Flathead V8 ID?

[Martin Torres]

Hi all. Long time Ford guy (actually always) and first time poster here.

I came across a motor that I may acquire and wanted to find out how to identify it. I work on tractor electronics (GPS, auto steer, leveling, etc...) and I find some cool stuff sitting behind and in barns. Most are just disintegrating into the ground.

A farmer has a flathead V8 sitting on a crate back in the barn and wanted to know if I was interested in it. A friend of his put it there probably 30+ years ago and then passed away. Family told him to keep it. He believes it may have come out of a boat but he also is adamant that it is a Buick or Olds.

I'm a Ford guy but only 52 so not much flathead experience. This has a crab distributor on the front and the bellhousing is part of the block. I located a casting number on the bellhousing. Hard to read. 24 bolts on the heads but they are aftermarket heads. I will post pictures.

Any help would be great. My next project will be a ‘50’s or ‘60's Ford ratrod so this motor has me intrigued. I am sure I can get is for a steal also.

[fordwife]

Yes it is a '48 or older ford engine with some very rare heads on it. It looks like an industrial application. It could be from a boat, but in that case they usually have water cooled exhaust manifolds.

[Stenny]

With 24 head studs it dates from 1938 up to 1948. Take a look at the pan rail to see if there are 2 bulges on each side which place it as a '38-'40. If you clean off the top of the bellhousing and see the numbers 59, that places it as a post war block. The difference is a bore of 3 1/16 for the earlier design and a 3 3/16 for the post war although some 59 series have a 3 1/16 bore. The wedge under the carb lends credence to the fact that this was probably a marine application. If the price is right, I would grab it for the heads alone which are an aftermarket piece that is fairly rare.

[Mart]

May have been some non car application, probably a boat. You wouldn't put high performance heads on an industrial unit. Got to be worth getting, if a reasonable price. What is your and the seller's idea of a reasonable price may be quite a way apart though.

Mart.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by Martin Torres

He believes it may have come out of a boat but he also is adamant that it is a Buick or Olds.

That's funny! I'm sending you a private message if you know how that works.

[Ggmac]

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Grab it ,

[Ggmac]

What size lakes are near you ? I'm hoping fresh water , I've seen the damage comes from salt water .
Welcome to the forum and good luck with it .

[rotorwrench]

This thread has a lot of info. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...5301&showall=1

It looks prewar to me. Those old Baron/Tattersfield heads are not as common as they once were but they may have corrosion. Aluminum & iron are dissimilar and they can be ate up just sitting around like that. It could be a 221 CID or 239CID but you'll likely have to pull the heads an study the deck ports to tell for sure. There are photos in the ID thread for a check. The old Mercury/Truck 239 of the prewar era is preferred but a 221 in rebuildable shape still has a lot of value to quite a few folks.

[texas webb]

Worth getting and forgot the ratrod term.

[40 Deluxe]

Most assuredly from a boat. Notice the leveling wedge under the carb, the spark arrestor screen in the carb intake, the modified exhaust outlet (they weren't always water cooled), and the chain sprocket on the front pulley (to drive a separate water pump that pulled water from the lake). If it were a salt water boat, they often used heat exchangers which used the salt water to cool the fresh water circulating in the water jackets so that salt water never entered the engine.

[rotorwrench]

When I think of Hot Rod, I envision a 1929 AV8 roadster or a 1932 roadster, either with no fenders. When I thing of Rat Rod, I envision a rolling junk pile with parts that fly off after hitting pot holes.

[FritzJr]

The generator appears to be from a '39 Standard. (two brush with fan mount)

[Ggmac]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

When I think of Hot Rod, I envision a 1929 AV8 roadster or a 1932 roadster, either with no fenders. When I thing of Rat Rod, I envision a rolling junk pile with parts that fly off after hitting pot holes.

I call the hot rods DRIVERS ! Mine are flame cut , stick welded and road worthy .
Not pretty by any means , but it looks good from 20 feet . If you over 40 that is .