Need opinions for my 86 302 roller cam rebuild

There is a date code on a pad on the block just above where the starter is located. What does that say?

Strokers are fun, I've had two 347s in my Mav, but for just cruising around a welll built 302 is hard to beat IMO.

Also IMO, your 670 cfm carb will work fine if you set up the rest of the engine to breath. Carb manufacturer cfm ratings have almost nothing to do with how a carb actually flows in the real world on a real engine and the formulas you find are usually very conservative.

 

Thank you BMCdaniel. The date number on the block is 7F17 and on the heads 7F23. The pistons are E7ZE6110 CA. I can't locate the casting numbers on the block or the heads. I thought the block casting number was supposed to be on the block under the starter. Nothing there. Don't know if this engine has ever been apart before or if everything is original or modified. Haven't pulled the cam yet. Going to leave the rest of the teardown to my engine builder. The gentleman I bought the car from, Tom Lowrey, said it had a 302 out of a 86 Mustang GT. Have to know where this thing has been before I can decide on where it's going. The engine came with a brand new Holley 600. Guess I'll use it and leave the 670 on the shelf.

ThanxBOB

 

The block casting numbers (on 5.0 roller blocks) are behind and below the starter, or on the opposite side of the block in the bottom rear. The head casting numbers are under the intake ports on the deck face side. E7TE heads have a "T" cast in one corner, next to the valve cover rail (outside, lower corner, in the front of the passenger side head), E6SE heads have an "S" in that location, GT40's have a "GT", GT40P's have "GTP". If you find none of these letters, then they're earlier heads.

 

IIRC, Block = June 7, 1987. Heads = June 23 1987. Do the pistons have valve reliefs? '86 pistons didn't.

 

Yes the pistons do have valve relief cut-outs. Finally found the block and head numbers they just wern't exactly where the online photos said they would be. The head and block is stamped E7TE. I gleen from this that I have a 1987 302. COnfused about the "T". I found a reference that said this could be a truck or a mustang motor. So...I guess this is better than the 1986 engine I thought I had. Don't think the heads have ever been removed. Never saw so much carbon buildup on the pistons or valve chambers! I think the previous owner had a 750cfm carb so maybe it was just running super rich or maybe the rings are shot. At least now I know what I have! Thank you everyone for the fantastic advice and comments.
HarleyGA aka Bob

 

Yes, Ford put truck heads on 87 and later Mustang 5.0s.

 

The vehicle designation in the casting number (engineering number actually) in no way is an indicator of what vehicle any Ford part was installed in at the factory. It's simply the vehicle line the engineering costs were assigned to. Unless you are the person who actually pulled the part out of the vehicle it was installed in at the factory, there's no way to tell what vehicle that part was installed in based on the vehicle letter in the casting number. This is a common mistake made by those unfamiliar with Ford parts. As far as dating a part, only the date code, combined with the casting number prefix (first two characters) can determine when a part was made. E7 heads were in production for ten years, that E7 block was used for at least 4 years, until replaced by the F1SE block.