I searched for some info on this and didn't find much related to my question... Should the casting number on a 302 Maverick engine block match the year and model of the car? I know this sounds like the most ignorant question of all time. I was hoping my block was original to the car, but it starts with C8OE which translates into '68 Fairlane or Torino 302. The heads are '65 289 which I was told when I bought the car (I know they aren't original!). Any chance at all that my block was put in my '71 on the assembly line? I wondered if anyone has ever found an unexpected casting number on a block they KNEW to be original for their Mav. Thanks
Not necessarily. The factory often uses leftover blocks from the previous model year. I have a 302 from a '75 Granada and the casting number on the block is from '74...
C8OE is the engineering part number prefix not the date code. That just means the block was designed/redesigned in 1968. It could have been used for many years. As I'm sure you know the 302 appeared in 1968, so this was the first block used for the 302 most likely. UNtil they come out with a new revision, the C8OE will remain the same regardless of manufacture date. I don't remember what the date code looks like or how it translates but I'm sure you can find in in a search or maybe someone here knows.
Thanks for the tip on the date. Why didn't I think of that? Anyway, I just checked and the casting date is Feb 17, 1968. That would be a long time for Ford to have a motor sitting around. A year early is understandable...but 3 years sounds like a stretch to me. Thanks
