Small block Ford id???

Exgmguy

Exgmguy

Club Member
I picked up an 89 Mustang with a carbureted V8. The guy *says* that is has a 331 stroker. I am hoping to at least find out how to externally identify a small Ford. There has to be some casting numbers to id the block and heads. I guess I could pull a valve cover to check the heads, but the block I am unsure of.
I poked around, but found nothing.
 
the only way to verify for certain what the displacement is is to pull a head and measure bore and stroke. 331 is an aftermarket configuration so no original casting numbers will help you here. are the heads iron or aluminum?
 
The heads are iron. It runs a hell of a lot stronger that a stock headed 302 with a cam in it. I was hoping to get lucky, and find out it has a Windsor in it. I'll get the casting numbers from the block and heads this morning sometime. Iron Dart's would be cool.:redstang:
 
The block casting number is near the starter, although it won't tell you the displacement.

Did the guy give you any reciepts?
 
No reciepts. He did not really know what he was talking about with the car either. He bought it built this way, and needed to sell it due to a lay-off.

Been there.
 
Rob- *almost* all of those stroker motors are either 28oz imbalance (likely) or neutral balanced (unlikely unless it's a high $$$ build).

Take a look at the balancer and see if you can tell if it's a 28oz or 50oz. The weight on a 50oz is much bigger.

There have been strokers made that were still 50oz, but I don't think many of them at all.
 
Also, if iron heads, see if you can tell if they have multiple bolt holes for the headers...the old iron darts had two pairs of bolt holes for each port...so you could port them huge and use the wide pattern.

Also, if the front and rear of the heads have 2 or 3 small "ribs" on them, they are GT40/GT40p heads.

If you can pull a valve cover, there should be some identifying marks there.
 
Thanks for the info. I pulled off a valve cover and I am guessing that they are E7 heads unfortunately. The only stampings I can find are "6J3" which I believe is a date code, and a Ford emblem casting. There are also pedestal mount rockers too.
 
Exgmguy said:
Thanks for the info. I pulled off a valve cover and I am guessing that they are E7 heads unfortunately. The only stampings I can find are "6J3" which I believe is a date code, and a Ford emblem casting. There are also pedestal mount rockers too.
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I'd be very surprised if someone put E7 heads on a stroker motor. Those things don't even feed the stock motor properly.
 
I am guessing that the guy was probably full of crap about it being a stroker. It is probably a 306 and he calls it a stroker. A guy at work has a pair of Edelbrocks that he wants to sell me anyway.
The headbolts and intake bolts are ARP, and it has an SFI flexplate. It also has a 6AL, MSD billet distributor, 650 DP Holley, Ford electric fans, nice B&M shifter... At least there are some good parts on it. I hate buying that shit over and over again.
The engine has a fairly lumpy cam too. I would never build a car with a loose C4, SFI flexplate, and rebuild the engine with lumpy cam and stock heads. You never know with Mustangs though. Especially out of South Warren. :)

I have only driven it about 2 miles and really only poked around the car this morning, so I have a lot of detective work to do.
 
StangNut86 said:
the only way to verify for certain what the displacement is is to pull a head and measure bore and stroke. 331 is an aftermarket configuration so no original casting numbers will help you here. are the heads iron or aluminum?
Click to expand...

You can also P&G the motor. This is a special gage that screws into the spark plug hole of one the cylinders. I don't think you can rent one anywhere, but you may find someone that has one who can test it for you. This is how a lot of sanctioning bodies monitor c.i. limits in racing classes.

A lot less painful than pulling a head.
 
It was like this when I got it. there are slow and steady small bubbles in the coolant with the car running and the thermostat open. The cooling system becomes quite pressurized with the cap on as well. It has a carb on it too, so new head gaskets are even easier than on an injected 5.0L.

It is a great reason to upgrade to a real cylinder head too.
 
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