<P> The original flathead engine displaced 221 cu in (3.6 L), with 3.0625 by 3.75 in (77.79 by 95.25 mm) bore and stroke . The block was cast as a single piece (monobloc) for durability, and a single - barrel carburetor fed the engine . The 1932 V8 - 18 with 5.5: 1 compression produced 65 hp . The 1933 - 34 V8 - 40 raised compression to 6.33: 1 and power to 75 hp (56 kW). In 1934 a two barrel down draft carburetor was introduced . 1935's V8 - 48 saw compression drop to 6.3: 1, but power climb to 85 hp (63 kW), and torque was rated at 144 lb ⋅ ft (195 N ⋅ m). It became the V8 - 68 in 1936, with compression, horsepower, and torque unchanged . </P> <P> Production of the original 221 lasted from 1932 through to 1936 . These engines can be identified by having the water pumps located at the front of the heads . A similar 221 flathead was used in Fords for 1937 and 1938 but the block was revised to have the water pumps mounted on the block . The new design also relocated the water outlet from the front of the heads to the top center of the heads . These, designated V8 - 78, were offered with standard 6.2: 1 compression aluminum or 7.5: 1 compression iron cylinder heads, rated at 85 hp (63 kW) and 144 lb ⋅ ft (195 N ⋅ m) (aluminum) or 94 hp (70 kW) (iron). The 1932 through 1938 motors used twenty one studs to hold down each head and are known as "21 stud" motors . This motor continued to be made into the 1950s in Europe . </P> <P> In late 1938 Ford introduced V8 - 81A, commonly called the "24 stud" engine because it uses twenty four studs to hold down each head . This engine debuted at the same time as the 239 motor . With 6.12: 1 compression, horsepower remained the same, but torque increased by 2 lb ⋅ ft (2.7 N ⋅ m). In 1939, as the V8 - 91A, compression increased to 6.15: 1, power rose to 90 hp (67 kW), and torque reached 155 lb ⋅ ft (210 N ⋅ m); the ratings remained the same for the 1940 V8 - 01A, 1941 V8 - 11A, and the last civilian model, the V8 - 21A, which saw compression rise, to 6.2: 1 . This engine was used through 1942 for civilian use and saw some use in military vehicles during World War Two . Collectively all 221 motors are commonly referred to as "85 horse" motors . </P> <P> Ford introduced the 239 cu in (3.9 L) V8 - 99A engine with 3.1875 by 3.75 in (80.96 by 95.25 mm) bore and stroke and 6.15: 1 compression in 1939 . It produced 95 hp (71 kW) and 170 lb ⋅ ft (230 N ⋅ m). This was done to provide a more powerful engine for the Mercury cars, which Ford Motor Company started making in 1939 . It was used in Mercurys in 1939 and in Fords in 1946 . This engine is very similar to the late 221 engine . As the V8 - 09A in 1940, compression, power, and torque were unchanged; in 1941, the V8 - 19A compression and power were static, but torque rose by 6 lb ⋅ ft (8.1 N ⋅ m), while the 1942 V8 - 29A increased compression to 6.4: 1 and power to 100 hp (75 kW), while torque stayed the same . Postwar, it became the V8 - 69 (suffixed "A" in Fords, "M" in Mercurys), with compression 6.75: 1, 100 hp (75 kW), and 180 lb ⋅ ft (240 N ⋅ m). For 1947 and 1948, only the designation changed, to V8 - 79 and - 89 . The 239 was redesigned in 1948 as the 8RT for Ford trucks and in 1949 as the 8BA for the cars . It had higher 6.8: 1 compression, but performance was unchanged . The 1950 V8 - 0BA boosted torque by 1 lb ⋅ ft (1.4 N ⋅ m), the 1951 - 1BA by 6 lb ⋅ ft (8.1 N ⋅ m) more, while in 1952, as the V8 - B2, compression climbed to 7.2: 1, power to 110 hp (82 kW), and torque to 194 lb ⋅ ft (263 N ⋅ m), then to 196 lb ⋅ ft (266 N ⋅ m) in the - B3 of 1953, its final year . The 1948 to 1953 engines have a revised cooling and ignition system . Collectively all 239 engines are referred to as "100 horse" engines, although the horsepower was increased in 1952 to 110 horsepower in cars and 106 horsepower in trucks . This engine was used in Ford's transit buses during the most productive years of the company's short stint in the transit bus business from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s, most notably in the 1939--1947 version of the Ford Transit Bus . </P>

1932 the invention of the ford v8 engine