8R Flathead
 

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and looking for some info regarding a Ford 8R Flathead,
my main question is will most external parts (bell housing, water pumps , starter , etc) be interchangeable with the 8BA? I picked up this 8R from a farm in IA, it was used to haul grain and has less than 20K miles. I will of course take it to the machine shop to freshen it up, but a little curious about the externals. Any help will be greatly appreciated

Re: 8R Flathead
 

I'm not familiar with 8r engines, but almost all flathead external parts are interchangeable.

Re: 8R Flathead
 

Probably 8RT.

Re: 8R Flathead
 

8ba car and 8rt truck shared the same block and internals. The car had different water pumps than did the trucks. Trucks were wide belt and and the cars were narrow belts in addition to the way they mounted to the frame. The big trucks had a 1/2 bell housing to mate up to the 4 speed crash boxes. 8rt heads were lower compression than the cat 8ba heads. Later model EAB heads were the highest compression of the 3 but all will interchange. Photos. We like photos.

Re: 8R Flathead
 

Hello. I'm not a "seasoned" flathead guy, but I do run an 8RT in my '36 Delivery. They are the truck motors from '48-'53.Most parts are interchangeable with the 8BA motors. Trucks had their own bellhousings, clutches, and oil pans but I think the passenger car parts are easily swapped as a set.

Re: 8R Flathead
 

I would like to thank everyone for responding to my questions, in fact 8R is cast onto the heads. I thought because it came out of a truck it was an 8RT but not sure, again thanks for the help I appreciate your assistance. I will try to get some pictures next time

Re: 8R Flathead
 

There are several distinct engine types in what is commonly referred to as the 8BA family of engines. The heads changed multiple times during production of this family between 1948 and 1953 for US production (1954 for Canadian production). Different applications had different heads and accessories. The two major types are by cubic inch displacement. Most are 239 cid but there are also the 255 cid types for Mercury and special applications. They both use the same block but there are different crankshafts for them since a stroke change was used to make the 255. What fits one block fits all but the changes usually work in sets for the different applications.

Re: 8R Flathead
 

Hi Everyone, safeguy, please keep in mind that bolt-on parts could have been swapped. So any marking on a cylinder head would not be a definitive way to identify the engine (block).

Re: 8R Flathead
 

I will of course take it to the machine shop to freshen it up, but a little curious about the externals.
Be sure to have it pressure tested & magna fluxed to check for cracks before spending your hard earned greenbacks on it