Original engine

[rubbman]

Getting ready for the next phase of my bronco rebuild, the engine! Is there a number sequence that will tell me if the motor is original? If so then I plan to rebuild, if not possibly a crate motor. Any clue??

 

[1strodeo]

What year Bronco?

 

[rmk57]

Most Ford parts are date coded, cylinder heads, block, intake manifold, water pump, etc. Find out your build date of your Bronco and compare date codes on the engine components, there should be about 2-3 week? time period between the two. Most hi-performance Fords had a partial VIN stamped on the rear of the block I'm not sure that this carried over to regular cars or trucks.

Try a search on "date code Ford" lots of info to go through.

Randy

 

[Steve83]

Keeping the original worn-out engine will not make your eB run better, drive better, be more comfortable or more economical; it will not reduce the maintenance, or improve durability or reliability. And unless it's strictly a show-truck or museum piece, it won't make it worth more.

Put in the BEST engine you can get; preferrably a modern EFI totally complete with all its emissions controls intact.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Keeping the original worn-out engine will not make your eB run better, drive better, be more comfortable or more economical; it will not reduce the maintenance, or improve durability or reliability. And unless it's strictly a show-truck or museum piece, it won't make it worth more.

Put in the BEST engine you can get; preferrably a modern EFI totally complete with all its emissions controls intact.

Well then, if opinions matter, it would be a sad day for me to see FI in my nice old car.

I realize there are advantages to FI, but for us tinkerers, a carb is a lot more fun to play with.

Opinions...
Everyone has one.

 

[73azbronco]

Be advised I've had an EB that showed the motor was from a Torino of that year and I know it was untouched so, I don't think block numbers matter as much as making sure it is period correct.

 

[1strodeo]

Well then, if opinions matter, it would be a sad day for me to see FI in my nice old car.

I realize there are advantages to FI, but for us tinkerers, a carb is a lot more fun to play with.

Opinions...
Everyone has one.

So that means THREE carbs should be a blast right? I will soon find out!

 

[Broncobowsher]

Only a few of the high performance engines ever got serial numbers. Stuff like Boss 302 engines. Plain jane engines were treated just like any other part. Date codes can date an engine to about where it should have been put into a vehicle.

Newer blocks have nice things like 1-piece rear main seals that do a great job of keeping oil drips off the drivesay.

 

[tortoiseracer]

But an oil spot on the driveway and anywhere else it goes is the way my bronco marks it territory.;D

 

[blubuckaroo]

Newer blocks have nice things like 1-piece rear main seals that do a great job of keeping oil drips off the drivesay.

Well, this is where I feel the need to pull my "old school" out.
I've replaced rear main seals. Lots of them. And lots of them were one piece seals.
I'd rather replace a split seal than a one piece. You only need to remove the pan and rear main cap.
Sure some have had problems replacing split seals, but many replacements are just done wrong.

 

[akafrankcastle]

Getting ready for the next phase of my bronco rebuild, the engine! Is there a number sequence that will tell me if the motor is original? If so then I plan to rebuild, if not possibly a crate motor. Any clue??

As stated before, unless it was a specific, high performance/limited edition build, Ford did not stamp engine blocks with vehicle serial numbers. The best you can hope for is finding an engine that falls as close as possible to the casting date, assembly and test fire date of other vehicles produced during that time frame.

Being you have a Denver edition, I would reach out to those other Denver owners, or other owners you know whose VINs fall close to yours, to determine those dates.

The casting date can be found below the part number, just above the starter on the block. It will typically be a four digit code consisting of a number, a letter, and 1-2 numbers.

The assembly and test fire date is usually stamped on one of the water pump bosses, on the DS of the motor. It will be a similar 3-4 digit code.

Well then, if opinions matter, it would be a sad day for me to see FI in my nice old car.

I realize there are advantages to FI, but for us tinkerers, a carb is a lot more fun to play with.

Opinions...
Everyone has one.

Good to know there are other people out there that don't care about economy, maintenance costs, or the "convenience" of dropping EFI stuff into an old Bronco.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Good to know there are other people out there that don't care about economy, maintenance costs, or the "convenience" of dropping EFI stuff into an old Bronco.

I may regress at some point. There will certainly be a time when I'll be passing the car down to one of the boys. At that point I think fuel injection may be more appropriate.
But I'm sure it won't be factory stuff. I'm more in favor of the newer throttle body injection units that look like a carb.

 

[Quick & Dirty]

Be advised I've had an EB that showed the motor was from a Torino of that year and I know it was untouched so, I don't think block numbers matter as much as making sure it is period correct.

Most every small block has a Fairlane/Torino casting number. The casting number is from the design team that worked on it. Nothing to do with what it was installed in. The casting number also doesn't change every year. Base engines are pretty much the same across all models anyway for the EB time period. Accessory layout and tuning differences cover most of the variations for anything that's not a high performance package.

The casting date codes are helpful to see if things match up reasonably. Model year changeover usually occurs in the summer of the previous calendar year, so dates can be checked for the correct build period and matching each other.

 

[bmc69]

I'm old..and old school. That's partly why I put a flathead V-8 in an EB.

But converted it to EFI.

 

[Steve83]

...for us tinkerers, a carb is a lot more fun to play with.

Whatever floats your Bronco! I prefer to drive & wheel mine - not tinker with it. :-*

 

[jckkys]

I had a 428 CJ Ram Air Cougar Eliminator that had a 390 in it. I went through a few years of searching to at least find a "correct" engine and transmission. The CJs do have the SN stamped on the block and C6 bell housing. I got the correct year Mercury parts and no body cared. I think if it looks correct your doing as well as you can. Any buyer at a Barret-Jackson auction won't care about date codes.

 

[markatherton]

fuel injection

My opinion is if you want fuel injection go buy a new car. If you must, do Holley sniper or fitech throttle body. You are missing the point of owning the bronco.

 

[jckkys]

I agree. The classic vehicle hobby is about preserving history. It can be and often is done with no loss utilitarian ability. The idea that you need EFI to drive an EB is ridicules. Some tinkering is needed initially, but a well restored EB will go many thousands of miles with no more than oil and filter changes.

 

[rmk57]

I'm old..and old school. That's partly why I put a flathead V-8 in an EB.

But converted it to EFI.

Not sure if that would be my first choice in an engine swap, but what an eye opener at a car show!!!! Cool, got any pics?

 

[sykanr0ng]

.........and here we have the classic restorers vs hot-rodders conflict.

In this corner the 'historical authenticity' crowd, and in the other corner the 'make it into what I want' bunch.