I thought I had my hands on a 1960 F-100 in reasonable shape, ready to be restored. Looking closer, this truck has been pieced together pretty substantially. For instance, I have a '58 hood, perhaps more grillwork from the 57-59 period, and most disappointing, the engine is probably newer. It's disappointing because my shop manual doesn't help much (i.e., there's an unknown carb on the intake manifold while the manual illustrates a single bbl Holley).

My question is: where do I look on this 223 to find the serial number to identify the year?

This probably is a minor nuisance to a lot of you guys but to me it's a big problem. I was relying heavily on my shop manual to do carb work, etc., because I have very limited mechanical experience.

Thanks in advance.

billsco

 

I have a page on my web site that might help: 223 Identification. I recently bought a 223 that was advertised as a '54 but turned out to be a '60.

Here's the discussion that helped me:
What year is this 223?

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks Kevin. I'll take a look at my engine and your site and my engine and the discussion thread and....well, you get the idea. I appreciate the response.

A cursive look at my engine shows what appears to be a PCV outlet (or inlet) near the rear of the valve cover, making me believe it's newer than 1960. My manual and your '60 engine show nothing like that.

Thanks again. Hope your project is going well.

 

Billsco,
Look on the brightside. Most people prefer the cleaner '57-58 hood. Saves you having to go to the expense of swapping it out. The 223's of the 60's are better than the 50's. Less chance of blown head gasket, etc. Post a pic of the 1bbl, and we'll help ID it. If nothing else Holley 1bbls are cheap and easy to find.
Good Luck!
Brett
PS. My 59 F100 223 was sold new in California and came with a PCV setup.

 

Brett,

Ah..... this pickup was manufactured at the San Jose plant. Maybe, maybe. Where does that hose connection connect to?

I was hoping to restore this truck with an eye toward originality. Putting a '58 hood on it seems like a blunder I'd come to regret. But you're right... the hood is a lot sleeker. I thought it was from the mid '60's when I first examined it.

 

Out of curiosity, which side is your distributor on? Driver or passenger? The pcv fitting sounds like it might be a 240/300 to me.

You might also pick up a catalog from Mac's Antique Auto Parts in NY - they're online. Their catalog has sketch's that help distinguish between the different engines.

 

Hey Tim,

The distributor is on the passenger side. Could be I'm assuming it's a 223. Thanks for the Mac's lead.