49 to early 51 Merc oil pans bolt directly to the bottom of the 49-51 Merc bell housing using 2 bolts that secure the oil pan to the bottom of the 49-51 merc bellhousing and matching starter plate. I have a 50 Merc oil pan bolted to my 1940 trnasmission and 8BA engine. The little bracket you see on the front of my oil pan photo is not shown on the Mercury oil pan pictorial drawing as it is a separate , removalable part. Look carefully at my photos and you can see how my 50 Merc oil pan bolts to the 49 to early 51 Merc bellhousing when installing an 8BA in a 40 Ford.
If you have a Mercury oil pan without that front bracket you can still bolt the Merc oil pan to the bottom of the 8BA engine block with no problems as the pan bolts hold it securely to the block. In that case, you would just use two bolts to secure the bottom of the starter plate to the bottom of the bellhousing. It would be easy to make a little bracket, if you wanted one. Make sure you have the matching starter plate for the 49-51 (early) Merc bellhousing you are using. Otherwise, your starter won't fit. I hope this helps.
Look here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=1950...lIDsCUhgSBd5_M