Putting a new valve cover gasket on today. Cleaned up the cover and just thought this was a faded warn out sticker. Now I see it isn't. It have numbers stamped in it. Can any one tell me what the sticker is for and how to cipher the numbers? Thanks
i am guessing not, it only has 50,000 miles on it but again not 100% Not sure it if means OEM, but the valve springs are still "orange"...
Paint marks generally indicate OEM... What's usually on a Ford engine is a tag/sticker that ID's cu.in., change level(production mods), also should have tune up(timing)/emission info... Always figured there has to be a rotation number on engine, which is position of vehicle on assembly line but never seen anything... Rotation number was daily build count, a four digit number that was seldom more than seven to eight hundred something(0700-0800)... I have seen rotation numbers over 2000 but I suspect that's a weekly total... There will be a partial VIN stamped on block to ID the engine to vehicle, but that didn't come into use till 1968... Plus it's very small, not easy to read on a moving assembly line... Still had to be a way to be sure vehicle was getting correct engine & transmission installed... More than you ever wanted to know but I recently had console of my Cobra Jet, has 294 in grease marker inside... That's rotation number of vehicle on build sheet... I'd had it out probably for or five times prior, never noticed the number...
I have seen a metal tag on top of the motor (coil bolt holds it on) that has numbers stamped in it on early cars. On later cars it was a sticker on the valve cover. Those numbers matched the numbers under ENGINE on the build sheet. The sticker on the valve cover looks somewhat like this sticker on the leaf spring, which also matches the build sheet.
That's correct, guess I was a little too occupied with rotation number... I believe the paper stickers were introduced for engines in 1974... Usually the metal tags are missing(as was my Comet) but here's a pair of 289 tags that came from same engine... Engine is a '68 that has tag on front, the one with red is a '67 and was on 4-bbl intake that had been swapped... There was never a '68 4bbl 289... Interesting tidbits, the C between 289 & 67 is for Cleveland plant, the E on 68 tag is for Windsor... The 14 & 16 are change level, usually minor differences but can indicate something like switching from stud to bolt down rockers(that change never happened on 289)... 7A & C2 are dates, Jan '67 for 7A & I believe the C2 is March 2nd, we already know it's a '68 engine & block was cast in march '68... Last numbers are what's on build sheet... Different for 4bbl vs 2bbl, auto vs stick etc...
