Hey everybody! I am from So. IL and I recently inherited a 48 f6 coe that had had a sears and roebuck re manufactured flathead v8 with mercury heads. I am not sure how to find out the cu in of the motor but the block is a dark green and the heads are orange. It has not been ran or moved since 1979 and I am currently working to the get everything in shape to make sure the motor will run. I will be needing a lot of parts and was hoping that maybe you all could help gather some info on places to look and/or just information about f6 coe's in general.

Thank You!

 

Cody, welcome to FTE the best Ford truck forum on the World Wide Web!

A Sears and Roebucks remanned engine with Merc heads! Sound interesting. Here is the place to get your questions answered and get lots of useful info. I can't help you now but others will be along to help you. I would guess one thing on your mind is how to safely get the engine running? We can help with that too.

But first we need lots of pictures of this truck, inside outside and under the hood.

 

I see two potential possibilities here. One, someone ordered a 255 Mercury flathead from Sears and put in in your truck, which would be great. Or, two, at some point someone thought it would be a good idea to put Mercury heads on a Ford engine, thinking it would be a high performance upgrade which was a common misconception. With the heads being a different color, I would be concerned #2 is the case. Merc heads have larger combustion chambers than Ford heads, effectively reducing the compression ratio by a pretty good amount, resulting in less rather than more hp. At this point, probably the easiest way to check would be to pop a head off and measure the stroke. All it will cost you is a gasket. If it's 3.75 inches it's a Ford. 4" and it's a Mercury.

 

Welcome to the forum! This is one of the best places on the internet for these trucks. We love pictures!

As to your truck, the EAB Mercury heads may indicate a Mercury crank giving a 4 inch stroke resulting in 255 cui instead of the tradtional 239 cui with the 3.75 stroke.

Flathead Specifications: 1949-53 V8

 

Welcome Cody!

If the truck has been sitting for 40 years, you'll likely need to do a significant rebuild on the engine. Can you turn the crank? What are your plans?

Many of the engine parts you'll need can be found at Napa (condensor, rotor, points, Feldpro gasket set, plugs,...). There are other sources for carb kits, plug wires, rings, pistons, and such. I'm guessing you'll need a brakes/wheel/tire solution - smarter folk will be able to confirm.

Oh, and pics!

 

The good news is the only difference between Ford and Mercury flatheads is crankshaft and pistons. All other parts interchange.
If you remove a head you will do yourself a favor if you use an impact wrench on the bolts. A ratchet and socket set usually leaves behind a few broken bolts from the uneven torque.

 

Yes the crank turns over and it was my great grandfather's dump truck for a sand and gravel business as well as a grain truck. My plans are to get everything back functioning and use it around the farm some.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FortyNiner

Welcome Cody!

If the truck has been sitting for 40 years, you'll likely need to do a significant rebuild on the engine. Can you turn the crank? What are your plans?

Many of the engine parts you'll need can be found at Napa (condensor, rotor, points, Feldpro gasket set, plugs,...). There are other sources for carb kits, plug wires, rings, pistons, and such. I'm guessing you'll need a brakes/wheel/tire solution - smarter folk will be able to confirm.

Oh, and pics!

 

Is there anything on an f6 Coe that I should be prepared or expect to be messed up or broken because it's a notorious weak point? Like rust spot or brake boosters always being bad etc.

 

 

 

Welcome Cody. You might face issues getting new tires mounted if any of the wheels are the “widow maker” style, trade name Firestone RH-5°. Better pictures would help us know, but you can tell for yourself if you see the raised joint shown around the middle of the rims’ concave sides as seen in these pictures. Safer locking ring type wheels can still be found in yards. Depending where you are in southern Illinois, there’s a good yard near Norris City that will have locking side ring type wheels. Stu

 

Yes. Rear lower cab corners for rust through and broken rear cab mounts. Reman brake boosters are available sporadically depending on what you have - Bendix Hydro-Vac, or Kelsey-Hayes. Also, later model boosters will retrofit with a little modification.

 

Welcome to the forum. Yes you need to redo many things and check out others. A fuel tank and line clean out is wise as well as brake line booster vacuum line and brake drums. All at napa hopefully. If you are not familiar with the lugs on a dually find a wrench from that time I bet you have one with the parts to the truck.

 

Left hand threads on the left side, right hand threads on the right side. You’ll need to eat your Wheaties, 450-500 lb/ft of torque on the nuts. Stu

 

And I'll add to that; On the duals, 475 lb/ft on the inner nut and 400 lb/ft on the outer nut. That will help you from becoming double-nutted which is a big PITA.