Came across an old flatty at the junk yard today and I'm trying to figure out if it's worth getting. It's an 8ba and the heads are marked with the number "72A", "fomoco"and "Made in canada". Anyone know what the 72A refers to? Do canadian blocks have any advantage over US made blocks? I came across the engine right before they were closing and in my excitement forgot to check the bell housing for numbers. I'll probably go back tomorrow and pull one of the heads and intake to see how she looks inside.
No help? Unfortunatley when I pulled the heads one of the cylinders has got water down in it and looks like it may be to far gone. Shame because everything else looked pretty clean and I saw no visible cracks between the valve's and cylinder's.
There's not much difference in engines. But...it could be a Ford truck engine and have a 4" crank. If you get it real cheap it could be made into something.
If it isn't cracked a rebore will probably fix it. And yes, many Canadian trucks had 255's retrofitted over the years, I have half a dozen of them. Most of mine are .030 over, for about 260 cubes.
Canadian Ford engines were entirely Canadian made, so most parts will have C at front of cast numbers and many will differ slightly in appearance from USA, but all is fully interchangeable. Remember, most 239 flatheads can safely gp up to 3/16 overbore, so it's unlikely a rust cylinder is too pitted to bore. This ain't a 302...