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What year motor?

  • Thread starter Thread starter THEPATRIOT
  • Start date Start date Jan 21, 2010
T

THEPATRIOT

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Jan 15, 2010
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Jan 21, 2010
#1
  • Jan 21, 2010
  • #1
I picked up a 1986 parts car that i was told has a newer motor in it.How can i determine the exact year?Thanks(it has mass air)
 

Rick 91GT

Mustang Master
Nov 29, 1999
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PA
Jan 21, 2010
#2
  • Jan 21, 2010
  • #2
THEPATRIOT said:
I picked up a 1986 parts car that i was told has a newer motor in it.How can i determine the exact year?Thanks(it has mass air)
Click to expand...

Pull the casting number of the side of the block...
 
T

THEPATRIOT

New Member
Jan 15, 2010
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Jan 21, 2010
#3
  • Jan 21, 2010
  • #3
Rick 91GT said:
Pull the casting number of the side of the block...
Click to expand...

Where is the # exactly?
 

SpartaPerformance

10 Year Member
Nov 5, 2006
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Jan 21, 2010
#4
  • Jan 21, 2010
  • #4
It's literally on the side of the block, it should start with a letter to signify the decade, for example "F" would be the 80's and then the year "F8" would be 1988
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
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Jan 22, 2010
#5
  • Jan 22, 2010
  • #5
Even easier and will give us a range.

Look at the casting number on the lower intake just behind the distributor. I beleive there are a ver revisions to the lower over the years so it will tell us at least a year span.

Easier than looking at the block
 
F

FoxChasis

20+ Year Stangneter
Dec 23, 2003
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Jan 24, 2010
#6
  • Jan 24, 2010
  • #6
Don't bother with engineering numbers (what people are calling "casting numbers"). They are not updated every year so they are not going to tell you what year the block/head/intake/etc. is. They also are not going to tell you what the block/head/intake/etc. was originally in. The engineering number only tells you what the part was originally engineered for, e.g. an E6SE block was originally engineered for a 1986 Thunderbird. Blocks, heads, intake, cams, etc. are all shared between different models.

The date casting will tell you the day, month, and year the part was cast but again, not what it was originally in.

There is a partial VIN stamped to the block. That WILL tell you the year and model that the block was originally in. It's either on the driver-side rear of the block, below the deck on cylinder #8, OR it's on the top-rear of the block, on a flat pad behind the lifter valley seal.
 

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