Recently picked up a 1939 Mercury at an estate auction.Car has been in storage about 30 years.after bringing the car home we began working on it.The first thing we noticed was the heads were aluminum and said made in Canada.After pulling the heads we noticed the engine was relieved.Growing up in the 50's and 60's and hanging around the old stock car guys,I remember somthing about looking for canadian blocks.But I can' remember why.My question is .Are the heads factory ford or aftermarket.And were canadian Flathead engines factory relived,or is this just Myth. Been fooling with hoped up flatties all my life.never ran into this befor.The 1939 Merk appears all stock.
Some Canadian flathead engines were factory relieved, and aluminum heads were commonplace. Does the Ford logo appear on the heads ? 4TTRUK
The reliefs are just strait milled, not really a performance thing although it might have helped some I think it was an easy way for them [factory] to lower compression??
Look the heads over...there are several Canadian aluminum heads for 24 studs. Commonest ones are C7RA prefix ones, '47-8, which were made by Ford for the last early Fords. These were discovered by stock car racers here, slightly higher comp than any of the other reasonably common Ford heads for stock rules, and soon by Weiand as cheater heads, fairly crude copies with weiand combustion chambers and more compression than original. Ford: Will have the C7RA part number, Ford, Canada, etc. All 4 of the smaller outlets will be drilled and tapped, if you pull big hose you will see that casting is very clean and well done. Weiand...markings vary, but most don't mention Ford, presumably due to law being pointed out to them by Ford. Usually 2 of the small openings are cast blank, main hose connection is thick, eccentric, crude. "Weiand" is cast on upper edge where it is very hard to see with head on engine. Factory relief exists here and on Canadian blocks is shaped differently from common hotrod reliefs. I believe factory 99's from Canada will have C99 cast somewhere on front area. USA 99's will have a 1/4" "99" STAMPED, not cast, near RF of manifold surface. Of course many '39's by now have 59A replacements...
Sorry, I don't have any input for the OP, but I do have a Question. I have an engine out of a 1951 Meteor. The ID on the block says C1BA, should it have the desirable crank in it or is it the same as an 8BA? I haven't found an ID chart that has this number listed.
Only made in Canada Eh ? Aluminum, high compression heads, with no fins...... These heads were cast at the Alcan Factory in Kingston, Ontario Canada which were manufactured for both the early and late flat heads, both Ford and Mercury. However; the late Ford heads, are very rare compared to the early aluminum heads. The early heads are still floating around out there but as I said, the late heads are becoming extremely sought after. 'Cheater heads', well "Weiand" manufactured heads without the fins, however; these were obviously aftermarket heads as the aluminum heads were a gennie Ford item.... There has been much discussion regarding these original aluminum heads, with a few different opinions, however; some very knowledgable dirt, circle track racers and antique guru's from my area share the same opinion..... "MADE IN CANADA" is embossed on the heads. All Canadian aluminum heads had markings as numerous heads are floating around without markings, which are more often than not, finned heads which had the fins milled off as dicussed below. Remember, old time circle track racers in Ontario, Canada and upstate N.Y. would machine the fins off of aftermarket heads as the rules for dirt, circle track racing, once stated: "No finned heads". Hence, the racers taking this rule to the letter of the word, would mill the fins off of the heads. The rules then stated; "No aftermarket heads", however; Canadian heads would still be permitted under this rule. The third rule change, finally read; "No aluminum or after market heads" as the majority of racers and rule makers were unaware of factory aluminum heads. This is quoted from an old time circle track racer.
I was under the impression that the Canadian blocks had more tin in the mix when they were cast. I was also told that the engines that came in Buses were canadian blocks..
I have an engine out of a 1951 Meteor. The ID on the block says C1BA, should it have the desirable crank in it or is it the same as an 8BA? I haven't found an ID chart that has this number listed.
FYI, the relief on Ford of Canada blocks was done to relieve stress by thinning the casting, thus preventing cracks, rather than for performance benefits. Seems to have worked, too...I have had several blocks with the relief and none were cracked across the valve seats.
Except for the fact that sparkplug holes on a flathead are not over the piston they are over the valves.
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