Junkyard Engine Spotter's Guide

FE--five cover bolts

Ford Engine Families
Even a hard-core Ford guy will tell you that some engines in the Blue Oval family are very difficult to distinguish externally, thanks to the fact that Ford often used identical blocks to assemble different displacement engines. For example, both the 429 and 460 big-blocks (385 series) and the 351M and 400M share identical blocks and heads. Ford was pretty good about pasting engine identification stickers on the valve covers, but if either the heads or valve covers have been replaced, you're left in the dark. The only way to identify these engines for sure is to check the throw of the crank.

From 1965 on, Ford engines were equipped with a stamped metal ID tag, which carries the displacement and model year among other info. This tag is generally attached to either the intake manifold in front of the carb or to the ignition coil on the front of the engine, if you're lucky enough to find an untouched original. This tag was on a '65 352 FE.

The first two digits of cast-in Ford part numbers are useful for dating a part (A). The first letter designates the decade (C='60-'69, D='70-'79, E='80-'89), and the number indicates the year. This is a '64 casting. On 289/302 small-blocks, the displacement is also cast into the manifold (B), but this can be misleading because manifolds are interchangeable.

Ford 429 vs. 460
Although the 429- and 460ci big-blocks can be distinguished from other Ford engines by their seven valve cover bolts, the only way to tell the 429 from the 460 is by the length of the stroke--3.59 vs. 3.85 inches. If measuring doesn't work or if the pan is already off the engine block, the casting number on the crank readily separates the two.

By Matthew King

Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!