I have a 1959 223, I found a crack in the #4 exhaust valve seat that looks like it goes into the water jacket. I have a 1961 223 also, and the head is in good shape. The head was slightly redesigned and the pushrods were also slightly different (at a glance it looks like just the cups that sit on the rocker arm adjusters are larger) all of the important features for a head swap are the same.

My question is am I right to assume I should use the pushrods from the '61 engine? I'm 99.9% sure that I should be using tem rather than the '59 but I need to be 110% sure before I put this thing together. I'm pretty certain that he big issue is making sure that the valve lash can successfully be set at .019" as is required.

 

Edsel, welcome to FTE. I cannot answer your questions about your 223. I have the Y- Block V-8, and know little enough about that as it is. I suggest you also pose this question in our Inline 6 Forum, no doubt someone can answer your questions. Post up some photos of your truck when you have a chance. Steve.

 

If the pushrods are different are the rockers different also? The passenger car engines in the 60's used a hydraulic zero lash type rocker arm, I don't know if they were used in any truck 223's, but I doubt it.

 

If you use the pushrods and rocker assemblies from the same engine you should be fine. In other words don't mix and match.....

 

I agree with tinman. I had to use a crank out of a 63 in my '59 engine. Ended up having to swap the rods as well since they changed between 60 and 61. All that to say this, there were suttle changes in the 223 between '54 and '64 but the parts can still be intermixed if you use a little common sense. Hope you have it back together soon and am glad you are keeping with the original engine.

 

It's actually not a truck that it's going into, the spare 223 (the '60s one) is out of a Ford F sieries though. As for trucks I may or may not build one with spare parts if I can find at least a cab and frame, I have transmissions, a flathead 8, a banjo rear end, I found a front suspension from an old slingshot dragster that someone locked up for a trailer.....Don't know when I could attempt to start on that, but someday as long as I keep hoarding parts hahaha.

 

Is it possible that the engine with the different head is a 262, wasn't 61 the 1st year they did that eng.
mikie
near Ottawa Canada
58 m-100 panel & 64 econoline p/u

 

1960/64 223 head different than 1954/59. Valve cover retained to head with 8 bolts.