so i found a complete engine less starter,and distributer, with trans from a 52 f1 for 200 bucks. going to look at it tonite. anything i should know?
how can i tell a 4 speed from a 3 speed? 200 bucks!

 

$200, if it's a good flattie it's well worth it. Buying a used engine is a crap shoot no matter what you buy. Flatties are very expensive to rebuild but what isn't?

If it's been inside dry storage that would be the best. It sounds like it have been sitting for a long time if some parts have been removed. I would suggest at the very least seeing if you can pull the heads and pan off of it to take a preliminary look at it for obvious cracks and cylinder wall wear. You may be able see the obvious cracks but you really have to take it someplace to have it thoroughly checked out. Some cracks are not all bad, many can be fixed. I have been told if you can find a flattie without some cracks you have a rarity. The real death cracks are the ones in oil pan boss, the area that the pan bolts to. If you find one here walk away or buy the engine for parts at scrap price.

Too bad it's not in running condition, I hate buying an engine if I can't hear it run although that's not always a guarantee either. I once bought an engine for a car I was redoing. Went over to the seller's house, he still had the engine in the car so I could hear it run. Ran great, I bought it, installed it in the car and only had it on the road for a couple hundred miles before it spun a bearing.

As for the tranny, a three speed will only have three shift positions, the four speed, four positions, very easy to tell. If it is a four speed it could be either non-synchronized or synchronized, but I think in a F-1 it will only be the non-synchronized tranny, I think only the larger trucks, F-4 and up had the option of the synchronized tranny. You tell by the shift pattern, non-synchronized reversed is over to the right and down, the synchronized is over to the right and up.

 

Bob's advice is good, but before you pull the heads, pull the plugs and see if it can be turned over, without water coming out of the holes. You can see into the cylinders pretty well with a flashlight, looking thru the plug holes. Cracked blocks usually leak water into the cylinders, but if it's been sitting out it could be from rain.

To remove the heads without breaking the bolts, TIGHTEN them a small amount, then (with a breaker bar) break them loose. An air impact wrench is the best. Once the bolts are all loose a couple of turns, put the plugs back in and turn the crank, compression pressure may pop it loose. You can also feed soft rope down into the cylinder to pop the head off when you turn it. (Obviously you want to leave some hanging out the plug hole so you can retrieve it)

If you do an Advanced Search on this forum, you'll find a lot of background material on what to look for.

You need to have an understanding seller who isn't going to try the "you break it, you bought it" BS, like if a head bolt shears off.

While you're doing a Search, look up the "Where Are You?" thread by Randy Jack. You should put your location in your signature so we have an idea where you are.

Finally, there are likely to be a bunch of blocks on the market after the auctions in Nebraska this weekend. Don't be desparate! (yet)

 

great info above, remember flatties like to run hot, so when your checkin, look for cracks in the block,heads, intake, and water pump/s area. Lots of good info for flatties online..

 

got numbers from the engine:
heads say 59 a b
bellhousing area:g21733 59
i think its a 4 speed, has floor shifter, can get it into 3 gears. has brake on trans.
has carb and feul pump, and air cleaner.
it has studs out of the block, i think my old engine heads were attached w/ bolts.
i know alot about gto's. i couldnt tell for sure if this was even a ford engine heh heh. my old heads had ford logos on them.
i've got some really dumb questions:
does the distributer mount on the front? my old one was on top i think.
are those water pumps?

 

Yes, most likely water pumps... unless your engine is like mine was... then they are simply mouse nests.....

 

engine was stored inside; has oil in it. pretty clean actually. was told that it ran well. the truck was junked years ago; but the engine was worth keeping so the story goes. i'll get to cleaning it up and soaking everything tommorrow.
i have lots of pics. it says "you cannot post attachments" at the bottom of the page. why?

 

That is a '40's (pre-'48) engine. Honestly? I'd sell it to fund an 8BA. The hot rod guys prefer the 59's for the nostalgia aspect. The 8BA's and 8RT's (latest models) are a better engine overall. Doesn't this one have an integral bellhousing?

 

yes this has integral bellhousing. no good?

 

I agree with Ross. IMO the earlier V8s aren't as good as the newer ones for a few reasons. Lower HP, a little harder to work on, I like the side mounted distributor over the one located in between the water pumps and I really don't like the integral bell housing on the back. If the bell housing was to crack the engine is junk. I know these might be some very minor issues others might not think are that bad but just to me they are. I'm not a flattie expert so the engine you have is probably just fine, these are just my personal opinions and they're worth what they're worth. If you want this engine I say go with it. I've seen quite a few '48 truck with them so I think Ford might have used the older flattie into the '48 year before switching to the newer engine.

If you do decide to go with this engine, and want to mount it on an engine stand, make sure you mount it using a bracket that bolts to the side of the engine using the exhaust bolts. If you mount it by the rear bell housing you run a good chance of cracking the bell housing, which as stated before is very bad.

One very good source for flattie information is the Ford Barn, FordBarn - Early V-8, Late V-8, Model A, Model T. Not that the guys here aren't full of info but the guys on the Barn site live and breath flatties. The site has a decent search tool so search the site first, some of the old guys over there get a little surly if you ask a question that has been asked numerous times before. Overall they're a good bunch of guys, many of the people here frequent the site.

 

will this bolt up to my '52 three speed? is the clutch the same? thanks.

 

I'm not sure but I think it will, the integral bell housing was replaced by the stamped bell housing in the later set up. As for the clutch I don't know but maybe Number Dummy will pop in and let you know.

 

If it has the same "key"-type end on the clutch shaft it should bolt up to the truck clutch linkage, and to the 3-sp; but the 59AB flywheels are different at the center and there may be pilot bearing/clutch disc issues. That may be as simple as needing to use an 8BA flywheel with an 8BA pilot bearing. I can't swear to it one way or another.

 

if you dont want the front mount dizzy speedway makes a kit to use the latter one

 

I agree with ALBUQ F-1...sell it and get a 8BA, they are so much easier to manage...