MTFCA Forum

Just finished replacing a blown head gasket on our 27 depot hack and noticed the head to be cast aluminum.
The head has the Ford logo on it.
Did ford make an aluminum head or should I assume the head to be an aftermarket item?

Thank you

If a cast letter ‘Z’ is on front water outlet, that’s a Z head. Modern part. Model T’s have iron cylinder heads.

Some of the late Ralph Reeder's heads, also had Ford - Made In USA, on them until he got a nasty letter from Ford Motor Company. His heads can be identified by the name REEDER cast just inside the water outlet passage on the top, front of the head. Heads made by the late Ralph Zajicek, were identified, as Dan said in above post, by the letter Z located on the top of the water outlet passage, just behind were the water neck attaches. Of course either identifying mark could easily be removed with a Dremel tool or file, but you should be able to tell if that was done.

If the gasket has blown between cylinders 2 a nd three and your head is Reader head you are not an orphan. There is a huge hole between the cylinders, which matches holes in the gasket. The trouble is there is no corresponding hole in the block. I know of two such heads that let go there. The problem was solved by welding up the hole and re-surfacing the head.

Allan from down under.

Not sure if this is an identifier for a READER head. Read posting viewtopic.php?t=37773

Previous forum discussions on the Reeder head. Believe they were made in High and Low styles.

And that round casting sprue on top is an identifier.


Another one was identified as “Ron Genson”made, has "R' on the top of the water outlet neck.

Correction:

Reply on name spelling:

“I saw your post for aluminum heads. It was Rod Genson who made the heads at the Palmer Foundry in Mass.”
Kevin Prus