> Apart from weighing the blocks, how can one tell if its an Aussie block
> or not?
There are many Aussie 351C blocks but only a few are worth going out of your
way to find. I've owned an Aussie 2 bolt main block and currently own one
of the rare XE thick wall 4 bolt main blocks. Jack Deryke has asked me to
do a write-up but due to my current work and travel schedule, I simply have
not made the time to do so. I have gathered a few notes which I'll post
below.
> Ford's Perfomance Book talks about XK engine No.s but nowhere on any of my
> blocks is this evident.
It's not XK. You are looking for a casting number that says XE-192540.
> Are the X's & Y's cast into the inlet-manifold "valley" on each side
> anything to go by?
No.
> The main bearing webs DO NOT TAPER to a thinner wall, as you go deeper into
> the block. Look for the webbing "Walls" that are staight and remain THICK
> all the way through. And that goes for the OIL PAN rails, all around, also.
> THAT is where the EXTRA 200 Pounds of weight comes from. Marlin.
Extra 200 lbs? The whole block may weigh in at 200 lbs but it's maybe
20 to 30 lbs more than a standard 351C block. I've lifted mine without
too much trouble.
> This subject was addressed in detail on a previous post. Use the search
> feature of this site the keyword "Aussie Block". Read the entry made by
> Dan Jones. It's all there.
I'll make it easy and re-post it here:
There are multiple Aussie blocks. Only a few are the 4-bolt main, thick
wall, variety. A batch of maybe three hundred XE-192540 blocks were cast
specifically for racing back before the Motorsport blocks were available.
These are the thick race blocks. A real XE-192540 blocks weighs
considerably more than a standard Cleveland block, has thicker cylinder
walls, unsculpted pan rails, and beefier 4 bolt main caps. I've had one
of the 2 bolt Aussie blue blocks and currently have one of the NASCAR XE
4 bolt main blocks. The 2 bolt Aussie blue block looks much like a standard
U.S. 2 bolt block and weighs about the same on my bathroom scale. If you
place it (or a U.S. block) side-by-side with an XE block, their is no
comparision. The XE block is noticeably different.
The Cleveland V8 was introduced to Australia as a 351C in late 1969 (as a
1970 model) for the XW Falcon GT series. These engines were imported from
the Cleveland, Ohio plant in the United States. In 1972, a 302 Cleveland
was introduced in Australia (never exported to the U.S.) in the XA Falcon
series. These blocks were also from Cleveland, Ohio but the engines were
presumably assembled in Australia using a 3" de-stroked crank. As in the
U.S., those blocks could be 2 or 4 bolt main. In 1974, Ford discontinued
production of the 351C in the United States but Australia continued
producing them until 1982. Those blocks were manufactured in Australia.
The early Australian blocks were referred to as blue blocks (painted Ford
blue) and are similar to U.S 2 bolt main. In 1976, electronic ignition was
introduced and a subtle revision to the distributor hole was made. These
blocks were still blue block though. In 1979, the black blocks were
introduced and remained the standard block until production ceased at the
end of 1982. All of these blocks had the smaller distributor hole but
also reputed to have thicker bores but not nearly as thick as the real XE
race blocks.
I've been informed that there may have been black blocks that were
produced with the XE casting number. I've not confirmed this as a fact
but it's easy enough to check for. As long as the block has the casting
number, 4 bolt mains (beefier than U.S. versions), and unsculpted pan
rails, it's a good one. Besides being heavier, the XE caps are reputed to
be made of higher nodular iron. There may be Siamese bore and non-Siamese
bore versions but I've not been able to confirm this. It's always a good
idea to inspect for core shift by having the block sonic tested.
A number of late model Pantera and Longchamp owners have inspected there
Aussie blocks. Some had the different diameter distributor hole and all
had minor casting differences with U.S. blocks. Some had D2AE-CA casting
numbers, which are also shared with U.S. blocks. The casting differences
include bulges between the freeze plugs and the pain rails and an oval
Ford logo to the left of the oil pressure sender. U.S. blocks may have a
smaller (1") poorly defined oval there but the Aussie block oval is larger
(1.5" to 2") and very well defined.
Kip (formerly of the Pantera Performance Center in Colorado) bought a
batch of Aussie 2 bolt main blocks, and sonic tested them all. He says
their wall thickness was about the same as U.S. 2 bolt blocks and some
did not pass sonic test. These may have all been blue blocks. I also
had one of these blocks and it weighed about the same as a U.S. 2 bolt
main block. My XE block is quite a bit heavier and exhibits all the
characteristics mentioned previously. Kip has had several XE 4 bolt main
blocks in the shop and said they were all great (no core shift problems)
and he's bored them out as much as 0.187" over (to fit a sleeve) and
never gone through a wall. Some sources have said that there were XE
blocks that did not pass core shift inspection and were passed on to
passenger vehicles so there may be some XE blocks out there with core
shift problems. Always a good idea to sonic check and visually check
for casting uniformity. This goes for aftermarket race blocks too.
So the bottom line is there are Aussie blocks and then there are Aussie
blocks. Summarizing, blocks used in Australia could be:
1. Blocks imported from the U.S. before Australian-sourced blocks were
available. Could be either 2 or 4 bolt mains.
2. "Blue blocks" (painted Ford blue). These were the earliest Australian 2
bolt main castings. Probably not any thicker than comparable U.S. blocks.
Later vesions had a small diameter distributor hole (see below).
3. "Black blocks". These were later Australian 2 bolt main castings that
were introduced. All were equipped with electronic distributors. The
distributor hole (at the bottom) is smaller, so U.S. and earlier Aussie
distributors won't fit without modification. The distributor hole is the
same except for the hole in the block that holds the very bottom of the
distributor. The diameter difference is small, like the difference between
a 12mm wrench and 1/2" wrench (0.5mm). Supposedly a thicker casting than
the "blue blocks" but not a huge difference like the XE blocks.
4. 4 bolt main non-Siamese bore. A special casting for U.S. racing.
Only a few hundred made. This is the one with the straight pan rails.
The real NASCAR blocks will have an XE casting number prefix (e.g. XE
192540), thick, non-contoured main bearing webs, one inch thick block
skirt (pan rail), heavier, high nodular iron four bolt main caps, and
0.165 inch minimum thickness cylinder walls.
5. Same as number 4 but with Siamese bores. Use a coat hangar snaked in
through the core plug holes to test. If it's Siamese, the cylinder walls
will touch and you won't be able to push it through the adjacent cylinders.
There could be others. I've heard of Aussie truck blocks but I don't know
if they are any different than passenger car blocks. After the U.S. 351C
supply dried up, DeTomaso sourced the engines from Australia. They were
basically truck motors with open chamber 2V heads. I've heard nothing
special claimed about the blocks. Aussie 302C and 351C blocks interchange.
I've also heard that towards the end of the production run, there were
variations in the blocks like 4 bolt main black blocks that had sculpted
mains. They may just have been using up left over stock or tooling.
If it's an Aussie block, there should *not* be a "CF" Cleveland Foundry
marking. Check the casting indications on the rear face, lifter galley,
inside the timing cover, for a "CF" or any other bits that may indicate
it's origin.
My Aussie 2 bolt block had no Cleveland Foundry marks but had a D2AE-CA
casting number, the same as one of my 4 bolt main U.S. blocks. It did have
rows of XXX's and YYY's in the lifter valley but they don't appear to mean
anything relevent to the country of origin or wall thickness. Bare, clean,
with main caps and a standard bore, my Aussie blue block weighed in at 172
lbs on a bathroom scale. A 0.030" over U.S. block weighed in at 170 lbs.
The XE block weighs more. I'd guess an extra 20 lbs or so but I have not
had it on the scale yet. I'm 400+ miles away from it at the moment so can't
just run out and weigh it.
For reference, here are some U.S. casting numbers scammed from the 'net.
Year Type Casting #
==== ====== =========
1970 2-Bolt D0AE-A,D0AE-C,D0AE-E,D0AE-G,D0AE-J,D0AE-L D0AZ-D
1971 2-Bolt D0AE-A,D0AE-C,D0AE-E,D0AE-G,D0AE-J,D0AE-L D0AZ-D
1971 2-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D1ZZ-A
1971 4-Bolt (HO) D0AE-B,D0AE-D,D0AE-F,D0AE-H ????-?
1971 4-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D3ZZ-A
1971 4-Bolt (Boss) D1ZE-A,D1ZE-B D1ZZ-D
1972 2-Bolt D2AE-DA DOAZ-D
1972 2-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D1ZZ-A
1972 4-Bolt (HO) D2AE-EA D1ZZ-D
1972 4-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D3ZZ-A
1973 2-Bolt D2AE-DA DOAZ-D
1973 2-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D1ZZ-A
1974 4-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D3ZZ-A
1974 2-Bolt D2AE-DA DOAZ-D
1974 2-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D1ZZ-A
1974 4-Bolt (CJ) D2AE-CA D3ZZ-A
HO = High Output
CJ = Cobra Jet
Boss = Boss 351
Dan Jones
