Quote Originally Posted by whatisit? View Post
So how do i figure out what it came out of or can't I?. This is going to drive me nuts if i can't figure it out lol.
Who cares?? Why does it matter where the engine originated if you're building a unique combo?

Or...do you mean that you wish to determine whether it is a Thunderjet or a Cobra Jet? If that's the case, then you need to provide the engineeering revisions of the castings.

We enthusiasts tend to quantify our engines/components by engineering revisions (mistakenly referred to as "casting numbers" or "date codes"). These engineering revisions indicate which components we have and thereby further indicate the overall potential of the engine.

The cylinder head casting numbers are located on the outside of the head, along the valve cover mounting rail and between the 3rd and 4th exhaust ports. The are visible simply by raising the hood and looking at the engine. You should be able to find a cast-in alphanumeric number, possibly one of the following:
  • C8VE-A
  • C8VE-E
  • C9VE-A
  • D0VE-C
  • D2VE-AA
  • D3VE-A2A
Or, it may appear similar to one of the above numbers but a little different.

The block casting number is located on the ouside of the engine, at the rear of the cylinder bank, behind the starter motor and reads vertically. There, you should be able to find a cast-in alphanumeric number, possibly one of the following:
  • C8VE-B
  • C9VE-B
  • D0VE-A
  • D1VE-A2B (or other varying suffix)
  • D9TE-AB
Or, it may appear similar to one of the above numbers but a little different.

The above engineering revisions can suggest the potential that may be pulled from the parts you have, and that's all that really matters to most Ford performance enthusasts. If you need actual date codes for some reason (such as for "correct" classic car restoration purposes"), those are the alphanumeric numbers that are cast in the heads (valve train area) and block (lifter valley area).

Paul