Re: Fordson Thames ET6 year model
 

My pilot engine has locked big end inserts.

I am yet to find if all or only some or none have these .

Mine could have had a crank change .

Will be very curious as to whether this thames engine when it arrives has them or not.

My last flathead was a 1946 C69A and it also had locked imserts.

I did ask an old dude who has overhauled 2 pilot engines and he sadi both had floaters inside.

Re: Fordson Thames ET6 year model
 

Pooch, All Pilot engines originally ran flanged on one side, lock in shells. The crank journals have double oil holes accordingly, however, the holes are on opposite sides of journal to each other. These bearings are very hard to source nowadays, however, 32-38 USA flanged full floaters will directly interchange quite happily.
Apart from the double drilled rod journals, Pilot cranks have the longer /larger diameter snout, same dimensions as USA post 38 cranks. In all other respects the Pilot cranks resemble 36LB-38 cranks.
The Pilot blocks are a different casting to USA 37-38 blox; behind each bank of cylinders [behind #4 and behind #8] they have a 5/8" dia frost plug [English terminology], which makes them easy to id.
So...when your Thames engine arrives, first things to check are to see if it has the frost plugs as described, also if it has the long crank snout, if so, it will be identical to Pilot.

In my adventures with 21 stud blocks, I have found yet another English variant; wartime military use, eg brengun carriers, These babies have no freeze plugs anywhere [not even in the panrails], have what is referred to as 'raised deck', and have the third hole at back of block for oil cooler. These are cast in what appears to be a very high nickel iron; the water jackets don't demonstrate any tendency to rust/scale up. These blocks however, in my experience, can crack in all sorts of places. I have previously been caught out with this variant; initially one thinks, by virtue of the clean water jackets etc,that they've got such a pristine block, only to have ongoing problems with cracks forming.

I hope for your sake, that your engine turns out to be a Pilot version. Good luck!

Re: Fordson Thames ET6 year model
 

My guess is that the wartime stuff depleted rather quickly after the war and production changed to meet modern standards. I've always thought this to be true but had no way to confirm since those engines are rare where I come from. It sounds like some of you other folks could confirm that. The engine type was manufactured a long time and bound to have been updated, especially for use in trucks. When Ford USA changed over to the long snout crank in 1938, they developed the crank sheave to keep the early style fan drive on the generator for another year or so in the standard models & commercial pickups. These were on 24 stud engines though. Canadian and UK production stuck with the 21-stud a lot longer than US production because of the wartime needs. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. A lot of universal carriers were built in Canada, UK, and even in the USA. The US built ones were different though. They used the 29A 239 engine in them and they were longer & therefore heavier.