Engine salvage
 

These engines were saved by a neighbour of mine when he was clearing an old mill site.

2nd picture

last
 

Always shedded but not in as new condition:whinge
See picture further down this is where computer went mad. :bang:
:horse: had to rush to town for new modem to fully fix computer.:coffee :coffee :coffee

The top one
 

is an 8BA, from a 49-54 model Ford.

I pulled over 50 of them down for reconditioning back in the 70s and almost every one would break head bolts and also have cracks in the block which were far less common in the Mercury motor.

Re: The top one
 

I've heard the Mercury engine was a better lump than the Ford, although the 8BA is a better engine than what comes in our wusty old twuks...

Re: Re: The top one
 

5 more horses with the 8BA - I had one in a F60L for years without trouble, easier access to the distributor, but I'd rather have the good old original engine as there are complications with the throttle linkage on the 8BA in a CMP, and I just prefer to have the real thing anyway.

If you get one of the 255 cubic inch Merc engines you can put the crank and pistons in one of the old style blocks with the centre outlet rad hoses. It's best if you get a .030 overbore Merc and a smaller bore 239 and bore the 239 to .030 over. Use the old camshaft and the old style front end and distributer and you've got a 125 hp flattie. Some people just try using the old style heads on the Merc engine but that won't work. The engines are designed for different water flow routes and you end up with bad heating problems. We all know you don't want to impede cooling on a flattie.
The cracks in the block from the bolt holes to the water passages won't cause any problems. It's the cracks that are down in the port and valve seat area that cause all the trouble. Ford relieved the block on their factory rebuilds in the 50s and 60s and this was supposed to cure the cracking problem.

last picture
 

computer went mad just got back. Engines always shedded but not in as new condition :whinge