engine identification tag

Marti will/should know, but the information for your K code if built in January of 1966 should be:

289 C 66 9

6-A 245-S

I had one made earlier this year.

Mark V

You need the car's build year and month for the stamping info and that has a direct correlation to your VIN. The month should be on the door data tag. If you have some questions, get me your VIN via e-mail and I'll see if I can help. Marti auto usually can figure it out but you better be sure on what you order and get.

Jim

A question, isn't the date supposed to be when the

engine was assembled and not the planned production

date of the car. Seems logical to me that the tag

was placed on the engine when they assembled it

but I may be wrong. Has happen many times before.

/Bo

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A question, isn't the date supposed to be when the engine was assembled and not the planned production date of the car? Seems logical to me that the tag was placed on the engine when they assembled it...

/Bo

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The assembly date of the engine is stamped on the block on a small boss in front of the left cylinder head. All 289 HiPo engines were assembled and tested at the Cleveland Engine Plant, and then shipped in large crates to the various assembly plants to be installed in a car. There was no way to know exactly which model car would receive a specific engine at that point in time.

The engine id tags were stamped later on at the particular assembly plant that built the car <i>after</i> it was determined which car it was going to be installed in. <i>It only designates the calendar year for the engine, and not the build date.</i> It does contain a Change Level code, which can identify the window of time in which the engine was used in production. More importantly, it contains a three digit <i>application</i> number which represents the model of the car, as well as the type of transmission used in that car.

Here are the three application codes that were used for the K Code Mustangs:

"245" 66-67 cars with a manual transmission.

"246" 66-67 cars with an automatic transmission.

"554" 64-65 cars with a manual transmission.

"There was no way to know exactly which model car would receive a specific engine at that point in time."

Well, I am still confused. If the engine plant didn't know

which model car, auto or manual in 66, this would mean that the

flywheel had to be put on by the car factory which seems odd to

me.

/Bo

Interesting discussion. I would believe that the paper identification stickers (and possibly the engine ID tags) were attached at the engine plant. Have pictures around here somewhere of engines on shipping pallets and the paper id stickers are already attached angle is not great to make out any small aluminum tag in the pictures

Engine tag had to have been put on the engine between the block painting and the hot test, which means Ford knew what vehicle the engine was going to go in. In 1964, the tag was installed under the temperature sender. Neither the tag or temperature sender were painted. Since the tag was not masked, the engine was painted first. And since Ford would not remove the temperature sender to install the tag, the tag had to be on the engine during hot test. Although the tag was located in a different place in 1965, I doubt Ford changed when the tag was installed. All this is just an educated guess. If my sources come up with something else, will post.

Let me throw another turnip in the pot. Don't think 'K' engine only. Ford would be somewhat consistent on the engine assembly line so we would have a painted small block engine, a 'C', 'A' or 'K' (or 'F' or 'D' in 64) code at the end with; no flywheel/flexplate; no crank pulley but with a dampner (what was painted engine color); no carburetor but with an intake manifold and spacer; no fuel pump; no indication as to road draft tube or PCV valve; no fan or spacer; no indication as to air conditioning; no indicationing as to power steering; no indication as to power brakes; and for 1966 - smog; and finally, no indication as to what product it was to be used - Full size, Fairlane, Mustang, etc. Where were any or some of these engine related items installed? At Cleveland - or New Jersey, Dearborn or San Jose? And a hot test? We've seen some Mustangs with assembly line altered VIN's - from a 'D' code to a 'F' code as an example, specifically 5F08D127829 to 5F08F205641. Why? Did the engine fail when it was tested at the end of the assembly line and Ford was in the business of selling cars, not maintaining VIN integerity?

Jim

The exhaust manifolds were on the engine when painted. They were not painted (why waste the paint?), but paint overspray from painting the engine was on the bolts and manifolds next to the heads. I have verified this on many engines. The manifolds were often specific to the car. Mustangs and Fairlanes were the same, but the Galaxie, Falcon, and Comet had different driver's side manifolds. This means the engine was specific to a car model when it was painted.