Ford small block identification help

I have a small block Ford engine that I am trying to identify what exactly it is. The motor has an Edelbrock Performer 289 intake manifold on it. The bellhousing has 6 bolts. The casting number above the starter is EOAE 3DC 4. There is a tag attached to the motor above where the starter would be that looks to read 3D26. There is another plate attached to the deck above the flywheel. This tag starts off with a circle with the number 1 in it. Following that is Z 2738 511247. T1 is stamped in one head. The number 5 with 80 below it is stamped in the other head. There is a 35 stamped next to the left rear spark plug. On the back behind the ring gear is stamped 20 30 X. I would appreciate any information that could be provided. I have pictures of the motor.

Here's a link to decoding the engine casting numbers that may help:

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

The "EOAE" shows to be a motor frm a 1980 galaxie, although it may not have actually been put in one. Look for any other ID tags from an engine builder if it's been rebuilt. May be on the driver's side of the block, JSM84

That is a 1980 motor by that casting number the E stands for 8 and the 0 well 0 . It is definately a 302 or a 351W but by the hole on the pan under the dipstick Id lean strongly toward the 302 because that hole is for a low oil level sensor and I dont think they ever did that on the 351W,s . Measure the width of the intake manifold and that will be a for sure between the 2 . /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I know it is not a 351W because I have one of those and it has the wider deck/intake manifold. I am trying to determine whether it is a 289 or a 302 at this point because of the intake manifold. I guess someone could have put an Edelbrock Performer 289 intake on it even if it is a 302. There are the 2 tags which lend towards it being a reman but I can't trace the tags to anything. The water pump has the number 30816-1 stamped in it. Does anyone know if 302s have numbers stamped on the top of the block if I take the intake manifold off? I know my 351W is stamped there. Thanks for the help.

Being a 1980 block, I'm almost 100% certain it's a 302. I think ford quit making the 289 a few years before that (1968). My 66 Mustang has a 1981 302 in it, also with a 289 EDL intake. Does it have a flywheel or flexplate? Can't really tell from pic #4. But 81 was the breakover year going from the lighter 28oz in previous models to the 50 oz imbalance flywheel for all Ford SB 302's after that, so you can verify the year range that way, too. The harmonic balancer is different for the two weights as well. ican post a link to help with ID of the heads, too.

Reason I asked about the reman/ builder tag is that most of these older motors have been rebuilt at least once, and by the looks of the newer parts i would think this one was also. Some of the reman blocks coming from Ford stayed on the shelf for a few years instead of going into the car they were designated for. If it is a reman motor, it should have a tag with the name, date and company or builder. IF it was done by an individual, it's more of a mystery as to what was done to it and what parts went back in. JSM84

Justshootme84 said:

Being a 1980 block, I'm almost 100% certain it's a 302. I think ford quit making the 289 a few years before that. My 66 Mustang has a 1981 302 in it, also with a 289 EDL intake. Does it have a flywheel or flexplate? Can't really tell from pic #4. But 81 was the breakover year going from the lighter 28oz in previous models to the 50 oz imbalance flywheel for all Ford SB 302's after that, so you can verify the year range that way, too. The harmonic balancer is different for the two weights as well. ican post a link to help with ID of the heads, too.
Reason I asked about the reman/ builder tag is that most of these older motors have been rebuilt at least once, and by the looks of the newer parts i would think this one was also. Some of the reman blocks coming from Ford stayed on the shelf for a few years instead of going into the car they were designated for. If it is a reman motor, it should have a tag with the name, date and company or builder. IF it was done by an individual, it's more of a mystery as to what was done to it and what parts went back in. JSM84

Click to expand...

I have attached a picture of the backside of the engine showing part of the flywheel. I guess I will have to do some more research on that. There are 2 tags on the motor; one on the block above where the starter sits and the second on the rear deck above the flywheel. Unfortunately I can't trace the numbers to any specific rebuilder. It would be nice if it just said Jasper or something on it, but I guess that would take all the fun out of it. It seems that there is a good chance that it is a 1980 302. I just wish that it was more cut and dry.

UNable to view the counterweight on the flywheel due to the engine stand, but one of those links I sent you has pics of both types. The 28oz has a small cwt, and a smaller harmonic balancer. you'd have to pull the fan and crank pulley to get a good pic of the HB.

"There is another plate attached to the deck above the flywheel. This tag starts off with a circle with the number 1 in it. Following that is Z 2738 511247."

Look again at this tag for anything showing a brand or company name, as this may the reman tag and not an original one. JSM84

Justshootme84 said:

UNable to view the counterweight on the flywheel due to the engine stand, but one of those links I sent you has pics of both types. The 28oz has a small cwt, and a smaller harmonic balancer. you'd have to pull the fan and crank pulley to get a good pic of the HB.
"There is another plate attached to the deck above the flywheel. This tag starts off with a circle with the number 1 in it. Following that is Z 2738 511247."

Look again at this tag for anything showing a brand or company name, as this may the reman tag and not an original one. JSM84

Click to expand...

It almost looks like the first stamping is a symbol or logo. I will have to research engine rebuilders and see if anything looks similar I suppose, I personally do not recognize it.

Yeah, I can't quite make out what that is, or if it's just a part number. looking at pic #1, i don't see any other tag on the driver's side of the block. You might look around the front or on the passngr side. Anything on the front may be hidden by the accs. like the alt or ps pump. Do you have any kind of history on the motor from the seller?

Perhaps Blade262US can offer some help, too?

No matter what its a 302 block there was no 289 in 1980 . By checking for the weight youll be able to tell if it has a newer 302 crank in it but if it has an older one it looks like a 289 from the outside . Only way to really tell at this point without knowing the history of the motor is to tear it down and start measureing things to get a positive ID . I bought an advertised 289 one time block was right C6 for 1966 the intake was correct also the heads but the guts were 302 . The edelbrock intakes for the 302 all say 289 / 302 because they share that part . along with the distributor and everything else on the outside . Kinda like trying to tell a 351 M from a 400 just looking at them with no ID tags /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

The casting is 1980, so it's an early 28 oz imbalance crankshaft 302. They didnt start the 50 oz balance until mid 1981. They also started the use of 1 piece rear seal around the same time, perhaps slightly later.

The late model crankshaft will bolt into an older block, but it will tend to seap oil from the rear seal, because there's no oil guard ****** on the rear of the newer cranks, since they're made to run with the newer 1 piece seal. Likewise, you could install an old style crankshaft in a late model 302 with a 1piece seal, but you need to grind off that oil guard ****** or it physically won't fit.

Ford will use the same casting numbers on a series of engines for years at a time, until a change is made (such as a change of balance weight, or rear seal design) at that point they change the casting number. Thus, you can have a D2 marked 302 block in a mid-late 70s car and so on.

American Thunder said:

The casting is 1980, so it's an early 28 oz imbalance crankshaft 302. They didnt start the 50 oz balance until mid 1981. They also started the use of 1 piece rear seal around the same time, perhaps slightly later.The late model crankshaft will bolt into an older block, but it will tend to seap oil from the rear seal, because there's no oil guard ****** on the rear of the newer cranks, since they're made to run with the newer 1 piece seal. Likewise, you could install an old style crankshaft in a late model 302 with a 1piece seal, but you need to grind off that oil guard ****** or it physically won't fit.

Ford will use the same casting numbers on a series of engines for years at a time, until a change is made (such as a change of balance weight, or rear seal design) at that point they change the casting number. Thus, you can have a D2 marked 302 block in a mid-late 70s car and so on.

Click to expand...

Thank you all for the help. I am probably going to have to just sell it as is and take a loss on it because I really can't verify that it is good. I wanted to check the compression but that is kind of tough when the starter bolts to the bellhousing on these motors. Now I just have to figure out if it is worth anything.

The best way to tell if it's a runner if you have no clue about its condition is drain the oil, flip it over on the stand and pop off the oil pan. That takes about 5 minutes. Then remove 1 rod cap and 1 main cap, to get an idea what shape the bearings are in. If you see copper in the bearing shells, it's got a ton of miles on it or it's been run out of oil before, or it's been screamed at high rpm. (Or all three.) If it's still the color of lead inside the shells, the bearings are still good, and the rest of the motor is probably in decent shape, too. Put the caps back on in exactly the same direction you removed them, torque the bolts according to specs. Put a breaker bar on the front bolt(15/16" socket maybe?) and try turning the crankshaft slowly. You can watch everything moving inside as you turn it, and you'll notice if anything is amiss. If it turns fairly easily, and you can hear(and feel) the compression, I'd buy a pan gasket and a rear seal and put it all back together. If you're planning on selling it, leave the pan loose, so people can come and look at the internals. They're more likely to pay a lot more money for it if they can check it out for themselves.

That is most definately an early 80's 302. It has the fox body style motor mounts. And most of all has the oil dipstick tube through the block. No 289 ever did, every one of them as well as pre 80's 302's and 351w's had the dipstick in the timing chain cover.

While driving around today I thought of another engine possibility. Ford made an experimental POS engine in 79/80. looks Identical to a 302 only it is a 255. I bought a 1980 T-Bird for the 302 to put in one of my Mavericks. After the swap I was very disappointed to find that it was gutless as heck. After a bit of reseach, (this was pre-internet for me) I discovered it was this 255. So I correct myself, it is either a 302 or a 255.

Do you have the pan off to be able to ck the crank ? 221/260/289 cranks should have a "1M" marking on the first counterweight, 302 cranks are marked "2M" & 351W's are "3M"

http://broncozone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17238

Thanks for all of the very helpful information. I am going to go with the motor being a 1980 302. If I want to really find some physical evidence I will have to tear into it a little bit. I never knew Ford had so many commonalities between their various small blocks. I didn't know how many parts are actually common between the various motors...and how many parts are different.