I have a motor. And i have a truck. The motor is in the truck. I dont know what motor it is. The VIN says 302. My dad says 351W. Who is right?

Heres the motor. Somewhere i read that if the T-stat bolts are easy to get to, then its a 351W. Somewhere i read that if the bolts for the fuel pump are on either side of it, its a 351W, and if they are above and below it, its a 302.

Heres some pics of the motor.






Heres some pics of the truck. I painted it myself on my back driveway in 2 days with rustoleum semi gloss enamel.

 

If it has a 351W, it was swapped in, because the 351W was not available until 1981 in F Series trucks.

The 302 and 351W look almost identical, but the intake manifold is wider on 351W's.

The only fuel pumps that have bolts at 12 and 6 o'clock are used on 351C/351M/400's.

Every other V8 has the bolts at 3 and 9 o'clock.

 

Look at the top wp bolt that goes through the timing cover. If it's a 302 the the timing cover boss will be right at the deck of the block. The 351w has a taller block so the boss will be about an inch from the deck surface. Can't tell in your picture.

 

On a side note...where did you get the "Ford" script sticker in your back window?

 

I got that at a local Baxter auto parts. Its a cali/oregon/washington thing. But they probably have them at a kragens/schucks or autozone or kenecht's or something in the sticker section. It used to have a big oval around it but it took it off cause i couldnt get it on right.

 

not bad paint job, is it matte or gloss? Rustoleum, best metal paint that protects metal against rust the longest, I have used others, they don't compare. I just never thought of using on a vehicle, but it is enamel after all. I wonder how it will turn out with a clear coat on top? by the way the motor looks like a 302 my 400 is similar to 351 and the intake is much wider that the one in your picture. Will confirm the bolt pattern on the fuel pump tomorrow, will keep you posted

 

Its a semi gloss. Rustoleum is an awesome paint. It is a 302.

 

measure the width of the intake from bolt to bolt 11 inches 351w 302 or 9 inches.i think you got a 302

 

Could also check the firing order right?

 

Not necessarily. Yes, from the factory the 351W and 302 had the different firing orders. For the 302 it was 15426378.
But that was only up until the early '80's when at first some, then all the 302/5.0's changed to the "HO" (aka 351) firing order of 13726548

The issue comes now after so many years, that so many of each type of engine have been rebuilt and new camshafts installed. Since the camshaft dictates ignition firing order, if you put a 137 cam in an old 302, then it has the same order as a 351. By the same token, if you put a 154 cam in a 351, you have to change the firing order to that of the older 302's.

So while you're essentially correct, you see that it's no longer a truly accurate way to tell the difference.
For me the easy way is to look in that pocket behind the distributor. If the top rail of the block (the china rail where the intake mates up) is just a small ridge above the block surface, it's a 302 or 289. If it's got about an inch of "wall" under the rail, it's the taller-decked 351.

Paul