!939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Does that automatically mean I need to replace the crank or is their a chance the crank can be repaired? Jon Laing

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Worse case would be polishing or turning the crank to an undersize I would think. Last time I tried just changing bearings on a spun rod it lasted about two days! But then it wasn't a flathead. I depends on if any damage occurred to the crank or rod.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

I assume a new rod is needed. Not sure how to tell how serious the crank damage is. Jon L.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Your machinist should be able to give you those answers. Had the crank been ground before? Should be no problem rehabbing the rod.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

What engine or rods are you running here? is this a 1949 type engine? A '39 has full floating rod bearings, made to spin freely...?

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

What Bruce said, 1939 all rod bearings should spin. There floating bearings, not locked to the rod.
Can you tell us any more?
Martin.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

For some reason is saw 39 and thought 49! Yep 39 bearing would be paired up between two rods and would be floating. My 49 has insert bearings, one per rod. And ether way, the rods should be repairable.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

He did saw #2 rod bearing which would lead you to believe it was the later engine. But who knows?

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Bafacating, these Flatheads

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

AS far as I know this is a 1939 engine. I just bought the car and it was presented as original. Is there a way to confirm that? Jon Laing

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

39 85 H.P. have an A between #1 and #2 spark plug holes, cylinder part numbers moved so it faces the intake manifold.

I only knows this from the 38/39 early V8 Ford book, pg 4-38. Scott

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

If you have the heads off it is fairly easy to identify.

Engine Weight
 

Approximately how much does a 1939 Ford==85 hp weigh with all the manifolds/running parts etc mounted? No transmission. I need to know how large a hoist is needed to remove an engine. Jon L.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

About 500 lbs, the ford service bulletins list 562 with trans for the weight of a car engine

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Just a little information here. A set of 8BA rods and crank could havr been installed during a previous rebuild. Wouldn't be the first time, cheeper than floating bearings.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Look for a forging number on the rods, as there are a number of possibilities with 3 different series of cranks that could swap in...
but of course easiest way is to look at bearing itself, which will be full length of journal supporting two rods if '39 type, typical snap-in halves supporting one rod per pair if late '49-53 types.
91 or 21 rods would indicate 1939 85 type crank, 99 or 29 would be an early 239 crank which will fit into the 221 block, snap-in singles would be '49 up crank...which can also be fitted to earlier motor.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Bruce, wasn't there some discussion about 48 trunk engines receiving the insert bearings from the factory. I currently have a 48 truck engine with inserts, but not sure if they were factory installed or changed in a rebuild.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

I don't know about 'trunk' engines, but 48 was the first year for 8BA engines in trucks (pickups), and I'm pretty sure all 8BA's had/have inserts. There are also some 59's that came with 8BA internals (includiing insert rods).
To address the question, almost any damaged crank can be repaired. Sometimes easier to find another crank. Generally, rods can be 'reconditioned', sometimes replaced.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

The early engines with insert rods were wartime canadian and British, and I think used rods capable of taking the floaters.
I suspect that some 59's, probably post-1948 production replacement engines, used the late crank and rods Don't know for sure.

Re: !939 spun #2 rod bearing
 

Think mine might be the later, 59a block with 8ba internals. Not sure this helps the topic much, but it is just another example of later parts in earlier blocks. It was done and I understand a lot of rebuilds used the later parts routinely.