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Reply to "engine number on ID tag"

What's the chassis number?

A car built in October 1972 is actually a 1973 model. Model years started approximately 6 months early, so the new models would hit US showrooms in September, just like US cars. I would expect your car to have a chassis number in the 4300 to 4500 range. The first 1973 model had a chassis number in the 3800 range, and the first "L" was chassis 4269.

Recognizing there's always the exception to the rule, the "L"s were equipped with 1973 Q code motors, identical to the motors in the 1973 Mustangs, Cougars, Torinos, Montegos. Yes, if its the original motor it should have 4 bolt mains, dished cast pistons, an oil pan with a built-in windage tray, exhaust gas recirculation, a 750 cfm Motorcraft spread bore carburetor (4300D), a Cobra Jet camshaft indexed 4 degrees retarded from 1970-1971 specs, and the worst version of the 351C-4V head having large 2V sized combustion chambers (78.4cc) and 2V sized valves. The casting number of the head is D3ZE.

Unfortunately beginning about May 1971 all Cleveland blocks had a casting number of D2AE-CA; both the Q Code/Cobra Jet (4V) motors with 4 bolt mains and the H Code/2 Barrel (2V) motors with 2 bolt mains, so the casting number doesn't help. Even the blocks cast in Australia through 1982 used that same D2AE-CA casting number.
Last edited by George P
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