81 block, small bore,small journal rods,locked bearings?..is this normal?

[Lowsquire]

Hi all,

I have just pulled down a rather rusted up old flatty,for a rebuild for a customer, it seems like a really wierd mix of stuff, and Im not sure Ill be able to find bearings for it..
As stated it has 81 cast into the block front right corner, Is small bore (3 1/16" + 0.020) has 21A rods with 2.00" big ends, and heres the bit I think is odd, It has individual locked bearings on the rods, and dual oil holes in the crank, whick also has screwed in gallery plugs..
The other early 24 stud motors Ive pulled down have always had full floaters and no gallery plugs at all.. is this a normal 21A rod setup? I thought all early 24 studs were full floaters? am I wrong? can anyone point me to a bearing supplier for this thing?

[Ronnie]

Turn the bearings over there should be a part # on the back.. Let us know.

[Lowsquire]

The number on the bearing shells is -
11400
-020

Assume the 020 refers to .020 undersize. there is no manufacturers name or stamp, the numbers are printed on in black ink,quite faint, in an old style font.

[Zeke...PA]

Sounds like a 59AB, which some say has the dual oil holes , or 8BA crank. See if there are markings on the crank. Zeke

[01aford]

Sounds like you have one pre 1936 without slip bearings. Do you know how to babbit?

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

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What size is the main brg. journals on the crank? Is it 2.398-2.399, if so it's a 37- or early 38 block. Or a 36LB with the water pumps in the heads. If it's has 2in. main journals it's a babbitted block. If the mains are 2.498-2.499 it's a 39 up block. If it has the big mains someone may have used an 8BA crank and turned the rod down to 2.000 so to use the 21A rods. Now the question, what did they use for locking lip bearings? Keep us posted on this weird setup. Walt

[Bruce Lancaster]

The locking bearings are of Canadian or British origin...used on many wartime engines, some peacetime, were interchangeable with floaters. Rods were notched for the locked ones but sized and finished to work well with the USA type bearings too.
Your engine would be Canadian since the British 85's were all the '37 type even into the 1950's.

[Lowsquire]

Walt and 01aford..24 stud..think you missed that point.
I think bruce has it here.. the rods are hone finished like a floater,So I think I can just order 21A floaters to rebuild it.Shame as the ease of locked bearings would be nice.
the crank is definitely not a later one, and has big screw in oil gallery plugs, although it does have a rope rear main, and not a labrinth.
Oh and it has a two bolt distributor flange and a short nose cam. so definitely post divers helmet I think..

[flatjack9]

I didn't think that the early cranks had gallery plugs. All the ones I have do not have plugs.

[52merc]

i agree with bruce canadian blocks had the lip brgs they are very thick & impossible to find

[Lowsquire]

Nope, non lip bearings.. just a plain half shell like an 8BA.

the crank has a large plug for each set of rod journals, the plug has a square hole, like a diff plug on a banjo diff. this is because the crank is drilled parallel to the journals, then angle drilled back to the mains. TWO oil holes next to each other on each rod journal (one for each rod.)

heres a couple of photos.

[kiwitony]

these engines are common here in New Zealand as most of our stuff came from canada.Ajays v8 has new shells for this motor their phone number is 072128742,you need to add New Zealands prefix first.064.Or international fax06478633152 or email [email protected]. hope this helps.Kiwi Tony.

[Lowsquire]

Thanks Kiwi Tony! will give him a call and see what oversizes are available.

[barryfromvictoria]

did american blocks have 81 cast in them? i thought they didn`t . canadian blocks did. i think the v-8 judges use the "pencil" test to differentiate the 81 block from a ground off 59a casting block. they wouldn`t need to do this if 81 was cast in 38 to 41 blocks

[Bruce Lancaster]

No, before the 59 there are no reliable markings...American flatheads have to be identified by their physical characteristics.

[52merc]

did you see how thick those brgs are??? ajays is under new managment it was sold about a month ago trev nz