Unknown engine

[Mr.Bushy]

G'dayI from OZ I have come across this engine. Unable to find anything on the unit...I am interested about its history. The guy who restored is no longer with us....it was in a service boat during WW2, 42-

it was in a crash boat, service at the Catalina base down
cheers

[Adrian Barrell]

450 ci! Wishful thinking there...

 

[Mr.Bushy]

Howdy, I was actually hoping one of the member may know about this mariner apparently built in Birmingham.....naturally the size was the basis for the question...

[Richard Farrant]

Possibly not Birmingham England but from a Ford plant in Birmingham USA. No known Ford factory in Birmingham, England unless it was a different company there who marinised the engine.

 

[brockwood]

got me tossed on the face of it its a pre war 21 stud 221 cu motor with the divers bell dizzi rated at 85 hp 95 with alloy heads the the 1940 on 24 stud 239 is  still only a 100 . the 337 from the 50/s has a rear mounted dizzy as does the cadillac flaty used here in oz in a few ww2  military applications

[CMP-Phil]

Hi

Definitely NOT 337 Ford flathead, I've got two 337 cu in Ford flat head in my shop right now and there are just to many noticeable differences.   But is definitely an interesting engine.

Thanks for starting the thread. 

Cheers Phil 

 

 

 

[jenkinov]

Hi a very interesting thread and discussion. . Ford engines are all stamped and a 1942 engine would have a G stamp denoting the year. I am curious as to which museum the engine is displayed at. I note that there is a photo of a boat inthe display potentially the one the engine came from ...I would suggest it might be more beneficial to identify the boat as I suspect that will throw more light on the engine.

I note that the boat is described as a crash boat .. A US term rather than an air sea rescue boat so suspect we have a US produced vessel rather than British .it may have sported a raf roundel during the war but in fact  could have been. Lend lease.

Crash boats were similar in profile to MBTs but often smaller at 68 ft to mbts at 80ft..these boats generally featured twin engines . As a young man i was offered a British air sea rescue boat still fitted with its twin rolls Royce engines ...my heart was taken but I simply could not afford the fuel running  costs ... The boat survives but I believe it was refitted with diesel engines.

Chris AKA Jenkinov

 

 

[jenkinov]

I believe I have found it a 1934 Ford v8 flathead. As Brockwood pointed out the headbolt  or studcount was the critical factor . I managed to zoom in on the boat photo on The display and this shows a workboat...rather than a crash craft..always hard to scale boats but much smaller than a 68 ft crash boat.it also refers to the vessel having 2 engines a Ford in the front and Morris in the rear.

It seems unusual for a military boat to have 2 different engines.. So it would suggest a composite put together during the war to create a working tender ....it may have stood in as a crash boat..but that description may be a designation of its use rather than design ...

Chris AKA Jenkinov

[Mr.Bushy]

Thanks for the responses all 

The pic has two boats the Morris version is boat behind the one with the flatty...

The meusum is at old Catalina flying boat base lake Boga. OZ.

 

 

 

[jenkinov]

Mr Bushy

Thank you for clarifying that there 2 boats in the picture .I enlarged it again and saw the second boat ..I am curious do you know the oats.size...does the dock behind it still exist to scale the 2 workloads ?

Chris AKA Jenkinov

 

 

 

 

[brockwood]

had a look as well didn't look more than 30 ft however if it were twin engined the stated figures would be close

Edited December 9, 2020 by brockwood
finger trouble

[Mr.Bushy]

Thanks all....will try to get back to boga and get more info soon.

😉

[rupert condick]

Hi

Nice resto, My neigobore was in  the REME during WW2 now passed,

they used to put Ford V8's (those that were worn out) into

motor boats filled with explosives.( sorry I do not the place, But he was at D-day)

Now I have written this  as the power plant, long time ago mmm.

 

regs

Rupert