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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 59A vs. 59A-B Cylinder Head Interchangeability?

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 59A vs. 59A-B Cylinder Head Interchangeability?     ford1941 12-14-2011 @ 2:40 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 44 Joined: Jul 2010 Are there any actual functional differences between a 59A and 59A-B cylinder heads? Could a 59A and a 59A-B head be used together on the same engine without creating any problems? In other words are they totally interchangeable? On a separate but related note, when would you have typically found the 59A-B heads used vs. the 59A heads during the 46 - 48 model years? For example, were the A-B heads used later in the model years, or as replacements? Thanks, Scott ford38v8 12-14-2011 @ 2:51 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2765 Joined: Oct 2009 Scott, I've asked that same question many times and have not had definitive answers. I have heard of an engine with one of each, but would bet that it was the result of a rebuild, rather than as originally delivered. Alan Stenny 12-14-2011 @ 4:01 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 15 Joined: Jan 2010 I recently replaced the right head on my 59A with a 59AB so I have a missmatched set and I can't tell any difference. I have heard that the 59A heads came out first and have a slightly lower compression ratio than the AB heads. 37 Coupe 12-14-2011 @ 4:25 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 362 Joined: Oct 2009 I had a 1946 Ford coupe that I bought in 1971,we were both the same age,but the coupe only had 39,000 miles on it. The engine had one head that was a 59A and the other was 59AB. I knew,very well the original owner, the second owners and the Ford garage mechanic/foreman who serviced the car for 25 years. I had all the original service records and no where or nobody knew anything about removing and replacing a head. All service was always the usual ,oil changes,tune ups,battery etc,nothing major. Didn't mean much to me until a judge pointed it out at a national meet (Valley Forge 76). When I told the original owner about it when I got home he laughed and said wonder what they would have done about the bumpers that were missing when it was delivered? Some of the very early ones after the war were short on bumpers and windshields. ford38v8 12-14-2011 @ 7:47 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2765 Joined: Oct 2009 37 coupe, stories such as yours go a long ways toward understanding and documenting "the way it was", and are sometimes strong enough evidence to be acceptable to a Judge on a V8 Club Concourse. I wouldn't bet $10,000 on my answer against yours, however it is known that Ford was known to go the extra mile to insure that it's cars wouldn't leave the assembly line with mismatched parts such as this. Alan TomO 12-16-2011 @ 7:09 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 Scott, the 59A-B heads are listed in the Jan 1946 parts catalog. This tells me that they were available as a replacement part through most of the 46-48 production. I think that the only change was in the cooling ports in the heads, with the A-B heads having slightly better cooling. If you need a matched set, I think that I still have a set that you can have. Tom supereal 12-17-2011 @ 10:46 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The 59A heads were used in production from 1945-46 as 59A-6050-A. In 1945-48, The "B" version, 59A-6050-B was introduced, also used as a "service replacement". Thus, the "59A-B" is correct for the entire range of 45-48. The heads used between 1942-44 had a different conbustion chamber to provide valve clearance. The 59AB heads are "backward compatible" for years 1938-44. The early stock 39-41 heads need to be modified to provide increased coolant flow. Any differences in compression between these heads is usually undetectable in operation. If you are unsure if your very early heads have been modified, check them against the correct later head gasket when off the car.

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