It was stated before that there were about 5 different Aussie blocks,how are they different? I have a block with a XE-192540 casting. What is it?
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I believe the XE-series blocks are in fact the siamese-bore NASCAR block, you lucky guy! You have the basis for a real powerhouse.
>It was stated before that there were about 5 different Aussie blocks, how
>are they different? I have a block with a XE-192540 casting. What is it?
It may be the good one. There was a batch of a few hundred XE-192540 blocks
that were cast specifically for racing before the Motorsport blocks were
available. The real XE-192540 blocks will weigh considerably more than a
standard Cleveland block, have thicker cylinder walls, unsculpted pan rails,
and beefier 4 bolt main caps. It's always a good idea to inspect for core
shift by having the block sonic tested.
I've been informed that there may have been black blocks (see below) 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 you block has the casting
number, 4 bolt mains (heavier 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. Supposedly, there are Siamese bore and
non-Siamese bore versions.
The Cleveland V8 was introduced to Australia firstly in 351 cubic inch form 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. As in the U.S.,
these blocks could be 2 or 4 bolt main. In 1974. Ford ceased production of
the 351C in the United States but Australia continued producing them until
1982. The early Aussie 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 had
thicker bores, though not as thick as the real XE race blocks.
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 is 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 at 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
is 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
XE blocks that did not pass core shift 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.
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 block weighed in at 170 lbs. The XE block
weighs more but I have not had it on the scale yet.
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
>are they different? I have a block with a XE-192540 casting. What is it?
It may be the good one. There was a batch of a few hundred XE-192540 blocks
that were cast specifically for racing before the Motorsport blocks were
available. The real XE-192540 blocks will weigh considerably more than a
standard Cleveland block, have thicker cylinder walls, unsculpted pan rails,
and beefier 4 bolt main caps. It's always a good idea to inspect for core
shift by having the block sonic tested.
I've been informed that there may have been black blocks (see below) 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 you block has the casting
number, 4 bolt mains (heavier 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. Supposedly, there are Siamese bore and
non-Siamese bore versions.
The Cleveland V8 was introduced to Australia firstly in 351 cubic inch form 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. As in the U.S.,
these blocks could be 2 or 4 bolt main. In 1974. Ford ceased production of
the 351C in the United States but Australia continued producing them until
1982. The early Aussie 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 had
thicker bores, though not as thick as the real XE race blocks.
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 is 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 at 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
is 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
XE blocks that did not pass core shift 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.
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 block weighed in at 170 lbs. The XE block
weighs more but I have not had it on the scale yet.
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