Shouldn't that be 81T? 81 denotes '38 85 HP, T denotes big truck. Essentially the same engine as the 81A engine that came out in '38 cars, heads are the main difference. Early '38s with 85 HP engine used leftover '37 engines which were 21 stud. The 24 stud 81A/81T engines came out around February of '38 (depending on when individual plants used up their stock of the older 21 stud engines). It won't measure up to the 59A flathead but it's still a good engine. If the block is good, build it and run it.
24 stud engines with the crab distributor ... most are 221 cu in ... nice hot rod engine ... the later engines are stronger ...
41 T probably right...and the engine isn't a 41T! The "41" series stuff, 41A and 41T, translates to non-existent 1944 85 HP vehicles...these were replacement and sometimes adaptor parts released for the postwar parts market, whicj was of course huge and drawing on completely depleted inventories. The 41 T heads replace the production 81T head...I think they are slightly altered in valve pockets to fully clear valves in postwar blocks. 41A block was replacement for the prewar 81 blocks, but was a postwar valve angle block that was really a 59A cast with smaller barrels. So...engine MAY be an 81 T, or could possibly be any other 24 stud...it will need some study. Any 24 stud engine is fine, only shortcoming of 221 versions is that displacement cannot be built much beyond 255. Heads interchange with only minor bother on everything from '38 through 53, so we need to see the block. Buy it as a 41 T...price will go up if it turns out to be a 239.
The latest info I have is it's a 24 stud,(war time truck, 1945) model 41T, 221 cu. in., 90 hp., going to look at it this weekend. Wouldn't the 221 be less susceptible to cracks than a larger bore? I'm not looking for high horsepower just a reliable driver in an AV8.
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