Thread: ford engine block identification location

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i need to know where i can find my engine block id. its a 78 ford f150 4x4. im trying to find out what size engine it is. please help me locate it.

That could be interesting, since there are a number of engine families possible. Easiest thing is if it's the original engine, check the data plate (I think they still put them on the driver's door in 1978). There should be an engine code there - that will tell you easily. The code can be looked up on the internet, or call a Ford dealer or parts store, or give it here and someone will surely have it for you.

If the engine has been swapped, and it's a V8, it could be a Lima engine (429, 460), FE (whole bunch of possibilities, 360, 390, 391 are the most likely), or small block like a 351 or even 302. In any case, if it's not the original, it's a bit of a guess. The FE engines all look a lot alike from the outside, and the casting numbers on the later ones don't really tell much. I don't know a lot about the 429 and 460, but they are a different family and I'm not sure how to tell them from each other externally.

The FE has an intake manifold that extends back under the valve covers, while the Lima intake manifold sits between the valve covers. The FE intake looks just huge - a big flat piece of cast iron. That's the most visible thing I can think of to help sort out the family of engine. The small blocks are just that - small. They'll sit back from the radiator quite a ways, and have a lot of room at the sides, relatively speaking.

I'll stop now - someone else will probably have a quick answer.

Oh, if you think the engine hasn't been torn down, you can get the casting number off the intake manifold and that will help. It will start with something like D4TE-9425-C (yeah, I made that up as an example). The four digits in the middle will be 9425, since that's Ford for "intake manifold." The whole number will tell what engine it was made for, which may answer your question. Good luck.

thanks for the help