Basic Block Dimensions
All Ford FE engines share many common characteristics. The nominal deck height as measured from the main bearing center to the cylinder head mounting surface is 10.17 inches. Blocks can be identified from there using a couple external cues, the casting numbers, the date codes, and the bore diameters.
Very early blocks have a different cam mounting and thrust control method. They can be converted to the later style with a little work, but are usually not the best candidate for normal use unless you have all the parts and the need for earlier casting numbers.
Critical Inspection
Basic bore diameter is a quick identifier, and can be done with a dial caliper. We are seeking only general sizes here, so to-the-thousandths accuracy is not required at this point. A 352 engine starts out life with a 4.00-inch bore, whereas a 360 or 390 begins at 4.050 inches. If your engine block is under that 4.05-inch size, it’s not a 390.
All the 360 and 390 blocks are between 4.050 if standard and 4.110 at .060 over. We generally try to avoid anything beyond 4.090 (.040 over). The sonic test detailed in a subsequent paragraph will demonstrate why. Most FE blocks being built will be either 390- or 360-based. We covered block identification in some detail in chapter 1, but some things merit repeating.
When checking casting codes for FE motors, casting numbers are more useful for telling you what you don’t have versus what you do have. The first two characters in Ford casting numbers represent the decade and year; in the case of the FE, being primarily manufactured in the 1960s and 1970s, the letter “C” represents the 1960s, and “D” the 1970s following Ford’s numbering system. Example: C8 is 1968, D2 is 1972, etc. Something with a D2TE-xx or a C4AE-xx number is obviously not a 428 since those were made from 1966 through 1970. When it exists, the date code is cast below the oil filter pad. This code provides exact casting date information for the numbers-matching folks.
A 428 begins life at 4.130-inch diameter. After 40 years its pretty safe to assume that if somebody is selling a supposedly standard-bore 428 with fresh machining, he is trying to push a .080-over 390 off on you. Stay away; the cylinder walls will often be tissue-paper thin.
A 428 block is often identifiable by a letter “A” or “C” that appears hand scratched in the bellhousing area.
A 427 block is generally out of the context of this book, but with cross-bolt mains and a 4.23 bore they are easily identified. It is fairly common to see the numbers “66-427” cast into a common 390 block; don’t get too excited if you see this.
A 428 block can also be identified by the numbers “428” cast into the floor of interior water jackets below the center freeze plug or below the front or rear water openings to the heads.
Casting numbers are more useful for exclusion than for true identification. The first two characters in Ford casting numbers represent the decade and year in which the casting was released; C8 is 1968, D2 is 1972, etc. A “T” in the third position indicates that the item was initially designed for a truck application, while an “A” means it was originally designed for passenger car use.
Something with a D4TE-xx or a C4AE-xx number is probably not a 428 since those were made from 1966 through 1970, and never installed in trucks. There is often a date code cast below the oil filter pad that provides exact casting date information for the numbers-matching folks.
All FE engines, with very rare exceptions, use the same main bearing diameters, the same cylinder head bolt patterns, the same cam tunnel diameters, and similar bolt holes everywhere on the block. This means that almost every part can be transferred from one block to the other as long as you pay proper attention to things such as valve diameters against cylinder bores.
Fixes for the Factory Block
The factory FE Ford engine block is a very robust design, noted for its durability. Most damage to a factory FE block is related to normal wear or abuse/neglect and can be readily repaired in a well-equipped machine shop. Our initial steps with the block are focused on inspection, making certain that the block is usable and repairable. You want to minimize the possibility of investing a lot of money into a part that cannot be run.
Common damage includes cracks caused by freezing, stripped-out bolt holes, split or scored cylinder walls, and corrosion from sitting in an uncontrolled environment. Most of these issues are repairable within the limits of financial necessity, although a catastrophic failure will occasionally render a block worthless for most folks.
The first step in finding flaws and preparing for reworking the block is a thorough cleaning. Depending on your budget there are a few ways to get the job done. A really low-budget effort might be nothing more than a pressure wash and a lot of scrubbing. But to do the job real justice, we use a “shake and bake” process that involves heating the casting up to burn off any accumulated oil, grime, and paint, followed by an abrasive media in a tumbler that brings the block to a new-casting finish level.
There are three notable variations in main webbing. The aforementioned 427s with cross bolts fall outside my context here. But we still will often see single or double webbing in the main saddle areas on common blocks. The double-web blocks are stronger, and are used in 1968-and-later 428s, including the Cobra Jet, along with many later truck applications. Visual identification is easy once the pan is removed. Compare this example to the single-web block in the top image.
Common cylinder block damage includes cracks caused by freezing, stripped-out bolt holes, split or scored cylinder walls, and corrosion from sitting in an uncontrolled environment. The cylinder walls in this example are showing a fair amount of corrosion, which can be repaired by boring, honing, or in extreme examples, re-sleeving.