Classic Mustang restorers who are looking to restore a vintage Mustang to concours condition will need to understand how to identify the casting number and date code number on an engine block. Matching numbers are important to collectors. The correct casting numbers ensure the Mustang is rebuilt to its original condition and has the correct numbers that would have been assigned at the factory years ago.

A block number on a 289 engine. Where is located? Pics are welcome. To tell you the part number of the engine and the date it was cast.

This guide is written to help you determine what numbers to look for when accurately restoring your Mustang. Please remember to indicate below if this guide is helpful to you.

How to decode your 1965-1970 Mustang engine block number

Where to find the engine block numbers: look toward the back of the engine block on the right hand side, above the starter. You will find the casting number at this location.

For the purpose of explaining each individual letter and number, we have created asample engine block number and date code. Then we have broken these numbers down, explaining what each number and letter represent.

Sample engine block number: “C5AE-6015-E 7C20”

C – Designates the decade that the engine block was made.C = 1960’s; D = 1970’s; E = 1980’s and so on

5 – Designates the particular year that the engine block was made.
5 = 1965; 6 = 1966; 7 = 1967; 8 = 1968; 9 = 1969; 0 = 1970

It is important to note: a more accurate date of when the engine was made is reflected in the date code which follows the casting number. Casting numbers were sometimes a year or two ahead of the block’s date of manufacture (sometimes they were even behind the date of manufacture).

This is evident, for example, in a 1964 1/2 Mustang with a 289. The casting number “C5AE-6015-E” and the date code “4D17” show differing years of the engine block’s manufacture date. One might think that “C5” indicates the engine block was made in 1965. However, according to the date code, it was actually manufactured in 1964. Always look to the date code for the correct manufacture date.

A = Designates the vehicle the engine was designed for.
A = Galaxie; D = Falcon; F = made outside the USA; G = Comet; J = Industrial/Marine; M = Mercury; O = Fairlane; P = Autolite or Motorcraft; R = Rotunda; S = Thunderbird; T = Truck; V = Lincoln; Z = Mustang

E = an engineering number used by Ford
(The 289 was originally designed for the Ford Galaxie and the letters AE stayed on the engine block number even after other models were added to the lineup)

6015 = Designates an engineering number used by Ford.
“6015” meant “289 Engine Block”

E = Designates the location that the engine block was made.
Engine blocks were made in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Canada
The next set of numbers, “7C20”, indicate the date code. In this example, even though the casting number reads “C5″, it doesn’t mean that the engine was made in 1965. You would need to look at this date code to see when it was made, which in this case is 1967.

Breaking the ” 7C20″ date code down:

7 = designates the particular year that the engine block was made (remember to look at this date code for an accurate reading of the engine block’s manufacture date)
5 = 1965; 6 = 1966; 7 = 1967; 8 = 1968; 9 = 1969; 0 = 1970

C = designates the month that the engine block was made
A = January; B = February; C = March; D = April; E = May; F = June; G = July; H = August; J = September; K = October; L = November; M = December
(the alphabet letter “I” was not used in the sequence)

20 = Designates the day of the month

Deciphering the code:

Illustrator cs5 keygen free download. In summary, the engine block sample number ” C5AE-6015-E 7C20″ tells us the following:

At first glance, one might think that this is a 1965 Galaxie 289 engine block. However, according to the date code, this engine block is a 289 block made on March 20, 1967.

Ideally, you would want the engine block date code to be 2 – 6 weeks BEFORE your car’s build date. If you had a car that was built June 1, 1965 and you found an engine block with a date code of 5E10, which is May 10, 1965, this would be a match made in heaven!

Good luck deciphering your dead Mustang scrolls (not to be confused with the “dead sea scrolls”, although I have a few Mustangs that look as if they spent some time on the bottom of the ocean)!

Copyright 2007: FastbackStack, LLC

The following is a list of Ford bellhousing patterns. A list of bell housing patterns for General Motors transmissions is also available, as is a list of engines for Ford Motor Company.

Ford Flathead engine pattern[edit]

• 221 V8
• 239 V8 (pre-1949 autos, pre-1948 trucks, post 1947 trucks with factory adapter housing)
• 239 V8 (post-1948 autos, post 1947 trucks)
• 255 V8

FE Gen 1 and Gen 2 pattern[edit]

• 330 FT V8
• 332 V8
• 352 V8
• 360 V8
• 361 FT V8
• 390 V8
• 391 FT V8
• 406 v8
• 410 Mercury V8
• 427 V8
• 428 V8

335/385 Big Block V8 pattern[edit]

335-Series (M-Block)

• 351 M-block V8 (Not to be confused with the 351 Cleveland which uses the small block V8 pattern)
• 400 V8 (except some 1971 and 1973 late Windsor-style castings)

• 370 V8
• 429 V8
• 460 V8
• 514 V8

Taunus/Cologne pattern[edit]

Named after the 1962 Ford Taunus V-4 built in Cologne, Germany.

• 1.2/1.3/1.5/1.7L were mostly in European Cars.
• 1.8, 2.0/2.3 had the same bellhousings bolt patterns with differences from year to year to be wary of. The Mazda Transmission 5M** does not 'directly replace' the Mitsubishi transmissions as there are shifter spacing differences in the floorboard. The Mitsubishi Trans was made to fit Mustang IIs and was shoehorned into the early Rangers. Later models came with hydraulic clutches. These were commonly found in Pintos, some Mustang II/Capris, and Rangers but do not match the V6 Bell housings. Changing the engine to a V6 often requires changing the bellhousing (Mitsubishi) but the Mazda trans had an integral bell.
• 2.6, 2.8, 2.9, and 2.9 Cosworth. Most of these were RWD car engines. Some had the same Mitsubishi manual transmission as the 2.0/2.3 but had different bellhousings. The 2.3, 2.8, and 2.9 also made it into the Ranger, and Bronco II.
• 4.0L was produced by Ford Cologne Germany (like the unrelated and the all-new metric Taurus/Sable FWD 3.0 V6). Both were put in the North American Ranger, Aerostar, Explorer platforms. The 4.0L bellhousing and the 3.0L bellhousings 'MAY' interchange, but they do not interchange with the previous Cologne engines.

Falcon Six pattern[edit]

• 144 I6
• 170 I6
• 200 I6 (through 1977; 1978-1983 have partial late Windsor pattern)

Early OHV Six pattern[edit]

• 215 I6
• 223 I6 v2
• 262 I6

UK Essex pattern[edit]

• 1.7 L / 2.0 L Ford Essex V4
• 2.5 / 3.0 / 3.1 L UK Essex V6

Pinto/Kent Pattern (also see Taunus/Cologne Pattern)[edit]

• 1.0/1.3/1.5/1.6 Kent (Pre-Crossflow and Crossflow)
• 1.6L/2.0L EAO
• 1.3/1.6/1.8/2.0/2.3/2.5L OHC I4 RWD. This engine was also produced in Cologne, Germany. It was put in Pintos, Mustangs, Fairmonts and Rangers. It was then modified my Mazda to become the 2.5L in the late 90's Ranger/U.S. sold Mazda pickups. Ford modified this design further so it is hardly recognizable from pre-2000 (date uncertain) year models. Caution!
• 1.8/2.0 Zetec-E/Zeta Engine Zeta (Later blocks had the starter relocated to one of the bellhousing bolt locations and only partially match.)
• 1.1/1.3/1.4/1.6/1.6 Turbo/1.8/1.9/2.0 CVH/SPI
• 1.6 Lotus Twin Cam
• 1.6/1.7 Cosworth BDA
• 2.0/2.3/2.5 Lima (At least early blocks had both the Pinto/Kent pattern and the modified Lima pattern)

Lima pattern[edit]

• 2.0/2.3/2.5 Lima (The Lima has a modified Pinto/Kent pattern. The upper two bolts were moved up and closer for the Lima)

Duratec I4 pattern[edit]

• 1.8/2.0/2.3/2.3 DISI Turbo/2.5 Duratec (Mazda L engine)
• 2.0/2.3 EcoBoost

Sigma I4 pattern[edit]

• 1.25/1.4/1.5/1.6/1.7 Sigma
• 1.5/1.6 EcoBoost

Vulcan V6 pattern[edit]

• 2.3/2.5L HSC FWD I4 (Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz pushrod 2.3L)
• 3.0L Vulcan V6 (FWD Taurus/Sable and RWD Ranger, but no relation to the 2.9L)
• 3.0/3.2L SHO Yamaha designed V6
• 3.8LCanadian Essex 90° V6 (FWD only) (not the same as British 3.8L).

Duratec V6 pattern[edit]

• 2.5L/3.0L Duratec V6
• 3.4L DOHC SHO V8 (Theoretically a 'SHO' engine uses a Vulcan bell configuration).

Modular V8 a.k.a the 'Coyote' pattern[edit]

• 4.6L SOHC/DOHC V8 (later castings, F3VE and up)
• 5.0L Coyote DOHC V8
• 5.4L SOHC/DOHC V8
• 6.2L [[Ford Boss engine Boss
• 6.8L Triton SOHC V10

Lincoln Continental Modular V8 pattern[edit]

• 4.6L DOHC V8 FWD

IDI[edit]

• 6.9L International Harvester IDI diesel V8
• 7.3L Navistar IDI and IDI turbodiesel V8
• 7.3L Navistar Powerstroke turbodiesel V8 1994–2003

All 7.3 powerstroke engines had a removable adapter on the rear of the block with either the IDI pattern or SAE 2 pattern.

External links[edit]