Y-BLOCK CASTING NUMBERS
Ford 351 Cleveland Engines: Block Identification Guide
Ford H/D commercials have a different kind of chassis number to a Falcon, so your engine number starting with 'A' is correct for an F-series. The last digit on the engine/chassis number should tell you what engine it is (pre- or post- ADR36 V8). Every vehicle has a VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number, which provides information about the car. Within the VIN code for Ford vehicles, eight characters of the 17-character sequence provide information about the engine. The '352' casting appears on the outside of many (if not most) FE engine blocks on the rear of the block (behind the flywheel), with no regard to the real displacement. So a '352' block could really be a 332, 352, 390, 410, etc. Measuring bore and stroke is the best way to confirm the actual engine displacement. For starters all date codes are alphanumeric – containing both letters and numbers. A ‘casting date code’ provides the exact date when the component was produced at the foundry. A casting date code can be found, for example, at the rear of the engine block, usually above the starter, or between spark plugs on a FE cylinder head.
ALL BLOCKS HAVE 6015 in the block casting number. This is found on all blocks and is Ford's number for an engine block.
Example- EDB 6015 E
BLOCK I.D. CODES NOTES
CEBY 256-272 cu in Cast in Canada. Export block. Used in Canada, Australia, South Africa
CECK 292 cu in Cast in Canada. Export block. Used in Canada, Australia ect
EAA 215 cu. in. I-6 1952-53 Ford OHV six cylinder. Increased to 223 in '54. See EBP
Ford Engine Block Numbers Lookup
EAD 317 cu. in. V8 1952-54. Early Lincoln OHV engine. Not interchangeable with Ford. see Lincoln page www.ford-y-block.com
EAL 279 cu. in. V8 1954 Ford HD truck. see Lincoln page.
EAM 317 cu. in. V8 1954 Ford HD truck. see Lincoln page. www.ford-y-block.com
EBJ 341 cu. in. V8 1955. Early Lincoln OHV engine. See Lincoln page.
ECU 368 cu. in. V8 1956-57. Early Lincoln OHV engine. See Lincoln page.
EBP 223 cu. in. I-6 1954- cars & Lt. trucks. EBR, EBS, EBT in HD trucks
EBU 239 cu. in. V8 1954 cars only. LARGE CAM BEARINGS.
EBV 239 cu. in. V8 1955 pickup, small cam bearings www.ford-y-block.com
EBY 256 cu. in. V8 1954 Mercury
ECG 272 cu. in V8 1955 to 57 cars and trucks. Typically Dearborn casting.
ECH 292 cu. in. V8 1955 www.ford-y-block.com
ECJ 292 cu. in. V8 1955
ECL 292 cu. in. V8 1955
ECK 292 cu. in. V8 1955-56 Ford 1955 Mercury www.ford-y-block.com
EDB-A 292 cu. in. V8 1955-57 if cast at Dearborn Foundry. EDB found near distributor and generator
B5AE 272 cu in V8 1959 Replacement block for 272. May have been used for marine & fleet
PLEASE NOTE: 292 and 312 Blocks were machined from the same castings with the same markings.
If the following blocks have EBU main caps it is a 292, if it has ECZ main caps it is a 312.
ECZ-A 292-312 cu. in. V8 1956 ECZ 6015 A With EBU main caps =292. ECZ main caps =312 Check crank flange or main caps.
ECZ-B 292-312 cu in V8 1956-57 292 or 312
ECZ -C 312 cu. in. V8 1957 ECZ 6015 C. 292 with EBU main caps.
EDB-E 292 cu. in V8 1958-59 cars and trucks to April 59. 312 in Mercury
B9AE-F 292 cu. in. V8 1959-60 cars and trucks. (312 with ECZ main caps, 1959 & 60 Mercury only)
C1AE-R 292 cu. in. V8 1961 cars and truckswww.ford-y-block.com
C2AE-C 292 cu. in. V8 1962 cars 62-64 trucks
B7ME 312 cu. in. V8 1962? later 312 replacement block. C2AE main webs. Only example seen was a marine engine
NOTE: 6015 is Ford's number for an engine block. All blocks have this number.
Block identification number generally on side of block above oil filter for blocks cast at Cleveland.
Dearborn block I.D. number near distributor and above generator. Most Dearborn blocks used in trucks.
No Dearborn blocks after 1957. There were no special truck blocks. Heavy duty trucks with steel cranks used C1AE or C2AE car blocks.
Most Dearborn blocks after 1954 were 272's. Most 292 and 312 blocks are from the Cleveland foundry.www.ford-y-block.com
Cleveland casting numbers on side of blockECZ MAIN CAP = 312 BLOCK
Common 272 Block from Dearborn Foundry
Dearborn numbers, also found (upside down) near generator. Typically 272. There were some EDB 292 blocks cast at Dearborn.
Dearborn symbol is DIF indicating Dearborn Industrial Foundry. There have been no reports of any 312 blocks cast at Dearborn.
CANADIAN BLOCKS BELIEVED TO BE CAST AT HAMILTON, ONTARIO FOUNDRY
BRAZILIAN CASTINGS MADE AT SAO PAULO FOUNDRY SPF
While block part numbers can help identify most engine sizes correctly, there are a few exceptions. A good example is the FE family of engines. For example, it is possible for the 390, 410 and 428 to share the same part numbers on an engine block, (i.e.: C6ME-A)
How is this possible?
It takes several individual parts to form and cast an engine block. As engineering changes occurred throughout production, subtle changes were made to some of the individual sections that formed the casting, while others did not require a change. For example, as the FE family grew to include others engines, the section of the block containing the 352 casting did not forego any early engineering changes and remained in place as other FE engines were conceived. This explains the 352 part number found on many FE blocks that are larger than the 352 V-8 engine, including some 390s and 427s.
How can you tell a 428 from a 410 or a 390?
The surest way is to remove the cylinder heads and measure the bore. 390s and 410s had a standard bore of 4.05” while the 428 possessed a standard bore of 4.13”. However, this will not tell you if you have a 390 or 410 if the part number on the block corresponds to both. You must take a step further and examine the crankshaft for markings as the 410 used a 428 crank.
Note the most common 390s could not be bored to 428 size, (i.e.: 4.13”) due to the thin cylinder walls and interference with water-jackets. However, the 390 Police Interceptor and GT blocks had thicker walls between each cylinder bore. Interestingly, some of these beefy 390s were machined to 428 specs for the first line-up of ’67 Shelby Mustang cars.