The Ford Barn

18tillidie · 07-10-2025, 06:24 PM

I did some work on a 1950 Custom Coupe with an 8BA Flathead a few years ago for a friend… it had been sitting for about ten years…

One of the first things I discovered when I drained and tried to refill the oil, was that someone had installed a 59Ab gasket on the Offy intake. The oil filler/breather is located at the rear of the 59Ab vs at the front on the 8BA, so the gasket totally blocked the breather intake. The internal tube (that passes air directly from the breather down to the crankcase before it circulates back up at the rear then through the valve tunnel and out the road breather) had been removed, since it would no longer fit with the hole blocked off by the gasket.

The mechanical fuel pump had also been removed and a cover plate installed, so there was zero air inlet… the road breather was still there, but nowhere for air to get in! I can only assume they unbolted the fuel pump cover plate to add oil!

I installed the correct gasket and managed to find the missing internal tube from a very generous member here. Compression was perfect. I rebuilt the triple 97’s and located a short on the low tension lead inside the distributor, and got it running again for them.

Fast forward a few years… it’s been sitting again ever since, so the friend wanted to sell… I couldn’t resist!

The difference this time is that I now have all the receipts and history of what was done on the original build (that I didn’t have first time round)…

I was surprised to discover a pretty impressive rebuild… fully machined block, 4” Stroker crank, 3/4” Isky cam, flat pistons, Edelbrock heads, Offy intake, triple 97’s… (plus a new 5 speed Tremec transmission, and front disc conversion)… I am now wondering if there was actually a reason they did it that way with the 59Ab gasket??? Hard to imagine someone doing a rebuild like that and then messing up something so basic???

I can’t imagine why, but it’s now gnawing at me, so asking here if anyone maybe has an idea? Was there some method to the madness, or just plain madness???

They could have just cut the hole out if they just had the wrong gasket, or installed a breather at the back rather than a cover plate???

BTW… I now have it running super sweet again, new engine and trans mounts, new fuel pressure regulator, new rear brakes, rebuilt the stock steering. There’s still a vibration around 60-65mph that I suspect is a drive shaft issue, and the lowered suspension handles like a pig, but it’s a total hoot to drive, and sounds only the way a flatly can!

Any thoughts on the intake gasket logic???

Here’s the earlier 2021 thread (added on to an earlier 2012 thread on a similar topic) where I was figuring out the issue first time round… https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88928

(The '51 in the background is the next project... it has a 289 small block :-( and it's a Tudor Sedan, which never quite grabbed me, but contemplating chopping the roof to deal with it's more boxy stance!)

07-10-2025, 06:24 PM	#1
18tillidie Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2021 Posts: 24	Did they install the wrong intake gasket on purpose? I did some work on a 1950 Custom Coupe with an 8BA Flathead a few years ago for a friend… it had been sitting for about ten years… One of the first things I discovered when I drained and tried to refill the oil, was that someone had installed a 59Ab gasket on the Offy intake. The oil filler/breather is located at the rear of the 59Ab vs at the front on the 8BA, so the gasket totally blocked the breather intake. The internal tube (that passes air directly from the breather down to the crankcase before it circulates back up at the rear then through the valve tunnel and out the road breather) had been removed, since it would no longer fit with the hole blocked off by the gasket. The mechanical fuel pump had also been removed and a cover plate installed, so there was zero air inlet… the road breather was still there, but nowhere for air to get in! I can only assume they unbolted the fuel pump cover plate to add oil! I installed the correct gasket and managed to find the missing internal tube from a very generous member here. Compression was perfect. I rebuilt the triple 97’s and located a short on the low tension lead inside the distributor, and got it running again for them. Fast forward a few years… it’s been sitting again ever since, so the friend wanted to sell… I couldn’t resist! The difference this time is that I now have all the receipts and history of what was done on the original build (that I didn’t have first time round)… I was surprised to discover a pretty impressive rebuild… fully machined block, 4” Stroker crank, 3/4” Isky cam, flat pistons, Edelbrock heads, Offy intake, triple 97’s… (plus a new 5 speed Tremec transmission, and front disc conversion)… I am now wondering if there was actually a reason they did it that way with the 59Ab gasket??? Hard to imagine someone doing a rebuild like that and then messing up something so basic??? I can’t imagine why, but it’s now gnawing at me, so asking here if anyone maybe has an idea? Was there some method to the madness, or just plain madness??? They could have just cut the hole out if they just had the wrong gasket, or installed a breather at the back rather than a cover plate??? BTW… I now have it running super sweet again, new engine and trans mounts, new fuel pressure regulator, new rear brakes, rebuilt the stock steering. There’s still a vibration around 60-65mph that I suspect is a drive shaft issue, and the lowered suspension handles like a pig, but it’s a total hoot to drive, and sounds only the way a flatly can! Any thoughts on the intake gasket logic??? Here’s the earlier 2021 thread (added on to an earlier 2012 thread on a similar topic) where I was figuring out the issue first time round… https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88928 (The '51 in the background is the next project... it has a 289 small block :-( and it's a Tudor Sedan, which never quite grabbed me, but contemplating chopping the roof to deal with it's more boxy stance!)