49a vs 49ab

[36 CS]

Would someone tell me the difference between the 59a and the 59a-b? Thanks W.L. Donald

[Old Henry]

Do you mean 59A and 59A-B?

[36 CS]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

Do you mean 59A and 59A-B?

Yes sir you are correct,thanks for bringing that to my attention.W.L.

[Cecil/WV]

The only difference that I know about is what you can see-A vs AB.

[Marv]

My 59A is 3 1/16 bore and my 59A-B is 3 3/16 bore. Marv

[rotorwrench]

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The 41A block was the 3 1/16" bore relacement but it still had the "59" on the bell. The 3 3/16" 59A blocks made from 1945 through the end of the 40s & possibly several years into the next decade for spare parts, were all very nearly the same as far as most historians can gleen from the records. The 59A heads were the first production ones after the war and they were followed by the 59AB heads for some engineering change not too long after but are not a lot different in appearance.

[36 CS]

I assume the 59ab had a little more hp if pistons were larger and no other difference in the engines. Thanks guys for the info.

[Bluebell]

Hi Marv, All the other 59A's I've seen were 3 3/16"

Originally Posted by Marv

My 59A is 3 1/16 bore and my 59A-B is 3 3/16 bore. Marv

[Marv]

Mine does have sleeves in it but i thought that was factory. MY 59 AB is a truck engine. Marv

[trainguy]

I believe that 59ab is the marking for the head that can be used on bothe the right and left side.

[Fred A]

Originally Posted by Marv

My 59A is 3 1/16 bore and my 59A-B is 3 3/16 bore. Marv

This can be misleading in that 3 1/16' replacement blocks marked on the housing as 59 were available after the war. I had one in a military crate in the sixties. It is often stated that the smaller bore replacements can be bored 1/8" Making replacement pistons cheap. This distinction has nothing to do with A VS AB which is a stocking thing about a small change in chamber and interchange port to starboard. The engine in not really an AB but that name has wormed its way into the popular lexicon. Good Luck: Fred A

[Bruce Lancaster]

The '46-8 engine is a 59A, the heads came as 59A first during 1946, then as 59AB for the rest of the run. 59A-6050 had a slightly larger combustion chamber and hence lower compression that the 59A-6050B. Tha actual numbers on that are in the bulletins, and Ford considered the difference to be enough that they suggested replacing both heads if 59AB's replace the discontinued A.
Note that the two letters are different parts of speech in the grammar of Ford part numbers...they A is a prefix denoting first application, the B is a suffix denothing an alteration of the part.
My flying guess id that Ford found postwar gas to be a bit better than they planned for and so made a very conservative change in the compression.

[blucar]

It has always been my understanding that the 59A heads have a slightly lower compression than the 59AB heads.. We just tore down a 59 series engine that had a 59A head on one side, 59AB on the other.. The engine was in a '48 Ford 2d sdn...
Obviously, a re-builder thought they were the same..