Is there a way to narrow down where my engine in my truck came from? It is NOT the original motor and I would like to know where on earth it came from...and out of. Heres the vin #

 

My book shows that to be a 71-74 351w casting number. I can't find anything that would tell what it came out of.

 

Thanks Dave! Do you think that maybe a Ford Dealer could look it up?

 

That is the block casting number, not the serial number. What does the vehicle vin # say. Ford doesn't really use serial numbers on its engines. What the casting number will tell you is the first year that particular casting was used & what it was first used in, NOT what the part (in this case, the engine) came in. What I can tell you is that the block is a 1974 casting DESIGN.
- D= 1970's,
- 4= the year (4th year, in this case 1974),
- A= passenger car (I'd double check on that, though as the 351 was used in both cars & trucks, it only means that the block was originally designed for a car, NOT what it came out of.)
- E= engine
- 6015= this is the basic engine block part #, you'll find this number on just about ALL ford engine blocks, I4, I6, V6, V8, etc.
- AA-15= this is the design change, ie. what ford changed from the previous castings (for all we know its just the addition of a mounting boss for an emissions gizmo).

Does any of this make sense? What I'm trying to get at here is that unlike chevy or dodge, Ford doesn't serial number the engine to the vehicle from the factory (at least as far as I've been able to find anyway, someone here going to prove me wrong?). A dealer 'might' be able to read other casting numbers on the block & tell you what they mean (many of us would also love to know), but its doubtfull they could tell you the original vehicle.
I always have to laugh when you see on e-bay or somewhere else a "numbers matching" mustang, truck or etc. It just doesn't exist. The vin # on the vehicle will tell you what the truck originally had as far as a drive train. I hope this helps.
Edwin

 

I actually found a couple decoders on the interent and I found the motor casting is from a 74 Ford Galaxie.....a little ways off where the last owner claimed it was from.

D is for 70's
4 is for 74
A is for Full sized gallaxie
E is for engine

http://www.classicmustang.com/decoding_part_numbers.htm

http://www.geocities.com/mustang_man...r_decoder.html

they both say mustang but both cross reference to what the numbers say.