Bought another motor at a swap meet a couple weeks ago for $50. Found the casting marks on the intake - 8BA/8RT, passenger head -8RT , drivers head- 8BA....and the stamped date code decodes to something like April 51...don't remember the month off the top of my head. My other motor had the integral bell housing and had a 59A cast on it. This one doesn't have the bell housing and everything I've read says that mark should be on the flange instead but I don't find it there. All I see is what looks like another casting date code. The story I was told said it was out of a truck and that corresponds to the markings on the intake and one head and it also has the large clean out on the oil pan. So....my question is....how do I determine if this is a truck block? Just curious.....not sure that it really matters either way. It is being torn down at the moment. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
There was no such thing as a "truck" block. Bolt-on accessories made it a truck engine. The number you're looking at is a casting number that only meant something to the guy who cast it. The description you give is perfectly normal for a late series (8BA/8RT/8CM) block. Hope you got a real bargain - enjoy!
Txturbo, If you have the large clean out cover on the oil pan, it's more than likely, it's a truck engine. ........................Jack
Late flatheads can be found with 0, 8, or 16 hard seat inserts...their use was continually reduced from '49-53 with passenger cars ending up with none, but trucks had 16 all the way. That does not, of course, mean that this truck engine still has a truck block...after so many years, it may be a commercial rebuild assembled into the truck with original heads and stuff kept, the normal way of doing it back then. If so the block would likely be a random pick from the heap at the rebuildery...
Seems like a bargain to me even if the block is junk....heads, intake, water pumps and scrap value of the block are worth more than I paid Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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