Technical To Merc or not to merc (crank) ?

I know this has been a topic over and over again, but my bad search skills produced no answer yet. I would like to know what all I need parts wise to do a merc crank stroker in my otherwise stock 1950 ford 8BA. I have found used ones around (in questionable condition, but that's a different story) if I find a decent crank what else will I need? Pistons with offset wrist pins to match? Are my stock 8BA rods ok? Whats a good place to get these? Thanks

 

Crank,rods and pistons. Someone will possibly give you year/part numbers. Bruce or Charlie. Tim

 

In the old days, if you had to buy pistons anyway, you bought 1/8 over. Today most guys bore .030 Dont be a******, take it out. Then, a nice cam will help it all breath well. You will need some compression, and a good aftermarket distributor to light the fire. More cubes need more fuel, intakes and carbs are everywhere. Buy what you can afford.

 

To answer your question, all you need to use the Merc crank would be Merc pistons. The wrist pin height is diffreent.
The 8BA rods are good.

 

Crank and pistons. The rods are the same. If it was me, I would also bore it 1/8th to get 276 cu. in.

 

Thanks, if I got a used crank were should I look for merc pistons the usual Egge, kanter, etc or is there a hop up place better to get em?

 

Yep, rods are the same. I'm building a 255 Merc for my F-1 and had to reuse the 239's rods. I bought my pistons from Patrick's years ago.

 

OR, pick this up and just bolt on your heads, intake, pumps etc... I have an exact copy of this french engine, 4" stroke, with clearance for longer stroke. High nickle content casting, can take bores to 3.5". I pulled the heads on mine and the cross hatch honing marks are still there. I am leaving the rotating****embly alone, just a new cam and lifters.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/French-mili...hip-/171797409638?hash=item27ffec6f66&vxp=mtr

 

When it comes to building a flatty, everyone has their expert opinion. The very best thing you can do is buy the new flathead book by Vern Tardel and Mike Bishop. The Merc crank is a great idea, but there is no need to stroke the engine. Do the minimum bore. The more you bore, the thinner the walls get and heat dissipation decreases. Florida heat is not your flathead's friend. Read all of the thread below, buy the book and make your decision based on what your goals are. I would suggest your building a nice flatty that you can drive on the street and drive on the highway. You will find that building a flatty is not cheap like it used to be "back in the day." Here's the thread and the book.
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103077&highlight=vern+tardel+flathead+book

 

I am using merc crank, stock 8ba rods and egge pistons to match the 4" stroke.

Very happy with the service from Egge

Edit sorry should have said happy with the service from H&H flatheads which is where I got the Egge pistons from