Weird Flathead Casting Number

I just picked up a Mercury flathead and started to tear down for a rebuild. I'm trying to figure out the casting numbers but they don't seem to make much sense. My best guess at the moment is that its a 1952/53 Mercury. Heads say EAC and Mercury, intake has the funky "teapot" which leads me think its a 52/53, color is red which in places flakes to show some green underneath (again Merc, maybe commercial). So far so good, now for the weird stuff. The casting number on the bell housing flange says "C 423", that's it, nothing else. OK probably Candian, but 423 doesn't seem normal.

Checking the born on date next to the intake, it also looks weird: 2 3 11. Looking at various websites neither number fits the normal format. Any of you flathead vets go any idea what I'm dealing with?

Thanks,

Steve

 

Steve, do some wandering around on this site.
It might give you some answers.
http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_partsdrawings_links.htm

 

I think these marks are just more of the endless mystery numbers that appear on random flatheads of all sorts--they presumably meant something once in some foundry, but no one seems to know anything now! There is LOTS of research needing to be done in Ford archives and build lists..
These numbers don't relate to Ford part systems, it seems to me, so they probably are meaningful only at the founfry level, perhaps date and shit codes or some such. Stamped numbers coud be anything--some are from Ford, some are just ID tracks from some forgotten rebuilder in 1962.
Canadian Mercs had aluminum manifolds and sometimes heads, visible parts were mostly Canadian variants with part numbers beginning with "C" in front of a number otherwise the same as US usage.

 

Thanks Dave, I've been to the site numerous times (great stuff), but the number format on the block doesn't match those listed on the site.

 

I think your right. I probably won't be able to find out through normal sources. Then again I know enough to get the right parts, so thats probably good enough.

The cast number probably needs to be converted from Candian dollars

I hadn't thought about checking the intake manifold for aluminum, under all the paint and grime I hadn't noticed what it was made out of. Heads are iron though.

Thanks,

P.S. Its still a sweet engine, can't wait to hear it rumble.

 

I think with 1949-53 blocks, the only difference worth worrying about is whether or not your particular block has 8, 16, or no hardened seat inserts. Later year passenger blocks phased this out.

 

oh hell, just mail me the crankshaft and junk the rest!

haha, good luck with the ID man

 

FYI...That "funky teapot" or "Towering Inferno" (depending upon your experience) is worth a few bucks to Merc restorers...don't throw it away!

 

I have a weird one too...mine says "48H:2" that's right...it has a colon in the casting number...the engine appears to be a 255...because it has a 4" stroke. The current bore is roughly 3.25"....(3 3/16 + .060)