Editing Ford flathead V8 engine (section)

===255===
The 1948&ndash;1953 {{cvt|255|cuin|L|1}}, referred to as the model BG,{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} was achieved by use of a {{cvt|4|in}} stroke crankshaft in the {{cvt|239|cuin|L|1}} 8BA/8RT engine. It was only used in Mercury cars, and heavy service trucks. Known as the V8-9CM in 1949, it featured 6.8:1 compression, {{cvt|110|hp|0}}, and {{cvt|200|lbft|0}} torque,<ref name="Street Rodder, 1/85, p73" /> which stayed the same for the 1950 V8-0CM.<ref name="Street Rodder, 1/85, p73" /> The 1951 V8-1CM raised this by {{cvt|2|hp|0}}, and {{cvt|6|lbft|0}} torque,<ref name="Street Rodder, 1/85, p73" /> The 1952 V8-MA boosted compression to 7.2:1, power to {{cvt|125|hp|0}}, and torque to {{cvt|218|lbft|0}},<ref name="Street Rodder, 1/85, p73" /> while only the name changed, dropping the -MA, for the last year of production, 1953.<ref name="Street Rodder, 1/85, p73" />

Because of interchangeability, the Mercury crank made a popular upgrade in the 239 among [[hot rod]]ders. In fact, in the 1950s, the flathead block was often fitted with crankshafts of up to {{cvt|4.125|in}} stroke.<ref name="Street Rodder, 1/85, p72" >''Street Rodder'', 1/85, p.&nbsp;72.</ref> In addition, rodders in the 1950s routinely bored them out by {{cvt|0.1875|in}} (to {{cvt|3.375|in|disp=sqbr}}).<ref name="Street Rodder, 1/85, p72" />

French-built 255 engines were fitted to the [[Matford_F917WS#Simca_SUMB|Simca Unic Marmon Bocquet]] (SUMB) light trucks of the French military. During the 1990s, the Ford V8 that was used in these trucks was decommissioned and removed for more economical [[Renault]] engines to be retrofitted. Thus the Ford V8 engines were sold off and thus provided a new source of little-worn engines for the hotrodding community. The block metallurgy, being much later, was also stronger than the originals.{{sfnp|Bishop|Tardel|2015|page=11}}