[bobH]

Just a case of one who believes what he or she wants to believe. We've been trained here on the id of 8ba blocks for many moons, by some real good experts, and we mostly all know that a crank does not identify a block. Over a long period of time, I've yet to see info on where blocks were cast and machined (8ba-era), and any identifying features that would make a block one or the other (ford or merc). It's a little like trying to debate a 59A block as being Ford, or Merc. It (59A) is clearly a Merc part number, but I don't see anyone trying to convince me that they didn't also come in Fords.