Reading at 78 Ford Thunderbird Identification Tag

Download Article

Download Article

The Ford Motor Company has put identification number tags on some of its motors since the mid-1950s and on all of its motors since January 1964. These tags tell yous the month and year of product, the model year, the change level number, and the CID (cubic inch displacement). In the event that you cannot find the tags, you can also use a casting number to obtain certain information.

1. 1

   Use the number of valve encompass bolts to narrow down the type of engine you lot take in front of you lot. Valve cover bolts are the big bolts on the pinnacle of the engine, holding down the plate (usually marked "Ford") on top of the valves. The number of bolts corresponds to your engine blazon, which will assist yous locate the more useful ID tag.

   • two bolts: 239/256/272/292/312
   • five bolts: 332/352/360/361/390/391/406/410/427/428
   • 6 bolts: 221/260/289/302/351W
   • vii bolts: 429/460
   • 8 bolts: 351C/351M/400

2. 2

   Locate the ID tag under coil attaching bolts for six-cylinder and some viii-cylinder engines. The tag is a series of numbers and letters etched in and used to decipher the year, brand, and model of you engine. It is institute underneath the bolts on the left or right side of the engine, well-nigh the front end of the motorcar. Yous can find the tag here on all six-cylinder engines fabricated after 1964, and on some V8 engines.^[1]

   • The tag is roughly iii inches long, half an inch wide, and made of aluminum.
   • If y'all are unsure what kind of engine you take, think back to the valve embrace bolts every bit you lot work through the following steps. This will assistance you lot narrow down your options.

   Advertisement

3. three

   Bank check under the dipstick attaching bolts on eight-cylinder, 352 Model engine. Check under the dipstick, which is the small, plastic-handled piece that lets you cheque your oil.

4. 4

   Look under the rut indicator seedling, carburetor attaching stud, and ignition coil bolt if you still can't find the tag. These are the concluding few places the tag might be. If information technology is non there, it may have been removed, fallen off, or only be visible when the engine is not in the car. Depending on where you detect the tag, you lot can learn something about the engine:^[ii]

   • Indicator Bulb: 360, 330, 391 engines.
   • Dipstick Tube: 352 engines.
   • Carburetor Stud: 401, 477 534 engines.^[3]

5. 5

   Learn to read the ID tag appropriately. One time you've found the identification tag, y'all demand to know how to read it to get the right information. Luckily, the tags are unproblematic to breakup. From upper left to bottom right:^[four]

   • Cubic Inch Deportation (CID): The first three numbers, institute in the upper left corner, tell you the size of the engine.
   • Manufacturing Constitute: The unmarried letter to the right of the CID is where the engine was built. "C" is for Cleveland, "E" is for Ensite, Canada, and "Westward" is for Windsor, Canada.
   • Year: The next 2 numbers are for the year the engine was congenital. 70, for example, would mean it was made in 1970.
   • Month Built: This hyphenated number and letter correspond to the month. The months are in alphabetical order, so A = January and M = December. At that place is no "i" so people don't confuse it the number 1. 0-A would mean January 1970, 5-C March 1975, etc. (assuming the year code is for the lxx's).
   • Engine Code Number: This final iii-digit number is the ID of your particular engine. You can look up this code online to see the specs of your current engine.^[5]

   Advertisement

1. one

   Looks for nine-digit casting tags to learn more nearly your engine'south make and model. The casting tag is etched into your motor when information technology is created, and is used to aid find the right parts if you need a replacement. This code as well packs a big corporeality of data in it that will help you get to know your engine meliorate.

   • You lot may need to clean the engine with a rag and some degreaser if it is too muddy to see the letters.
   • This code is usually on the side of the engine, just you might not be able to meet information technology when the engine is in a motorcar with older models. Use a light to scan both sides of the engine to find information technology.^[6]
   • Ex.C5AE-9425-B^[7]

2. two

   Read the first two digits in the identification tag to find the year the engine was made. This volition be a letter. If the letter is a "B," it means that the engine was congenital in the 1950s. Each decade afterward that has its own succeeding letter of the alphabet; "C" designates the 1960s, "D" designates the 1970s, then on. The digit after the letter is the actual twelvemonth. So C9 would be 1969, E4 would be 1984, etc.^[8]

3. iii

   Read the third digit in the casting number to determine the engine design. This will be a alphabetic character, and it signifies the basic pattern of the vehicle equally shown below. Of course, this lawmaking should match up with the car that it is in (i.due east. a Mercury could be coded E5M), but you may be dealing with standalone engines or redesigned cars.^[9]

   • "A" - Generic and full-size engine
   • "D" - Falcon
   • "E" - Truck
   • "F" - Strange Trans-Am racing
   • "G" - 1961 to 1967 Comet/1968 to 1976 Montenegro
   • "H" - 1966 to 1982 Heavy truck
   • "J" - Industrial Ford
   • "Fifty" - Lincoln
   • "M" - Mercury
   • "O" - 1967 to 1976 Ford Torino/all Ford Fairlane
   • "S" - Thunderbird
   • "T" - Truck
   • "West" - Cougar
   • "Y" - Shooting star
   • "Z" - Mustang
   • "6" - Pantera

4. iv

   Brand sure that the fourth digit is always an "E. " This digit stands for the type of function. E stands for "Engine," and so this should always exist the quaternary digit y'all see when identifying Ford motors.

5. v

   Read the adjacent four digits, which are the concluding digits in the motor number. These four numbers will always be between 6000 and 6898, which describes the part numbering of the generic engine assembly. Different parts of the motor will correspond to different iv-digit numbers.^[10]

6. 6

   Check the terminal digit, usually a letter of the alphabet, to make up one's mind the version of your part. If your engine is modeled after the original design, this letter will be A. If it is the third manufactured version of the engine, it will be a C, and so on. This digit can be up to iii digits long. For example, AB would be the 28th version — 26 for A-Z, then ii for A-B.^[11]

   Advertisement

Add New Question

• Question

  What does the number atop the motor hateful?

  

  That is a function number, non the motor number which is stamped on the block. Y'all may get a clue by googling the part number. The letters indicate a part from the cooling system. The easy way to place the motor, if it's the original, is past the VIN (vehicle identification number). Using that, you tin can get all the information (including manuals) from Ford.

• Question

  Does Ford make a V8 with a rear benefactor?

  

  Yep, they practice, but they are pretty hard to discover.

• Question

  I have a Ford 460 engine. The only number I can find on information technology is D3TE-AE. What year is this?

  

  It's a 1973 engine. D = '70s; 3 = twelvemonth; E = engine. It'due south probably a Galaxy.

• Question

  My due east-block casting number is D2AE-6015-BA13. Could you tell me what the engine is?

  

  According to Google, it's a 1972 351W minor cake.

• Question

  How do I observe out what engine my Ford has?

  

  You could ask the dealer, cheque your owner's manual or bank check online.

• Question

  What can I do to effigy out what year the heads on my 460 are from?

  

  C7VE would be a 1967 engine, C8 a 1968, D0VE would exist 1970, and D3VE is a mutual head used from 1973 up to 1979. D2VE is an odd duck; not a skillful part, discontinued after one year for detonation problems of trying to reduce compression and emissions. Light trucks use the same head; 460 was non used on a truck until 1972 and was rare. 429 uses same heads and block, simply creepo and piston are different.

• Question

  How can I tell what year the motor is if I know the model number and the type of truck it was in?

  

  The VIN number can be given to a Ford dealer. They have manufacturing dates, specs, everything for the car. The VIN is institute past looking on the left side dash through the windshield.

• Question

  How can I figure out where my motor was made if I have the engine blazon and number?

  

  Go to an auto store, it can be faster and easier than trying to figure that out by yourself.

• Question

  I have a Ford cake engine that has the number JG 224271 over the bell housing, simply on the rider side of the block upwards front it has the number 5F1C. Can anyone help me identify the motor?

  

  The numbers you lot listing are date codes. 5 is for the year, e.thousand. 85. F is for June the 6 h month of the year and 1 is the day, e.k. June 1 1975-85. Or, any decade the vehicle was congenital.

• Question

  How can I effigy out what type of motor is in the vehicle?

  

  Count the spark plugs and accept not of where they are, if they are in a "5" blueprint from looking straight at the engine. For example if you have 4 on each side and the engine has 2 heads in a "5" shape, you take a V8. I4s exist, engine is in a straight pattern with 4 spark plugs on the meridian or side in total.

Enquire a Question

200 characters left

Include your electronic mail address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

• You may need to clean sections of the motor to notice the tag, so have a bottle of degreaser, a wire castor and a rag with you on your search.

Advert

Things Y'all'll Need

• Degreaser
• Wire castor
• Rags

About This Commodity

Article Summary X

To identify a Ford motor, start by checking valve cover bolts on the top of the engine for Ford markings. If the bolts are unmarked, expect for an ID tag for manufacturer information. Tags can be found under coil attaching bolts for 6-cylinder engines and some 8-cylinder engines, or under the dipstick attaching bolts on other 8-cylinders. If you can't find the tag at that place, await under the oestrus indicator bulb, carburetor attaching stud, or the ignition coil bolt, and check the ID tag for information like engine code number. To larn how to identify a Ford motor using casting tags, keep reading!

Did this summary help y'all?

Thank you to all authors for creating a folio that has been read 412,122 times.

Did this article help you?

donnellydink1945.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Ford-Motor

Share this post