[Lady T]

we are looking at purchasing a 200 for our Ranchero but the guy who has it is not sure of the model year of the car it came out of, is there a casting number or stamp on the block that will id the motor and help us determine the year? If so where and how do we decode the numbers, I have been able to decode the build date and place from the VIN and would like to be able to do the same with the motor. Thanks

 

[mustangboy]

I am no expert on six bangers but most ford V8s have the casting codes on the block near the starter..

 

[falconwagon62]

Yep...same kinda place as a V8

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

Yup. The numbers on the log head are plainly visible also.

The 200 inline 6 will have 5 Freeze plugs.

 

[Lady T]

Thanks for the info. Now where do I go to get the decoding info?

 

[Lady T]

Just got online and found it under mustang tech, pretty simple code when you know what your looking at. Thanks for the info.

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

You could also come here for your Decoding. We DO know some things

 

[d_day]

Off the top of my head..

The first two characters will tell you the year. The letter is the decade. A for 40s, B for 50s, C for 60s, D for 70s, E for 80s. The second character represents the year. C6 would be 1966 and D2 would be 1972.

I don't know what the rest of the numbers mean, but they can be decided easy enough with a google search.