We can't find any numbers on the block. W/o taking it apart.

We don't think it is the stock block.

Any tips to finding out what it could be? Thanks in advance.

 

Take your starter off, and give us that number on the block behind the starter.

 

u can start by entering the door data plat info if it matches the dash vin here www.mustangdecoder.com

 

Ok so we found a number on the back of the block right above the trans' bell housing. I am unsure if this is a number that will tell us anything but here you go F54012 _ 7 (the seven is off to the right a bit). Will try to look for the starter number next, the car is at my friends house so it might be a day or two.. We think that the motor isn't the stock one, so the door number thing probably won't help.

Question # 2: The intake manifold is an after market Edelbrock that says 351 on it, does this mean anything? Can't those swap between 302's and 351's??

 

Snapping a picture would help a lot.

A 302 and 351 have different manifolds. If it has a '351' manifold, it's a 351C (no 351W in '71).

 

If the casting number begins with F5, then under Ford's casting number scheme that would be 1995. The first letter gives the decade (C = 1960s, D = 1970s, E = 1980s, F = 1990s) and the second digit gives the year, so F5 would be 1995. I was going to advise you to look for casting numbers on any emissions or other parts on the motor, but if it really is a 1995 then a previous owner must have changed it from fuel-injected to carbureted, and there won't be very many, if any, original motor parts left. Maybe the casting number starts E5 and it might have started out as carbureted though.

If it's a 1995 then it would have to be a Windsor, no Clevelands produced anywhere near that late in the U.S. as far as I know.

Can't interchange intakes between 302 and 351W... you can interchange at least some 260 / 289 / 302 intakes, dunno if this is true for every single year. But 302 and 351W use different manifolds. So I'm guessing late-model 351W block.

You might be in for some headaches getting parts as needed, but it is doable. Same thing happened when I got my 1972, the door tag said 351W so I assumed it was original. It wasn't. All the emissions parts had casting numbers beginning with D7 i.e. 1977. Ford changed the block dimensions slightly in 1974, and a fuel pump for a 1972 won't work in a 1977!! But it was fun diving down inside the timing cover to try to find the "problem". At least everything in there looked OK. After I bought a fuel pump for a 1977 Thunderbird all was well.

 

Ok the real # after removing the starter : D2AE- OA (or CA?) space 3A24

So thus far we know it is a 72 ford full size and it is an engine! woot. now to decifer the rest...

 

Looks like you have yourself a 1972 Ford Fairlane 302. And, as far as the 90's, Ford didn't use 351 to designate their engines. They were 5.8 L

 

IIRC the last year for the Fairlane was '71, and he said the Edelbrock manifold is stamped "351". I come up with a 351 (based on the 351 on the manifold) from a '72 Galaxie/full size (based on the "A" car line code). How many bolts are there on the valve covers? Most full sized '72's came with 400m's.

 

Cool beans! At least the motor is ballpark correct year-wise, and that will help a lot with getting parts. When I need to buy parts for the 72's motor, I need to tell my local parts folks to enter it in as either a 76 Granada or a 77 Thunderbird, depending on the actual part. [>:] (the trans is a 1976, apparently). But that is still better than having to say "1985 so-and-so and I don't know WTF this motor came out of originally".

Not totally out of the woods yet. My understanding is that Ford often would build blocks aplenty in some years, and then not build them at all for a few years. So, for instance, my 1977 motor has a *block* casting number that begins "D4AE", i.e. 1974. But all of the original emissions parts, the timing cover, and a whole lot of other parts, started "D7". I am sure the motor in my 72 is a 1977, built on a block that was produced in 1974.