor with a Merc crank and possibly a blower if we can get it working. I want it to be in the 270"+ range. Should I be considering all 24 stud motors? Is there a way to easily identify which pre-war blocks I should consider, or should I just stick to the 8ba's and 59's? Also, please recommend a good, basic flathead book. We have 4 "trendy" ones in the house and they all ****. Thanks.
The 99 blocks are supposedly thickest walled of all the blocks.(39-4? Mercs and trucks,later Army trucks). Any 24 stud block will interchange all accessories and hop-up stuff with any other 24 stud. The only issue may be with the wall thickness if you want to get crazy with the bore. The early ones were 221 cubes, smaller bore.
Read up on past posts on ID of the prewar 24 studs and telling the '39-40 and '41-WWII 239 blocks from the very similar 221's. The 221's are perfectly good choices, but can only be safely bored to about the 3 3/16 of a 239 block. And of course the 4" cranks have been dsirable forever, and so can occur anywhere in engines that have been messed with. The prewar ID stuff is just toodamnmuch to type again...you have to examine a bunch of details to fully ID them, and you cannot conclusively tell a 221 block from a 239 without examining the deck. The Canadians did much better in marking blocks! Anything that the average person cannot ID as a 59 or 8BA tends to be much cheaper, as a side benefit!
I like the much cheaper angle, but sometimes you can't pull the heads, and with ebay and Craigslist motors sometimes you don't see them at all and the person you're dealing with doesn't necessarily have the knowledge or inclination to help you out. And that's if I somehow managed to keep all those details straight. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying learning a "new" motor, but all the "known unknowns", "unknown unknowns" and voodoo are starting to drive me nuts...
You didn't say where the crack was and if its terminal, you can sleeve the block if its possible and still use the stuff you have. Also you didn't say what you are going to do with it, mild street, major street or race I'm one who favors trying to keep all of Henry's best on the road. Cause you are going to spend some decent cash anyway.................. Also one of the best books out there is Ron Halleran's "Nostalgia" available on disc at http://flatheadv8.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1751
The block is salvageable, for $1500. I don't have that kind of money to spend on a block right now, recession, pay cuts, blah, blah, blah. I know flatheads require money. This was my dad's car and engine, it's now my oldest son's. I expect we will be working on this until I am worm food, so no huge hurry. I have him set up with a '75 coupe deVille for when he starts driving this summer--great incentive to get a part time job if he actually wants to drive it. The crank, Johnson lifters, 8BA rods and "some kind of custom grind" cam have all been through the machine shop and are ready to go. There will probably be some phases to this engine, maybe start kind of mild with 2 carbs and cast pistons, maybe switch to forged if we decide the Camden supercharger is usable. I'm just trying to keep this project moving right now.
If this kid doesn't get his *** into gear to get a Flathead powered Rod he's been given on the road..... I expect you to kick his ***!! 8BA motors are excellent candidates for what you're after. Boring it out for 270" plus is not a problem. Also, you can put early (centre water neck) heads on it if you prefer that early FH look. Plus, if you are "just trying to keep this project moving", then find a complete motor which won't take much to have running, grab a 2x2 intake and drive the wheels off it!! HC.
I recently had the same problem with a 59a block. It is bored 3 7/16" and needs sleeves. Some HAMBers suggested find a replacement - expensive to resleeve and a possibility of having problems later on. I ended up finding a complete stock 59a with a .040" over bore on Evilbay. I drove 7 hours each way to pick it up. There was only a few bidders - I ended up getting it for around $320.00. The block checked out fine. What was funny about it - the seller had another 59a who bid ended a few days later. The highest bidder lives about a 1/4 mile from me and he decided if I would pick it up for him, he would split the cost of diesel fuel. I posted pics of the engines in the back of my truck on "Bored and Stroked" thread about the 4" Merc crank and Weber flywheel he won on Evilbay. Good luck!
I'm hoping a 59 block comes along, but the reality is it will probably be an 8BA. There just seem to be alot more of them, maybe because they were in so many trucks and this is a rural area, I don't know. The machine shop guy is very meticulous and came highly recommended, but I may be having a misunderstanding with him. He has blocks around that he would charge me $500 for, and yet doing this would only knock a couple hundred hundred off my total bill. I dropped all this stuff off at his shop in a Krylon gray '79 K20 pickup, so it's hard for me to imagine he took me for an upscale hobbyist. I am a patient man, and I'm sure something will work out.
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