"352" casting
Needsmorecoffee.
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From: CT
When the Dearborn Iron Foundry (DIF) was shut down is when the "352" castings stopped. It was during 74 when they finally shutdown. The Michigan Casting Center (MCC) came on line in the early 70's and all (except the 427 and 428) FE block castings were then cast there and had the reverse "105" on the blocks. Both the 427 and 428 blocks were cast at DIF until they were no longer produced. The Cleveland Foundry (CF) was used for FE blocks for a short period of time and it's where most FE service heads were cast well into the late 70's.
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FE's are big blocks, but there are lots of those. You have to ID the series. If FE, then you have to find the bore, then the stroke, as they all pretty much look the same from the outside. As per previous post, you will find "352" on all of them up to a point. It does not mean it's a 352.
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Brett Foote
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Maybe you should look at the red disclaimer at the bottom of the forum.
Can you direct me to a Ford doc. that declares the FE a big block, maybe I overlooked it.
John
Can you direct me to a Ford doc. that declares the FE a big block, maybe I overlooked it.
John
Needsmorecoffee.
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From: CT
To better answer your Q there were still 428 blocks cast into 74 at DIF. Many of these were still used in industrial apps. These have the "352" on them. So 1974 was the last year for DIF. The rest of the numbers like the 28-25 are part of the mold numbering system. As far as the E1 goes I've heard there were both East and West casting lines. So E1 would have been cast on the #1 East line. This was done to pinpoint mold and casting flaws and pull the offending molds offline for repair or replacement. 8E4 is the date code of 68-May-4th. As far as what block it is measure the bore size.
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While it may have started with the Chev engines, it is a generic term. Both GM and Ford sites--corporate sites like Ford Racing--use the term and it is not trademarked or copyrighted.
It's generally an engine with a deck height over 10". Purists that you are, I suppose you would never concede that a 289 is a small block, a 390 a big block, and that many many many people used the terms in the day when, for example, those were the only two V8s in a Mustang or Cougar.
So when someone asks if an FE or a 385 is a "big block", you would tell them "No, they are large blocks?", or "Size doesn't matter with Ford."
It's generally an engine with a deck height over 10". Purists that you are, I suppose you would never concede that a 289 is a small block, a 390 a big block, and that many many many people used the terms in the day when, for example, those were the only two V8s in a Mustang or Cougar.
So when someone asks if an FE or a 385 is a "big block", you would tell them "No, they are large blocks?", or "Size doesn't matter with Ford."
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I believe that I read some doc. that Ford declared the FE a medium size block, while some of the Lincoln/Mercs were considered big or large blocks.
I will have to give you that both the FE & 385s are large, heavy buggers.
John
I will have to give you that both the FE & 385s are large, heavy buggers.
John
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To reach another point of agreement, it is almost useless with the variety of engine series used by Ford.
Anyway, the OP question about "352" cast on the block--another Ford feature that has had heads scratching for 50 years, and will continue to confuse and confound for years to come.
Anyway, the OP question about "352" cast on the block--another Ford feature that has had heads scratching for 50 years, and will continue to confuse and confound for years to come.
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