identification of 351w

look on the bottom of the block on the passenger side, under the spark plugs, you should code there if it starts with "C" that means its in the 60's and the number after that is the year. if it starts with a "D" that means its in the 70's.

yes the early blocks are stronger because they have more nickel content in them. the numbers you are looking for are on a flat pad above the starter mounting location. if the engine is right side up you will basically have to stand on your head to read them, not quite but it better illustrates where i am describing.

also the numbers you are looking for will look like this the first letter is the decade C being for the 60's, D being for the 70's, E for the 80's and F for the 90's. the next will be a number and that indicates the the actual year of the block, 0 for 60 or 70 or 80, 1 would be 61, 71, 81, 91, etc. this is what they will actually look like.

C9OE for a 69 block
D0OE for a 70 block
D1OE for a 71 block
E1OE for a 81 block
E4TE for a 94 block (this would be a rlooer cam block, the second most desirable block after the 69/70 blocks)

anyway, you should get the idea, just remember the first letter is for the decade and the number afterwards will be the year and when combined they will give you the actual year of production

Those numbers are near the pan rail where the starter is. You may have to remove the starter to see them clearly.

If the distributor hole is almost flush with the front intake valley rail, it's a 289/302 block, if there is a web that runs from this rail down alongside the distributor hole and the hole is lower than the rail, it's a 351W block.

1320stang said:

If the distributor hole is almost flush with the front intake valley rail, it's a 289/302 block, if there is a web that runs from this rail down alongside the distributor hole and the hole is lower than the rail, it's a 351W block.

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The deck height is one inch higher than the 289/302, it is clearly visible by the distributor as mentioned above. But once you get a feel for it the 1 inch deck difference adds about 2.25 inches between the valve covers. You can tell that way too.

Problem is, it doesn't matter if you know the block part number, unless it's stock, you don't know the internals without taking it apart. It might be a 8.2:1 stocker or a 11.5:1 408 stroker.

My race 289 is a good example. I bought it as an assembled longblock. '65 block and crank, aluminum rods, 12.7:1 TRW pop-ups, roller cam, '69 351w heads, roller rockers, stainless valves, a pair of finned aluminum Cobra valve covers and a home made T-pan. Everything was painted dark Ford blue including the valve covers except for the tops of the fins and letters. If it would have have a pair of steel Powered by Ford covers and a stock pan, you wouldn't know it wasn't a stock engine at first glance.