Reply to "Bud Moore Block?"

The XE race blocks were cast and machined at the Geelong foundry in Australia.
The first batch were manufactured in 1975. These blocks were available over
the counter, if you knew enough to ask for the right part number ad had the
cash. They were listed under the catalog part number D1ZZ-6010-T and were
quite expensive for the time, about $1500 in 1976. Some people believe that
they origianlly designed for use in Australian Ford trucks but that is not the
case (Aussie Ford trucks used plain old open chamber 2V engines with 2 bolt
main blocks). They were specifically designed for racing use. The blocks were
completely machined, except for the cylinder bores which were semi-finished,
being rough-bored at 3.990". A number of these blocks were shipped to Holman
and Moody and I Gapp and Roush. Holman and Moody used to list these blocks
under the part number D6HM-6010-1.

When Ford (U.S.) decided to get back into racing in early 1980's with the SVO
parts program, they placed an order with the Geelong foundry to cast and
machine a second batch of XE blocks. These were manufactured duing 1982 and
1983. There were quite a few of the second batch that didn't meet minimum
specs with respect to core shift and other defects. Some of these blocks were
subsequently transferred to the standard machining production line and were
sometimes fitted with two bolt main bearing caps (depending on when they were
discovered to be defective) for use in a standard passenger car engine. The
blocks that passed inspection were originally listed in the U.S. SVO catalog
under the part number M-6015-A3 with a price of around $900. An Australian
racer of the day told me he was perturbed at the U.S. price as he had to pay
a jobber or dealer net price of $1765 for the same block. He also mentioned
a truck-load of those blocks disappeared somewhere between the engine plant in
Geelong and the Parts Division in Broadmeadows (Melbourne). At the time,
there was speculation that it was an "inside job," for whoever was involved
would have had to have known where they were kept or when they were in transit.

> I am looking at the pictures and the only difference that I see is the solid
> pan rails.

I've had one of each of these blocks. As to differences, they carry the XE
casting number prefix (e.g. XE 192540), have thicker, non-contoured main
bearing webs, a thicker non-sculpted block skirt (oil pan rail), beefier high
nodular iron four bolt main caps, and supposedly 0.165 inch minimum thickness
cylinder walls. I've not yet verified the latter but Kip (formerly of Pantera
Performace in Colorado) 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. Jon Kaase
mentioned that he sonic tested the block I sold him and it had a couple of
thin spots (for an XE) at 0.160". However, that block had been bored 0.030"
over. I plan to purchase a sonic tester in the near future and will test my
current XE block and several 2 bolt and 4 bolt main U.S. blocks. My XE block
also had larger oil drain back holes in the valley area above the cam. Also,
some of the first batch blocks had the locating lug milled off the rear R/H
side of the block to allow fitment of Australian market Bosch starter that had
a solenoid mounted on the side of the starter housing that would interfere if
the lug was present. There were slight external casting differences between
the two XE block batches. The later batch have bulges cast into the external
walls above the core plugs to provide additional cooling around the cylinders.
These are the so-called "pillow blocks". As near as I can tell, neither of
the XE production batches had Siamesed cylinder walls, though some people
believe they existed. I know Jon Kaase said he once had a Siamese XE block
but I wonder if it was really an SK block. Neither of my blocks were Siamese
nor were the others I've examined but Kaase said he came across an SK block
that had Siamese cylinders but paradoxically had the thinner lower end of a
standard production 351C block. Kaase considered the thicker bottom end more
important than Siamesed bores for his Engine Masters entry and purchased my
first XE block. IIRC, it had a "24C2" date code which would indicate it was
cast on 24 March, 1982. The proper convention for the date was to place the
year (first digit), followed by the month (alphabetical letter from A to Z
excluding "I"), and then the day (one or two digits). I'm told there were
anomolies with the date codes on occasion as the guys who were responsible
for the date code tags got lazy with the proper proceedure. Also, some of
the early blocks had Grade 5 3/8" bolts on the outer main bearing caps, likely
for the same reason. My current XE block has a 5M2 date code (December 2, 1975)
and a 1975 in a circle. This block does not have the bulges cast above the
core plugs. Though it was cast at the Geelong plant, the block has a "CF"
(Cleveland Foundry) mark at the rear of the block. The 351C tooling and
casting patterns from the Cleveland, Ohio factory were shipped to the Geelong
plant in Australia after production of the 351C ceased in the U.S.

Pictures of my first XE block are here:

http://www.bacomatic.org/gallery/dan-ausclv

note the straps on the caps were added later.

> Normally the NASCAR block does not fetch so much money, as is being asked
> in the auction on e-bay.

The last one I sold went for $1200 but I've seen them go for as much as $2000.
Price is highly dependent upon condition, of course.

> This is an interesting discussion. I have heard before from several sources
> that the "good" block is about 20 pounds heavier.

I thought I had the weight for my first XE block but I can't find it. I've
got another on the stand at them moment. I'll put it on the scale and see
what it says.

> I asked him if the NASCAR block can be bored more then the production
> Cleveland and he said no.

I'll see what the sonic tester says.

> I know that includes at least sleeving the lifter bores to restrict oil to
> the valve train.

The XE block has the same oiling system as a standard 351C. Some engine
builders bus the lifter bores, others do not.

> I have an Australian D2AE-CA block. When I had it bored by another machinest
> he wanted to charge me double. It was more difficult to bore and he suggested
> that in the future I might be happier with another machinest. The production
> US blocks are said to be softer and the cylinder can be bored in one pass.
> The Australian block cannot.

He must not bore late 5.0L blocks either. The iron used in the 5.0L block was
revised for better wear and is harder to bore than early 302 blocks which my
machinest says were harder to bore than 350 Chevy blocks to start with. When
I pulled my 5.0L HO out 163,000 miles it had absolutely no cylinder wall wear.
No ridge at all and the factory home marks were still present and sufficient
to break in the new rings I installed. FWIW, I don't think these blocks are
any stronger as to the maximum power levels they will sustain but they do wear
better.

Dave Williams bored my first XE block to fit a sleeve. I'll have to ask him
if he noticed it was harder to bore. Be aware there are differences in the
2 bolt Aussie blocks. I believe it is the later "black blocks" that are harder
than the earlier "blue blocks".

> I think that there is a problem with the terminology. Maybe a big problem?
> People are refering to the Australian block meaning the NASCAR block. The
> Australian version of the Cleveland is a production block like the US block.
> The NASCAR block is not a production block, it is a race block. The NASCAR
> block was also offered by Ford Motorsport as the A3 block for a short period
> in the early 80's.

Yes. There are unscrupulous vendors who try to pass of plain old Aussie 2 bolt
main bocks as the XE race blocks.

> are you sure about that, or had you just assumed that. Don't believe
> everything you read in magazines either. Some of those guys were
> running aluminum block Clevelands! they had access to all the experimental
> parts, all the parts you were never told about

True but those parts were typically reserved for match racing. I've got one
of the Ford XH1 steel forged 351C cranks that weren't supposed to exist.
However, there were racers who spun 351C's to 9500 RPM with production iron
blocks, cranks, and heads. There were also guys who ran them in NASCAR Grand
National competition but the XE blocks and forged cranks lasted longer. Mario
Rossi said they would pitch the iron cranks after a single 500 mile race but
the billet cranks could last up to 6 races.

Dan Jones