Erickson Farmalll forklift engine dating help

Good Morning fellas,
Old reader, first post here. Quick introduction, Im in the Green Bay area and I've restored a lot of vehicles, mostly jeeps, built a snowcat, motorcycles, equipment repoweres etc. I'm not a newbie with a wrench but I am currently dabbling in the old iron.
I have owned Kubotas for years and I beat the heck out of them. I got tired of hanging heavy loads off the loader so I found an old Erickson forklift to restore.

There is almost no information on the web about these things. There are a few old brochures on ebay for sale but nothing really matches my model. I believe it is either an F-2W, fF-3W or an early prototype.

I found a stamp on the transaxle (Timken Roller Bearing) that says 12-29-54. I want to assume this is a date stamp. The interesting thing is that the engine is a Farmall U-2A and the late literature appears they came with continental y-112 engines. I had originally assumed this was an early model say 48-49 when they may have been fitted with C-113s.

I believe the engine has been out before but someone had done an in-frame top overhaul on it too. (Half arsedly) There are also a lot of little modifications that don't look factory leading me to wonder is this an early model or a late model that has been repowered. The brochure on ebay says the continental had a cam driven hydraulic pump but this one has a vickers V210 out the back (front of the crank) The grill was flame cut to fit the pump and return line. The pump mounting on the frame looks clean though.

I would greatly appreciate any help in dating the engine. I will post the numbers in pictures below. I currently have the head, crank and block at the machine shop. I'm just having the block tanked and the head decked, new valve guides installed, seats ground. The crank went 10 under. I'm installing C-123 barrels and stepped pistons. I hope to be putting the engine back together and in the machine in a week or two and I intend to do a build thread when I'm done. Hopefully someone else out there has rebuilt one of these rare ducks or is planning to and we can share intel.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Tim

Those images are hard to read. The tag reads:
Code U2A
Serial UAA29143 EPI Q3B
Idle speed 2070

Can anyone tell me what year this was made?

There are casting date codes on the form of 4*23*U the stars are screws holding the date plate into the pattern. These will be far more likely to date the engine than all other methods. The size may be found near or behind the oil filter on the block. in the form of C113 or C123. Some early 113 engines may need machining to accept the larger bore of the 123 engine sleeves. I like the unit. Jim

Thanks Jim
Unfortunately, I don't have any other date plates on the unit. I will check for any other marks when she comes back clean from the machine shop. Thankfully, this appears to be a later block from the casting number. It had the 3.43 sleeve OD so no machining is necessary. I ordered 3.1/8 sleeves over the 3-1/4. I didn't like the idea of super thin sleeves. Won't be pulling any plows with the old forklift anyway.

Thanks for the reply,
Tim

GET RID OF THOSE CHAMPION PLUGS...BE BLESSED, GRATEFUL, PREPARED...

Yeah, I went to 3116s but it was smoking so bad that it didn't matter anyway. It should be a big difference when it makes more than the 75psi it had. valves were totally shot, guides were loose, rings worn. I don't think they changed the oil in the 30 years they owned it. It's a shame, a little maintenance would have save me an overhaul.

That's about the neatest little forklift ever. I don't see much weight on the back--is there a place to bolt on additional weight or does it do ok as-is?

Sorry, can't help with the technical stuff.

Gerrit

It has at least 1000lbs cast on the back. Its plenty of weight for its capacity. I think it'll lift about
3000lbs. its wheelbase is so short that its actually quite squirrely.

I used to be cool. Now, living dangerously means running a forklift without a ROPS!

Does anyone have a serial number database on these U2 engines?