Recently picked up a 53 F100. Previous owner was told that the truck was purchased late in 53, and that the buyer requested that it be sold to him with the 239 Y-Block. Engine number is ZBU6015F. The VIN states it should have the flathead of course.

Using the bible for ID (TECHNICAL) seems to confuse me even more as it doesn't show a 239 for light-duty trucks in 54. Site says ZBU is the 239 for passenger cars in 54.

Is there a chance that the story is true? What does the F mean at the end of the number? Also, there is a number 18 above the ID number, and a 3 below it. Not sure if that means anything either...

Anything else that may help me determine this?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

If the VIN identifies it as a flathead, then it came with a flathead. Y Block 239s definitely came in 1954 F100s. It's possible that a '53 was purchased and he had the dealer swap the flathead for a Y. It's more likely that the story has been confused and the engine was swapped at a later date.

 

Thanks Charlie, was definitely thinking this was done by the dealer if the story is true. Is there a way to determine when the engine was made? For example, if I can determine that the engine was made early in production than it could be plausible. If the engine was made late in the production run, then this story is definitely bogus.

Also, does anyone know if the 239s that came in 54 trucks were ZBU? ZBV is listed for 55 trucks... nothing listed for 54 trucks.

Since I want to keep the truck original (true to itself) then I would keep the y-block if I can convince myself that is how it originally was bought. If I can prove otherwise, then I'll likely try to pick up a 53 flathead someday to make it original.

 

There are date codes. I've never cared about things like that so I'm not sure exactly where they are found or how to decode them.

If you really want it original, you already know what you have to do. The VIN says it's a flathead - unless you can find evidence supporting that the same identifier was used in late production for the ohv Y Block. I know of at least one instance where some 1955 models out of the Dallas plant with the U designation (2v 272) were actually equipped with 182hp 4v 272s (should have been M with that package) so it's a possibility.
As much as the concours guys like to go "by the book," sometimes in manufacturing it simply doesn't happen.

The VIN might also be on the frame. If you make sure they match, then you can be sure that the VIN at least is right for the truck.

 

Seems to me that 239Ys were slightly different in trucks and cars. One being made at cleveland and the other deerborn.

 

I am assuming you mean a "E" instead of a "Z"?

EBU is the earlier version the the large cam bearings. EBU was used in both cars and trucks and were built in Dearbourn. Mid year the EBV was used in trucks. The EBV is the small cam version and was built in Cleveland. In '55 all 239" were built in Cleveland.

 

Yes, EBU... thank you Y-Blockhead

So my engine is from the first half of 54... great news. That makes me start to think this could be a true story. Are you aware of where there may be a datestamp, or some sort of stamp that will help me narrow down the date even more?

 

I'm just not sure about the Y-Block in a '53. I'm don't know much about Flatheads but I believe the mounts were a lot different than the Y-Block. But who knows, if your truck is a late '53 maybe they could have used a Y. Interesting...

A friend of mine bought a new Chevy truck a while back. It always looked a little strange. Then we noticed that one side had Chevy badges and the other side had GM badges. Go figure...

 

Most of us really like unique, whether it is original or not. So you have the option of going with a 239 flathead which isnt unique, or the OHV which is, but few people will buy the story. A canundrum.

 

I'm planning on keeping/restoring my truck to be true to its original look - including under the hood. If my specific truck came with the 239Y, then I want to keep it that way. If not, I'd like to get it back to the way it was sold. I don't plan on selling my truck, and candidly don't care whether anyone really buys the story as long as I am confident it is likely true - which is why I'm trying to do the research to substantiate the story. I want to feel like my truck is as true to itself as possible... that is all I care about. I know there are tons of 53 f100's, but I like the feel of driving a piece of history. I want to feel like I'm having the same experience as the original owner when he drove it off the lot... or when I'm hauling firewood it is neat to think the first owner likely was experiencing the same feeling (I protect the bed when I haul wood, but yes I still use it as a truck). This truck rolled off the line more than 30 years before I was born... it is nearly twice my age. I like the historical feel of it... and I don't seem to see many trucks out here that are not modified. Actually, I haven't seen a model like mine stock in as far as I can remember. I've seen stock F1's, but not F100s in the mid-fifty's style. For this reason, I feel this originality will make my truck unique.

Completely understand the thinking behind modifications and customizations, and giving a truck its own personaility... it just isn't for me. I like the stock personality

Again, appreciate everyone's help in trying to figure this out and date my engine.

 

I hope so. If it turns out it should have a flat head, it will have a completely different personality, a much slower and less powerful personality, still cool, though.

I did a little research on the Y-Blocksforever forums. It looks like production date codes are stamped at the front, top of the engine, just in front of the valley pan.
One of the examples provided by one of the guys is:
"6AE - January 5, 1956. 6BV - Feb 21, 1956. 8E6 - May 6, 1958"
He says that I is skipped over to avoid confusion with 1. A backwards letter indicates that the alphabet has started over. I'd guess that the backwards letters are B, C, D, E, F, and G for the remaining 6 days. I assume they'd skip A because it will look the same backwards.
It looks like:
- the 1st digit represents the last digit of the year
- The 2nd digit represents the month
- the last digit represents the day of the month.

By this scheme, the very first digit of your date code should be a 3 in order for it to be original. The month and day should be very close but before the truck's production date.

 

Y-blockhead mentioned the front motor mount earlier, but I didnt see it talked about again. The method or type of front mount used could solve the stock vs. modified question. Can you post a pic of the front engine mount?

 

Thanks Charlie! Great info... and good to know about the yblocks forever forum. I'll take a peek tomorrow and take some pics of the motor mounts... thanks for resurfacing that 46.

 

Sherbo, I posted to this same conversion topic about 6 years ago. We all need to understand that late in a model year, some strange things can happen.

So here we go... I have an uncle that special ordered a 53 F100 in the fall of that year. He choose the 53 as it saved him a few dollars verses a 54. He ordered it through my grandfathers IHC tractor dealership as a commercial truck. It came with an OHV 239. He still has the truck today - non-running for many years, but it still has the OHV in it. He does not remember asking specifically for the OHV, but he admits that he could have if it was offered to him, however; he was "very" proud to have "the new engine" in his truck.

His vin plate states it is a 53 and should have a flathead in it - it also has SS as the vehicle color to indicate special order. Check yours as it too may be a special order.

I have owned my 54 F100 for 33 years and I have four OHV 239s in my garage right now - I know, I did'nt beleive it either, until I saw it first hand! I found nothing that indicated that it wasn't original.

One fine day, prehaps that 53 will be my next project.

 

So here's what I found on the 239s I have in my garage: The location is just above and to the left of the oil dip stick mount at mid-block.

Recall that a EBV is for a 1955, and EBU is for a 1954.

Cleveland EBV - 45T May 20, 1954
Deerborne EBV - no date stamp found anywhere on the block
Deerborne EBU - 5V3, but it is upside down and backwards - I assume it is May 22, 1953
Deerborne EBU - 41A This A has a very obvious backwards slant to it - Jan 27, 1954