flat head v-8 heads
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 561
Likes: 0
From: Minneapolis
The original flathead engine for the 51 trucks should be an 8RT. The easiest identifier is the large clean-out panel on the bottom of the oil pan. Marking on the heads is not real reliable; my 8RT has no 3 character mark on the heads. I've seen another 8RT with heads marked 8BA.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,288
Likes: 1,053
From: NM
The chances of finding any flathead with the original heads is pretty slim after 50+ yrs, shops used to have stacks of heads ready (cleaned and machined) and would just throw on whatever was on top of the pile. My truck's engine is actually from a '51 car, and neither head is an RT head. Has the car pan, narrow pulleys, 3-blade fan, 8RT intake manifold. Mix 'n' match....
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 6,769
Likes: 547
From: Kalispell, MT
The blocks are all the same between cars and trucks, cam might be different in some cases.
Otherwise the only differences were bolt-on accessories: large oil pan cleanout, waterpumps, wide pulleys and larger diam pulley on the generator due to the higher rpms trucks tend to run (shorter gears), RT low comp heads and some other misc stuff that I can't remember right now.
Point being you can take an 8BA car engine, swap all the truck accessories over to it and ta da, you have an 8RT truck engine.
Otherwise the only differences were bolt-on accessories: large oil pan cleanout, waterpumps, wide pulleys and larger diam pulley on the generator due to the higher rpms trucks tend to run (shorter gears), RT low comp heads and some other misc stuff that I can't remember right now.
Point being you can take an 8BA car engine, swap all the truck accessories over to it and ta da, you have an 8RT truck engine.
