I was told by the previous owner that my 70 XL is 428cu/7L V8 and on my V5 log book it states 7L, yet from it's VIN it comes out as a 390cu/6.4L V8.
I need to find an engine ID number which the manual says it should have, but it doesn't say where about. I have looked all around the engine and can't seem to find a plaque like it says. There are various numbers stamped into the block, but they don't seem to tie up to anything like what the manual is talking about. Comparing the actual engine to the manual it does look like a 428, but I am no expert.
Where is the engine ID supposed to be?
I assume that your car has a "Y" in the vin since you identified it as a 390cu. car. The 390/428 are the same family of engines, so externally they would look the same. I guess that it's possible that the previous owner could have put 428 innards in the block to make a 428cu. The 428 wasn't offered in the full-size 69/70's.
I will check my manuals when I get out to find the location of the stamping on the blocks. ...report back later. (tomorrow for you chaps across the pond).
The only thing I would add is don't blindly trust the TDC marks on the pulley and pointer. The pulley has an inner and outer part that can slip over time relative to one another. Or the pointer can be the wrong one and off. Once you have the piston at TDC according to the pointer, rotate it slightly back and forth while holding the hanger to feel for movement and use that to determine when the piston is truly at the top. And when measuring, keep the hanger perfectly parallel to the cylinder, not crooked.
3. The VIN is typically stamped on the back of the engine block or on the back of the cylinder head. Before January 1968 Ford stamped these for warranty purposes and then only on high-performance engines. After January 1968 it was stamped on almost all blocks or heads as part of Department of Transportation regulations against automobile theft.
Here, they are talking about a 429, but it is still in the same position:
4) Engine Block Serial Number
The serial number (aka partial VIN) is stamped on the rear face of the 429 block just below the driver's side head. The first two and last six digits of the vehicle VIN (ex: 1F123456) are shown in the photos below. The first digit ("1") denotes 1971, the second digit ("F") is the Assembly Plant code. The remaining six digits are the last six of the vehicle VIN. If the vehicle was a Mustang, this six digit number starts with a "1". If it was a Cougar, it starts with a "5". Note that this serial number may be nearly impossible to see when the engine is installed in the car.
There are numbers stamped all over that engine, none in the places that says.
none of them make any sense what-so-ever, when it comes to decoding them.
Nice to see another 70 XL out and about. Does the extensive history file say when the engine swap was done? As noted previously, the 428 was not available in these cars, so you'd think it would be noted to support the provenance. Many of the FE parts were used on any and all displacement versions of the engine, so the C8AE-H head was likely found on more than 390 CID engines. Post up some pics, give us a look.
Hi, nothing in the history file about an engine swap, but most of that file is from the UK. All I have from the US is a certificate of title.
I did read somewhere that the 428 and 429 were a special fit to these cars and there is a letter in the history file from someone who has done some research for a previous owner, and his research turned up that it is a 428 police interceptor engine.(hence where the previous owner got it from) I'm tempted to get a Marti report done for it, but on their website they don't have a link for the XL.
Wouldn't know what I'm looking for there. I know what the lifters are, but I wouldn't be able to tell whether they were solid or not.
Looks like I need to do the welding rod test.
To turn the crank you'll likely need a 15/16" socket and a cheater bar for your ratchet.
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