When I purchased my truck I was told it had a 272 in it. I finally got underneath and pulled the casting numbers and it turns out to be a 312. The truck should have come stock with a 239 so there goes originality out the window. Is the 312 better, the same or worst than the 272 or the 239?

 

It's the same engine family. The 239, 272, 292, and 312 are all Y-block engines. A 312 looks exactly the same as a 272. Only a '54 239 would look different.

Even if it's not factory perfect, it's still a nice period-correct upgrade. I put a 292 in my six-cylinder truck and I love it.

 

A 312 is great if you have one and bad if you don`t...
Seriously it`s a nice up grade and I wouldn love to have one in place of my 292.

 

How did you determine the block is a 312 from the casting number? That's impossible. Does the block have a cast 312 on it? That doesn't mean the engine is a 312. The 272/292/312 engines all use the same bare block casting number.

More examples: The FE 352/360/390 engines all use the 352 bare block casting. The 429/460 engines all use the 429 bare block casting. Casting numbers do not transpose to actual part numbers.

 

Just asking, but this link shows the 272 to have a different casting number. If I am reading it correctly. It says the 292 and 312 are the same. You check the main caps to see.



http://www.ford-y-block.com/Block%20identification.htm

I know better than argue with Bill...so I am asking.

 

Feel free to argue, I didn't write the parts catalog, all I do is read it.

The parts catalog shows the same basic UN-finished bare block for all three.

But catalogs can be wrong...but as least that link shows that 292/312 blocks used the same casting number, which proves the point that a 312 engine CANNOT be ID'd from the casting number, or because it's marked 312.

I say again, casting numbers cannot be translated to actual Ford part numbers. Es Imposible!

Millions of FE blocks are marked 352, but that means diddly squat, because when the block is finished, it could be any FE block from a 352/360/390 or even a 410 or 428.

The same thing holds true for just about any Ford engine, be it a 292/312, 429/460, 144/170, early 221/260/289, late 289/302, 351M/400. Only a few off road (off road = drag strip/NASCAR) Hi-Performance blocks are different...because only one size of engine was produced from the casting.

 

The following is the site I used to determine which block the truck has.
http://www.ford-y-block.com/Block%20identification.htm

According to this site he ECZ-C is the 312 and the ECZ-B is the 292-312

 

Too much confusion for me, I`ve never really understood their system....

 

ECZ-C is also 292. You can only tell by the main caps. I happen to have an ECZ-C 292.