1953 eac mercury engine value

[modela4shane]

I am looking at buying a complete core EAC engine for a project. The engine is a take out from a 1952 f-1 with a heavy duty 4 speed bolted to it. It is complete from fan to u-joint with merc carb. dist. starter, fuel pump, exhaust manifolds ect. Engine is not locked up it turns by hand. What would you estimate a fair price would be to pay for this engine? Thank you for any help!

[Tim Ayers]

Unless you can hear it run and check the oil pressure while running, not much. Complete cores have gone up in recent years, but I wouldn't pay more than $200 for a motor of unknown condition.

If you do pay more, insist on a money back guarantee that, if it turns out to be cracked, you'll get your money back.

If you haven't done it before, tearing down a flathead is a labor intensive job. Having some flathead specific tools helps tremendously. Sometimes it just comes down to torching, pounding, and a lot of cursing to get them apart.

[19Fordy]

Tim is correct. Before buying, you should be allowed to re move the heads to check the stroke and also the block for cracks. Pull the intake also. Doing so would also benefit the seller. Remember, that engine is 70 years old and has probably endured lots of hard miles, especially if it was in a truck.

[TJ]

I would be reluctant to buying any used motor unless the heads are off so you can inspect for cracks in the valve seats and in the cylinder walls.

[KiWinUS]

Originally Posted by Tim Ayers

Unless you can hear it run and check the oil pressure while running, not much. Complete cores have gone up in recent years, but I wouldn't pay more than $200 for a motor of unknown condition.

If you do pay more, insist on a money back guarantee that, if it turns out to be cracked, you'll get your money back.

If you haven't done it before, tearing down a flathead is a labor intensive job. Having some flathead specific tools helps tremendously. Sometimes it just comes down to torching, pounding, and a lot of cursing to get them apart.

Tim nailed it. A few weeks ago I stripped 8 engines all 8BA. 4 of the 8 are scrap. 3 that looked super nice externally junk. A tremendous amount of work stripping that many engines. $200 max if they turn $100 if they don’t. The nicest had 12” cracks both sides along the oil pan rail so just removing heads is not good enough.

[tubman]

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All good advice, but if it is a Mercury, and turns and looks good, I'd offer $400 (the crank alone is worth that), and might go as high as $600 if it looks to have never been stored outside.

You might get lucky. I bought an unknown '51 Merc about 25 years ago for $400, and it ran so well that all I did was clean it up, re-gasket it, and paint it. I'm still running it. Other than excessive oil consumption when running at 65+, it still runs good and strong.

[modela4shane]

Picture of engine.

[modela4shane]

Pictures

[Tim Ayers]

Do you have access to this engine or are you buying it sight unseen? If sight unseen, max $200 since it's confirmed it has a 4" crank.

If going to see it in person, bring a wire brush and brush away the carbon around all the valves. Bring a high power LED flashlight and look closely for cracks from the valves to the cylinder bores. Brush off one of the pistons to see if there is an oversized stamped into the piston dome. This will tell you whether or not it's ever been rebuilt.

If you don't see well, bring a magnifying glass. Most cracks can be seen if you know what to look for.

I would suggest tearing this block down regardless and cleaning it properly. From what I can see, there is a lot of crud in the water jackets.

Judging by the poor quality of the picts, I'm making the assumption that it will need to be rebuilt. The bores look past just a hone and re-ring, but this is a big assumption just going off the posted picts.

[tubman]

I have to disagree Tim. It's obviously a Mercury and when I looked closely, I don't see even any "part number" cracks. In my experience (probably 10+ engines), every one without those cracks turned out to be crack free.

I'd start at $500 and might even go higher. Have you priced 4-bolt Merc intakes lately?

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by tubman

I have to disagree Tim. It's obviously a Mercury and when I looked closely, I don't see even any "part number" cracks. In my experience (probably 10+ engines), every one without those cracks turned out to be crack free.

I'd start at $500 and might even go higher. Have you priced 4-bolt Merc intakes lately?

Good point. That said, we do need to see the other side before giving the green light.

Please don't tell me 4 bolt intakes are commanding a decent price. I just scrapped 3 of them. What's the going rate?

[Bored&Stroked]

Since it has a Merc crank - you can think of that as worth about $400 - the intake is probably worth $50 or maybe more to the right guy.

So, if you can do what Tim mentioned and can clean the block areas between the valves and the bores (looking for cracks) and also pull the pan and look for pan-rail cracks (which are fatal), then you'll know that your $500 bet is probably going to be worth it.

I would take a drill with a wire brush on it and some lacquer thinner to clean all the valve to bore areas, then with a good light and magnifying glass, you can usually spot obvious cracks.

From experience, I seem to see more 49-53 cracked blocks than the earlier ones. This may be due to the fact that the cars were bigger, had more "accessories" on them and tended to run hotter in the later years. That is just my hunch . . .

[modela4shane]

Tubman forgive me for not understanding but what do you mean by "part number cracks"?

[tubman]

Yep. I paid $50 for an iron one at a swap meet last year that had a chip out of the fuel pump base it didn't effect the integrity, so I fixed it with a high quality epoxy and painted it. It is undetectable. I don't even want to think about the aluminum Canadian versions. I looked for a long time for one and paid $100 about 10 years ago. I think this is partially my fault, with my championing of 2G's on these cars.

I have had better luck with Mercury blocks than Fords. I attribute this to better cars, better owners, and better radiators.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by modela4shane

Tubman forgive me for not understanding but what do you mean by "part number cracks"?

Flatheads commonly have cracks between the water passage and nearest bolt hole in the center of block between the end cylinders and the middle ones. They are so common that folks say they must have been issued a part number by Ford. They are harmless.

Sorry for being so "technical".

[modela4shane]

Just got back from looking at the engine its definitely a Merc, standard bore,i cleaned the areas around the valves to bores and could not see any cracks on each bank, it rotates and every thing moves. It was stored outside with the upper water necks and thermostates removed, the water jackets are very rusty and so is the rest of the block and accessories. The seller is holding FIRM at $1000 and would not budge on price, so i walked away. I told him if he changes his mind to let me know. Thank you for all that chimed in .

[tubman]

You might regret your decision, but it was yours to make. Let's hope he gets back to you.

[Alaska Jim]

If you had the pan off , I would also remove at least one rod cap and one main cap and ck to see if the crank had already been turned, and if so how far.

[ronn]

I would have no regrets from walking away, at that price and what you describe. There are still many out there.

[TJ]

At a grand I would have walked away too.

[19Fordy]

$1000 is too much to gamble on that engine. Wait 6 mos. and contact seller again.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

$1000 is too much to gamble on that engine. Wait 6 mos. and contact seller again.

I'll bet the engine would be sold by then. If I really needed another flathead, I'd pay that in a heartbeat.

[cas3]

Wasn't there some talk recently that the oil pick up tube sells for 400 bucks?

[tubman]

Originally Posted by cas3

Wasn't there some talk recently that the oil pick up tube sells for 400 bucks?

I believe so. And I seem to remember a Merc oil pan on eBay for $400.

[Tim Ayers]

Interesting point. I wonder which pan it has on it

[ronn]

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The price of the pan isnt the question- but did it sell?


I will find one for you for 1 million dollars. will you buy it?


lol

[19Fordy]

Gee, the magnafluxed crack free, stock bore 8BA block with .010 Merc crank and complete 50 Merc rear sump oil pan with 50 merc stamped steel bellhousing and starter plate I've had sitting in my garage for the past 43 years must be worth a million dollars? Better than buying a CD.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Gee, the magnafluxed crack free, stock bore 8BA block with .010 Merc crank and complete 50 Merc rear sump oil pan with 50 merc stamped steel bellhousing and starter plate I've had sitting in my garage for the past 43 years must be worth a million dollars? Better than buying a CD.

Not a million, but probably more than you thought a couple of days ago.

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Gee, the magnafluxed crack free, stock bore 8BA block with .010 Merc crank and complete 50 Merc rear sump oil pan with 50 merc stamped steel bellhousing and starter plate I've had sitting in my garage for the past 43 years must be worth a million dollars? Better than buying a CD.

Naw, inflation is eating away at its value . . . you'll have to get 2 million for it to break even.

[5851a]

Kind of depends on need of buyer, flatheads getting pretty scarce these days. My friend bought one from a 53 Mercury 4 dr. body very rusty, to rusty to drive on gravel 30 years ago. Helped him install in F6 MH wrecker. The truck was never worked hard. It sold last year at auction. I would have bought but didn't have room inside for it. The engine had never been apart, we knew the Mercury owners son. Pretty sure it was running when it left the sale. I should have bought the thing and added to the building. Hindsight is a curse. 53 to 22. I still drive a newer Mercury. Anyway, base need on availability.

[GB SISSON]

About 30 years ago I was given a merc engine that had some cracks in the deck. The guy's dad had it rebuilt and he installed it in a COE truck. On the maiden voyage a hose clamp wasn't tightened and it overheated. The COE got a smallblock. The merc went into a chicken coop for storage until given to me. I used the 4" crank right away and the valve assembly with johnson lifters a couple years later. Now you got me wondering what else of value might be left.

[KiWinUS]

These are all crack free. Cleaned and sonic checked. At the value some on this thread believe they are worth I may need to hire a security guard.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by KiWinUS

These are all crack free. Cleaned and sonic checked. At the value some on this thread believe they are worth I may need to hire a security guard.

The real question is are they for sale and if so, how much? From my experience, they are worth at least $1000 each.

[19Fordy]

I think 1951 Merc water pumps are going up in value. Hard to find.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

I think 1951 Merc water pumps are going up in value. Hard to find.

That's good to know too.

We've got a decent stack of them and was asking $30 a piece for them at Hershey last year. Not one person picked them up. Odd

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by KiWinUS

These are all crack free. Cleaned and sonic checked. At the value some on this thread believe they are worth I may need to hire a security guard.

Something satisfying about seeing freshly cleaned flathead blocks waiting to live again.

[KiWinUS]

Originally Posted by tubman

The real question is are they for sale and if so, how much? From my experience, they are worth at least $1000 each.

The one on left I have owned for over 50 years so it’s a keeper. Those others I will build into running engines and sell. But at my age every thing is for sale.

[flatjack9]

Originally Posted by modela4shane

Just got back from looking at the engine its definitely a Merc, standard bore,i cleaned the areas around the valves to bores and could not see any cracks on each bank, it rotates and every thing moves. It was stored outside with the upper water necks and thermostates removed, the water jackets are very rusty and so is the rest of the block and accessories. The seller is holding FIRM at $1000 and would not budge on price, so i walked away. I told him if he changes his mind to let me know. Thank you for all that chimed in .

I would buy that for the crank only. Sitting outside in the weather, it probably has water in the jackets and a very good chance of being fatally cracked.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by flatjack9

I would buy that for the crank only. Sitting outside in the weather, it probably has water in the jackets and a very good chance of being fatally cracked.

I have been in contact with the O/P and engine has been stored inside. Also, it's located in a state where it doesn't freeze in the winter.

[flatjack9]

Originally Posted by tubman

I have been in contact with the O/P and engine has been stored inside. Also, it's located in a state where it doesn't freeze in the winter.

Post 16 says it was stored outside.

[cas3]

I have a running merc motor on mpls craigs list now. been on about 3 weeks. I did not say much in the add because I want to talk to the person to see what the project is, I probably have more stuff they would want. Can't put a phone # in anymore or they want to fire off 20 text messages back and forth. So, I ask them to send me a # and I'll call and tell them all about it. Even that is too much I guess. I had one guy email me asking what year it is, 8ba style merc is in the add. Then he emails back, good he wants the top dizzy, then asks if its been rebuilt. I email back if you would just send me a phone number I would call you up and tell you lots of stuff about the motor and we would not have to send one liner emails back and forth all morning. Well.I guess I'm a jerk and he has not mailed back. Why is society getting away from human speech? running motor in a test stand with a radiator, got the rear sump pan and matching bell housing, clutch, PP, flywheel, generator, merc carb and manifiold, and the 8ba manifold with a 94 on it so I could make it run, noticed johnson lifters in there when I changed the manifold, very respectable compression numbers, listed for 1200 so they can feel good by offering me 1000 which is what its worth, and nobody writes with a phone number, thats too much work

[flatford8]

At $1000 bucks each......my retirement is looking better!.....a long time poster on here had a tested block for sale for a few years....$300.....I don’t think it ever sold.....about five years ago I bought a fixable, complete (minus engine-trans) ‘46 Fordor that came with a good complete Merc engine for $550. Have a dozen or fifteen complete engines and five-eight more blocks. At this point I’ll take a chance on the free ones. I don’t see that kind of money for them ever.....Mark
PS...cas3’s engine is a different story. Running on a stand, I hope he gets someone he can have a conversation with and it makes it back into a vehicle that someone will enjoy!

[Tim Ayers]

I'm really bummed to hear this. My buddy and I will have (pending a possible pick) appropriately 15 blocks between us. We were planning on having them cleaned, mag'd, and pressure tested with documentation and then bring them to Hershey with a price of around $800-1,000 each.

The thought was no shipping, buyer has eyes on the item and we'd have documentation to prove the condition of the block would make them good sellers.

May need to change our plans after hearing some of these stories.

[flatford8]

If your customer is building a stock motor and you have a decent set of matched rods and the crank, you may find some interested parties. We all know it’s a lot of work to tear one apart and you don’t know what you’re going to have when you’re done. The running one from cas3 or one all built from Tony. Paying $1000 for an unknown lump of iron doesn’t sound like a good idea. I think the OP was right to walk…..I’m ready for Spring……how about you guys?!?!……Mark

[tubman]

Since they haven't been "mag'd, and pressure tested", you really don't know what you have yet. I, for one, would like to know, how many of the 15 turn out good.

We have an interesting conundrum here. When the O/P comes here and asks about the value of a Mercury engine, just about everyone says to reject it out of hand, because it must be cracked. Then, as the thread matured, the same crowd seems to assume that just about any flathead block is good. My experience has been that most "field find" blocks are fatally cracked, while blocks taken out of running cars and stored inside are usually good. I do know that if I were 20 years younger "cas3" would already have my money.

Perhaps that says it all. The guys that want these are "aging out" and in the process, more and more blocks will become available. "KiWinUS" has 5, Tim and his friend may have 15. I myself still have one. In 10 more years, how many of these will be back on the market, sold by family members who have no idea of their intrinsic worth. There may also be a corresponding lack of interest in flathead-powered cars and hot rods in general and the day of the good flathead block for $100 may return. If you can wait and gamble, fine. If not, you have to pay up or wait for the inevitable drop in prices. Most of us don't have time to wait.

[KiWinUS]

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Originally Posted by tubman

Since they haven't been "mag'd, and pressure tested", you really don't know what you have yet. I, for one, would like to know, how many of the 15 turn out good.

We have an interesting conundrum here. When the O/P comes here and asks about the value of a Mercury engine, just about everyone says to reject it out of hand, because it must be cracked. Then, as the thread matured, the same crowd seems to assume that just about any flathead block is good. My experience has been that most "field find" blocks are fatally cracked, while blocks taken out of running cars and stored inside are usually good. I do know that if I were 20 years younger "cas3" would already have my money.

Perhaps that says it all. The guys that want these are "aging out" and in the process, more and more blocks will become available. "KiWinUS" has 5, Tim and his friend may have 15. I myself still have one. In 10 more years, how many of these will be back on the market, sold by family members who have no idea of their intrinsic worth. There may also be a corresponding lack of interest in flathead-powered cars and hot rods in general and the day of the good flathead block for $100 may return. If you can wait and gamble, fine. If not, you have to pay up or wait for the inevitable drop in prices. Most of us don't have time to wait.

KiWinUS has way more than 5 blocks. The pic is of the next 5 in line to build. I know of approximately 300 available within 2 hours of me. I know of 250 new French available as we speak. That’s just me. That’s why I believe that good blocks aren’t worth a lot. You all know what it takes to get these apart and I doubt anyone can strip them much quicker than I. Then there’s all that associated work and test processes and procedures.
I believe location is a big factor of Price along with how patient you can be. Visual appearance means nothing or where they have been stored in my experience. The last 10 I have stripped the nicer one from inside storage were junk. The raggedy Ann’s from outside are crack free. Makes no sense.

[tubman]

The last one I sold was 7 years ago. The guy had gone through 5 engines and all of the blocks were bad and he was almost desperate. I sold it to him at what I believed the going price to be, although I could have gotten more. At 80, I am out of the active buying and selling aspect of the hobby. For all I know, the downslide has already started.

This is probably why Todd Butterworth's new flathead block project died on the vine.

Merc crankshafts are still valuable.

[KiWinUS]

Originally Posted by tubman

The last one I sold was 7 years ago. The guy had gone through 5 engines and all of the blocks were bad and he was almost desperate. I sold it to him at what I believed the going price to be, although I could have gotten more. At 80, I am out of the active buying and selling aspect of the hobby. For all I know, the downslide has already started.

This is probably why Todd Butterworth's new flathead block project died on the vine.

Merc crankshafts are still valuable.

Personally I believe location is the same for Merc crank values. I have quite a stash and I know of a bunch more. That being said the time and cost to remove plugs clean prep and grind into a stroker is expensive and the Scat route is actually a good choice price wise.

[flatford8]

My cynicism on prices could be age related, combined with the time I have to complete my plans....I have plans to be build maybe three more engines and I think I can cover that with what I have.....I think Tony is spot on with location being connected to price and availability.....but, $1000 for an unknown engine....I don’t see it......Mark

[cadillac512]

Originally Posted by flatford8

My cynicism on prices could be age related, combined with the time I have to complete my plans....I have plans to be build maybe three more engines and I think I can cover that with what I have.....I think Tony is spot on with location being connected to price and availability.....but, $1000 for an unknown engine....I don’t see it......Mark

I agree on the price ( too high) of the original poster's questionable engine. However, Cas3's Merc running on the stand with all the parts is a very good deal indeed!
Anyone in the market for a late flathead to start with should be all over that one. I don't need another one and I'm still tempted...good thing I'm in Kansas.


Terry

[Tim Ayers]

Circling back, we started collecting blocks when I had such a hard time finding a good one for my hot rod project. 5 blocks of various lineage (Merc 99A, 59AB & 8BA), it took the 5th to wind up with a 59L that was already bored 3 3/8ths and needed to go +.30" to be round again. This motor was literally given to us.

We were confident it could be punched out that far by the sonic testing results.

Anyway, the process and hassle of tracking down cores was daunting; especially with a looming deadline, so I vowed to not be in that position again.

Having more blocks available to you tilts the odds in your favor that some of them will turn out to be good. My buddy and I still have a few more engine builds left in us, so we'll use them eventually. We are both 52.

I have two Merc 99A's blocks from this process that have identical cracks at the exhaust pocket to cylinder #3. They look to be repairable, I just haven't had the time to drive them up to Albany (3 hours each way) to get them repaired.

[Merc Cruzer]

Field of dreams:

[Tim Ayers]

Am I always amazed how something like this happens. The thought process, how so many were accumulated, etc. Not sure where this is, but if it is somewhere that dips below freezing, sadly most if not all are cracked from ice damage.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer

Field of dreams:

[Merc Cruzer]

Now for the bad news. This salvage yard has been closed, since I took the pictures, and everything went to scrap. It used to be, my main supply of parts for my car.

[cadillac512]

Was it somewhere in Eastern CO? Looks like foothills in the background....


Terry

[Merc Cruzer]

Loveland, CO

[cas3]

Some junk yards store the outside motors upside down. They are usually OK when stored like that