need a little help with the ident of a 351W. They claim it is a 99 which indicates it should be a roller block, correct? Also, how do I ident the year and size from the numbers on the block. I know F9 would indicate 99 on various engine parts. Also, the 351 is wider than a 5.0 without them sitting side by side I'm not sure I could tell the difference. I just want to be sure it is a 351W roller and not a 5.0 or older flat tappet 351W.
351w died around 96... Not even close to 99. So there is a big strike against someone. The last blocks made, and the only rollers ever made, will have F5 or F6 prefix. IIRC, the F5 was the last casting, and was used through 96 with the remaining stock used up for 97 F250HDs... last year of the 92 body style. I have one of these from a 96 250HD, the casting number prefix is F5.
The 351w has a vertical rib going up the front of the block, near the distributor pad/manifold end seal. I will find a pic and edit into this post shortly. Edit: I couldn't find a real clear pic, but here it is with the ribs circled in red... You could also take a 302 head bolt when looking at a 351 block. The bolt will be too small for a 351 block.
Well, after some investigation it is a 92 block. So, it would not be a roller, correct? I've heard that ford started to equip the blocks for roller setups before actually going with roller cams. Any ideas. I saw this once on an 84 Mark VII. It was a flat tappet cam and lifters but the block was machined to accept the roller spider and lifters with no modifications.
The first model year for the roller 351W was 1994. Which means the earliest you're going to see as far as production date will be mid to late 1993. Unless someone swapped engines, a 1992 will be a flat tappet block. With the roller 5.0 and 5.8, the block casting was changed and the lifter bores are taller to accomodate the longer lifters. These blocks can use either flat or roller lifters
Yeah, the roller blocks for 351w weren't out early like the 302 stuff. Trucks had roller blocks for years before they actually got roller cams with them. Not so with the 351w. If the rollers were available in 94, it was a late year model change. Whatever year got the rollers, a buddy of mine that is a Lightning fanatic says it was a mid year thing. So the first year of the roller, was hit or miss when it came to getting one in your Lightning. Then it was like another year before the roller block progressed into 'non-Lightning' trucks. Your experiences may vary, but my source is VERY reputable among Lightning owners.
