MTFCA Forum

Hello

Does anyone know the background to Model T engines with no Ford script? I have two of these, one has a 1917 casting date , the other is 1919 with a Canada serial number. These were in Canadian made cars sold in New Zealand.

They seem to turn up like that as well as scripted, Canadian stuff seems to be all over the place compared to the USA as they have better kept records. Even trying to work out when Canada started casting is controversial, 1919 was listed as so but we do have 1918 block with script and made in Canada on them.
That block you have would have been a 1918 year model by that casting date, I don't know if any 17 year T's made it to NZ, for in Australia our change over for brass to black radiator was for the release of the 1918 model.

I heard decades ago that, because of WW1 and US laws, those blocks Ford did make for "foreign" use (like overseas destined during the great war) had no markings whatsoever.... If all the other markings (Date same in the casting, hidden reference casting numbers, etc. ) are in place with none of the traditional "Ford" sxript "made in USA or Canada in place.... I'd probably give it a pass. I do know one of these was modified to make it a very early teens block for a car... but that'sneither here nor there.

There was also huge aftermarket market for parts then... so you may well have a block that was cast by a 3rd party and sold as a replacement for the poor castings coming off Ford's line in mid-15 -early '16...

Regardlless of all that... I'd still run it!

Don't assume every engine block was made by Ford. Aftermarket companies made them too.