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Farmall M block question

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

Hey guys, Ive lurked around this site for awhile now and am amazed at the amount of knowledge on farmalls you folks have. I hope somebody can help me with mine. I have a 1945 M I bought a few years ago for brush hog duty. A friend of mine wanted to get into pulling so I sold it to him and now were looking to overhaul it. I looked the other day for the C-248 block casting number above the water jacket cover. Its not there. In its place is whats left of a ground off number that ends in DG. Does anybody know what this block is? is it an older M block? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
For whatever reason some blocks that failed and were replaced by IH dealers have the casting # ground off. Sometimes a number is hand stamped in. Not sure thats what you have, the absents of a engine serial number and the presents of a small plate on the block with 2 retaining bolts behind the carburetor is a indication it could be. Also a dipstick or a drilled hole with plug at the dipstick location. None of these is a positive indication of a replacement block though. Although absents of a engine serial # is pretty good.
Would help if the block casting date can be located, most times its near the same level as the ground off # and on forward.
Original M blocks don't have C248 on them, some replacements do. Think a casting number for a regular M block or a replacement ending in DG is a little older than your tractor. Date code would tell. Engine could be in the parts system and still end up in a later tractor though.
Engine could also be from a power unit.
 
Mr. Slater, thanks for the help. it does have that little 2 bolt cover on the carb side of the motor, and a hole just above the oil pan in the block with a pipe plug in it in the distributor side. the date code ends with either R or B, its also been just about ground off. If its an R that makes the block older than the tractor but if its a B thats 1956?
 
I don't think the date code could be an R, and be older than the tractor That would put it back before 1939, when the M came out. R would be 1948, and B you know, is 1956.

I have 2 Ms with IH replacement engine, both have the B code, and nothing is ground off on the casting date, BUT the block part numbers are ground off of each, except for the letters, which I don't recall at the moment.
 
Like John posted 1948 would be R. 1945 tractor should have date letter 0 or N if a early to middle year 1945. Could the letter be a P for 1946. Without finding and looking through some old notes I'm going to say by 1947 the casting number used a DH suffix.
But the block casting # before removed could be one I don't know about or I'm wrong about the suffix.
Trying to figure out what IH done keeps a fellow guessing sometimes.
 
I have a replacement block in one of my M's. D Slater helped me figure it out a while back. Nothing is ground off but it DOES have C-248 cast into it and date decodes as 1959. It too has the plate on the carb side and cored for a dipstick.

It runs so I haven't taken it apart to see if it uses thick sleeves to make a 248 but has a primary bore of a 281 or if the primary bore is the original 248 size.
 
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