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Posted By Discussion Topic: Engine ID locaton -- page: 1 2 3     gmcbuffalo 08-13-2011 @ 8:08 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 83 Joined: Jul 2011 Where is the ID number for V8's? I want to see if my engine is from the years 1935 or later. Greg Meiling 1935 3 Window Coupe alanwoodieman 08-13-2011 @ 8:22 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 873 Joined: Oct 2009 there is not really an ID number on the engine, 35-37 and some early 38's have 21 studs per head, 1938-53 have 24 studs per head . Are there any numbers/letters visible on the heads "A". "59A", or ? Are the water pumps mounted on the head or the block? These are some things that would help to determine the year of your engine. Any chance of a clear picture? gmcbuffalo 08-13-2011 @ 9:47 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 83 Joined: Jul 2011 There is a tag on the left side on the fly wheel cover with a 10 and 5 on it. the Water pumps are also the motor mounts in front. I have 5 studs on the bottom row. Greg Meiling 1935 3 Window Coupe ford38v8 08-13-2011 @ 10:09 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2883 Joined: Oct 2009 Greg, your engine is either a 1937 or 1938. The tell is that it is a 21 stud, and has block mounted water pumps. No other engine has those two feratures together. Alan CharlieStephens 08-14-2011 @ 9:46 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 922 Joined: Oct 2009 Greg, I thought you might find this interesting: 1) If there are 17 studs it is a V8 60 used in vehicles between 1937 and 1940. This engine was also used in the French built Simca in the sixties but I don’t know what occurred between these two periods. Look for casting numbers and stamped steel water jackets in the side of the block. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine. 2) If there are 21 studs the block was built 1932 to 1938. The transition to 24 studs was late in 1938. Check the water petcocks on the front of the block next to where the lower hose from the radiator enters either an inlet fitting (1936 and earlier) or the water pump (1937 and later). It the petcocks point straight down it is a 1932 block. If the block is not a 1932 next look for a vent from the crankcase area out through the front corner of the oil pan. If there is no vent the block is 1933-34. If there is a vent it is 1935 or later. As a matter of interest, the 1936 engines were the first to use insert bearings. Both insert and babbitt bearings were used throughout 1936. The insert bearing engines can be identified by LB cast at the top of the left front face of the block or by the letters LB stamped into the surface where the intake manifold attaches. Some engines were not stamped and in other cases people tried to inflate the price of their blocks by stamping LB into them when they were sold. Be careful. Now check for the location of the water pumps. If the water pumps mount on the block the engine is 1937 or later. All engines beginning in 1937 were inserts. Frequently you will encounter a 1937 block with factory block off plates held on by two bolts over the water pump passage at the front of the block as it was common for Ford dealers to install this engine as a replacement in the earlier cars. Of course there will be slight transition periods at model change over with the older blocks usually going into the commercial vehicles. There may be subtle differences between the 1933-34 and the 1935-36 engines but I am knowledgeable enough about these years to know what they are. The casting numbers on the flywheel housing will also help identify the exact year of the engine. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine. 3) If there are 24 studs the engine was produced between late 1938 and 1953 (1954 in Canada). If the distributor is mounted on the front of the block the engine is late 1938 through 1948 (1947 for trucks). If the distributor comes up at an angle and appears more like a modern distributor it is a 1949 (1948 for truck) through 1953 (1954 in Canada). The casting numbers on the flywheel housing will further identify the exact year of the engine. Post what you find and someone can probably further identify the engine. 4) There are a lot of additional foreign and industrial applications of these engines but the preceding covers the domestic US automobile production. Charlie Stephens supereal 08-14-2011 @ 10:01 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 In addition to Charlie's comprehensive coverage of the engine ID, if you find a metal tag anywhere on the engine, is is likely placed there by an "authorized" Ford engine rebuilder. Many old engines are a "surprise package" when they are opened, as they were often bored, sleeved, or otherwise modified, to keep them on the road during the war years when replacement blocks were almost non-existant to the the non-military population. Some of the rebuilders also stamped a code on the front end of the valve chamber where the manifold covers it. They make sense only to those who put it there. These numbers could also be found stamped into the top of the clutch housing in some cases, while the original serial number was placed on the transmission. ford38v8 08-14-2011 @ 12:42 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2883 Joined: Oct 2009 Charlie & Bob, all good info, but moot to the question. You must not have read my answer, I guess. Oh, well, I'm used to being ignored. Alan CharlieStephens 08-14-2011 @ 12:49 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 922 Joined: Oct 2009 Alan, I read your answer it is 100% correct and I am not ignoring you. I thought my information would be useful to Greg in case he decided to go looking for the correct engine (or maybe he just stumbles across one that he would like to check out, buy and stuff under the bench for the future). Charlie Stephens This message was edited by CharlieStephens on 8-14-11 @ 12:51 PM ford38v8 08-14-2011 @ 1:14 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2883 Joined: Oct 2009 Thanks Charlie, and you are right to have included all the info, as these questions and answers are read by more than a few having the same questions. Alan supereal 08-14-2011 @ 1:52 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 C'mon, Alan. I would never ignore you! At my age, I have so few friends left that I can't afford to lose any.

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