- 1). Identify the engine family of the small block in question. According to Fordification Tech, counting the valve cover bolts identifies the Ford engine series. Two bolts indicate early ford Y-Block engines, five bolts indicates an FE-Series engine, while six bolts identifies a 90-Degree engine. Eight bolts is either a 351 Cleveland, 351 M, or 400 cubic inch engine from the 335-Series.
- 2). Find the engine casting code. According to the American Automobile Casting Number Club, the code is normally located on the rear passenger side of the block, where the starter bolts to the engine. The starter may have to be removed to view the casting code. The code consists of three parts: the prefix, general part number and the engineering code. The sections necessary for identification are the prefix and the engineering code.
- 3). Decipher the casting code. The example "C8TE-B"identifies a 1968 truck engine, with "C" designating the 1960s, "8" for the year and "TE" representing a truck engine. According to Fordification Tech, the decade indicator follows sequentially: "B"=1950s, "D"=1970s, "E"=1980s. The final two letters are the model designation code, which need to be referenced to the listing found on Fordification Tech's FoMoCo part number decoder.
- 4). Compare the casting number to the listings found on Kelly Hotrod's Ford Engine Data page or the What Are You Working On website's engine code listing. These are compilations of known codes, which matches them to engine size and other specifications unique to the casting number. When comparing these codes, the prefix and the engineering designation are necessary.
- 5). Remove the oil pan under the engine to locate the casting code found on the crankshaft. According to MRE-Books small block rotating assembly page, many Ford small blocks have an identifying code, "1M" or 3MA," for example. The code is located on the forward-most crankshaft counterweight. A listing of the different codes is found on the MRE-Books page.
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