Hi all, I have two questions.

My truck has the 77.5 -79 power steering gearbox swap without a notch in the crossmember. I have Googled a bunch of threads and articles on the subject but I can find the answer to my question. Why do some people notch the crossmember and is there a specific location of the hole pattern for the gearbox?

Second question, I can't find the casting ID anywhere on my block. It has 352 on the front and back, and DIF 45, Dearborn foundry mark, mold 45. My block has ribs on both sides of the block that I haven't found in any photo of an FE block on the interweb.



It should be here?

Any help would be very much appreciated!
Have a Happy Easter everyone!

 

Based on knowledge gleaned from a couple of FE forums, that is a "run of the mill" service block from the mid to late '70s. There may be details that can change that opinion, but that will require some disassembly. Jay Brown has a forum that has knowledgeable people that have played and raced them since the '60s

FE Power Forums - Index

 

352 is a foundry mark only, doesn't mean diddly-squat since all FE engines were cast as 352's.

 

Is there a "105" cast backwards on the right front of the block if you are looking at it from the front of the truck?
I have a block a lot like that, its a industrial service block I do believe.

The reason to notch the crossmember is to put the steering gearbox in the correct location so that you have lock to lock steering with the stock draglink. If the box is too far forward it wont turn all the way,and a custom length draglink would be needed. If your truck has crossover steering, think its easier to get away without notch the crossmemeber.

 

Reverse cast 105 replaced 352 circa 1971.

 

short of either pulling the heads measuring stroke or dropping the pan you CAN NOT visibly tell any of the FE family apart it could be a 360 390 or 428 or a handful of other options but 80% of the time its a 360, 15% 390, and around 5% other

 

Hi guys, I hope y'all had a nice Easter.
Sorry, I should have let you know what my plans are.
a. Take the FE I have and build an engine similar to what turbohunter has done in his thread https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...nd-did-it.html He used a mirror 105 D4TE block and I want to get something similar.
Thanks for the parts list, your thread and those awesome videos Marc!

b. Fix the leaky oil pan and valve covers on the FE I have, put it back in the truck (so I can start driving it) and find a better engine candidate to rebuild.

I have decided to go with plan B.

Thanks for the link and I did find a pic of an FE with ribs.
332-428 Ford FE Engine Forum: web/rib marks down side of block..


Thanks Bill, I'm a n00b.

Thanks lurch!
That's the answer I was looking for. I don't have a stock drag link. The drag link that came with the truck was a cobbled up POS. I made an adjustable drag link out of some Moog parts so it was never an issue.

No 105 on the front, just 352.

Thanks!

I will have the pan off.

 

Ill do some reading on the ribs. I have done a lot of reading on FEs I remember something about them. Hell the Steve Christ "How to rebuild big-block Fords" sits on my coffee table. Yes I am single lol

 

the mirror 105 block became the primary casting for the FE in the early 70s, the ribbed block was for service, not new. In this thread "Royce" worked for Ford either casting or machining for Ford.
332-428 Ford FE Engine Forum: What is the value of a NOS 428CJ short block?-

 

I just read the mirror 105 is for ft blocks the 361/391 and such. And they have the extra ribbing. I have never heard of the mirror image 105 replacing the 352. I have three blocks only one has 105 on it. The other two are a 66 and one is a later 70s, both have 352 on them.

 

Good stuff guys, I wonder why the service blocks didn't get any ID numbers/letters.
Ford FE Engine Block Casting Numbers - FORDification.com
Now I really want to get the oil pan off and see what's inside.
I'll see if I can't get that done this week.

 

You can take a wooden cooking skewer (think shish kabob or monkey on a stick) and put #1cyl at TDC which puts #4 and #7 at BDC, put the skewer through the spark plug holes onto the piston and measure the difference between the two and that will give the stroke of the engine. there are three different strokes for the FE. 360 is 3.5in and 3.78 is 390