Could an original 1968 428CJ have a 1966 block?

[ERA427]

I have a 428FE in my ERA Cobra. I bought the car used with this engine. It has the C6... block. And it has 1968CJ heads (C8...).

The car was sold as having a 1966 428 Cobra Jet. But I later discovered that the Cobra Jet wasn't offered until 1968.

I tracked down the guy who rebuilt the engine before it was put in the car. He got it from a low mileage car that had been crashed but he couldn't recall what kind. Regardless, he said the heads were already on it and he thought it was a real cobra jet because it had the CJ heads. He added a 1966 PI intake so it is a visual clone of 1966 Shelby.

Does anyone know if a 1968 Cobra Jet motor would/could have been sold new from Ford with a 1966 block?

(I've searched everywhere I can find on the internet for this answer but nothing is conclusive).

Are there any other easy ways to tell the difference of a stock and CJ (without taking things apart)?

[patrickt]

Look on your block and first see what the casting date is. That date can be found just below the oil filter adapter on the front driver side of the block -- that might clear everything up pretty quick. Here's a link with some helpful guidance/pics on finding your casting date: Cylinder Block | Mustang 428 Cobra Jet Registry

[Dwight]

on page 82 - 83 of "High Performance Ford Engine Parts Interchange" it says

Ford warmed up the 428 with nothing more than off-the -shelf Police Interceptor and 390 GT parts to achieve the legendary Cobra Jet engine of 1968. The 428-4V Cobra Jet engine was available in two basic versions with and without ram-air ---the Cobra Jet (1969-70). Horse power ratings were the same for both. Where the two differ was in the bottom end refinements with the Super Cobra Jet. The Super Cobra Jet employed cap-screw connecting rods. forged pistons, a small counterweight on the crank forward of the timing cover, and an electronically balanced and modified crankshaft. These features improved reliability under severe conditions. Otherwise, the CJ and SCJ were virtually the same.

also in the same book on page 94 it list C6ME, C6ME-A as 1966-68 blocks. C6AE-A as 1966-67 block. C6AE-B and C6AE-F as 1966 Police Intercepter blocks.

hope this helps.
post the full casing number and maybe we can pin it down a little better.


Dwight

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by ERA427

I have a 428FE in my ERA Cobra. I bought the car used with this engine. It has the C6... block. And it has 1968CJ heads (C8...).

The car was sold as having a 1966 428 Cobra Jet. But I later discovered that the Cobra Jet wasn't offered until 1968.

I tracked down the guy who rebuilt the engine before it was put in the car. He got it from a low mileage car that had been crashed but he couldn't recall what kind. Regardless, he said the heads were already on it and he thought it was a real cobra jet because it had the CJ heads. He added a 1966 PI intake so it is a visual clone of 1966 Shelby.

Does anyone know if a 1968 Cobra Jet motor would/could have been sold new from Ford with a 1966 block?

(I've searched everywhere I can find on the internet for this answer but nothing is conclusive).

Are there any other easy ways to tell the difference of a stock and CJ (without taking things apart)?

Find the date code cast in to your block and post it here.


Bill S.

[ERA427]

The block is C6AE casting number.

I have yet to be able to find the date code.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA427

The block is C6AE casting number.

I have yet to be able to find the date code.

It's there, you just gotta look for it. And it's the only number you can really trust.

[ERA427]

thanks - will be back in touch later in the week!

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by ERA427

The block is C6AE casting number.

I have yet to be able to find the date code.

On one of the four pads on the block is a cast in date code. Once you find it, post it and we can decipher from there. Without the date code, there are no further answers to be had.


Bill S.

[patrickt]

ERA427 -- look, here's a picture of my 428 block and I've circled in yellow where to look. Now I have a remote oil filter, so I have that pretty fitting with the blue and red stainless lines coming out from where an oil filter mounting would normally be. But that's where you should look. I think Bill's message might confuse you, so just look where I've circled and you'll find it. Driver's side, front of the block... if it was a snake, it'd bite 'cha.

[ERA427]

Excellent - thank you. Will be in touch

[ERA427]

Okay so the block is... C6ME-A and the date code is... really hard to read! nuts.

The last two numbers are E2, which means May 2. but the first number looks like a 6 or an 8. Attached.

Again the guy who rebuilt the engine recalled that when he got it, it was a very low mileage engine from something that had been crashed long ago. It had the CJ heads (C8OE-6090-N) on it already.

He then added a C6AE aluminum intake.

So what would we think this engine started as?

[ERA427]

Here is another shot or two

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p681a12s3z...ng%20date2.JPG



https://www.dropbox.com/s/ltqevi2k94...ng%20date1.JPG

[patrickt]

It's hard to say. That first number could very well be a nine. But after looking at them again, I think I see the "two dots" under the first number, which means it came from the next decade. Maybe that number is a zero with two dots under it, which would make it a 1970 block.

[ted]

A C6 block makes the block non-CJ but that's likely a good thing. Cylinder wall thickness is typically better in the C6 blocks than what's found in the CJ blocks. And for title purposes, a 1966 block is easier for the office bureaucrats that can be picky about the engine dates.

[ERA427]

Ive seen other source, such as this that indicate that a C6ME-A block could be a CJ, such as here:

Cylinder Block | Mustang 428 Cobra Jet Registry

"Engineering numbers that appear frequently during the CJ era include C6ME, C6ME-A, C7ME, C7ME-A, and C8ME, but beware -- these markings do not indicate a specific block whatsoever,..."

and here: Ford FE Engine Block Casting Numbers - FORDification.com

"428-4V, Police Interceptor, Cobra Jet"

Given that the guy who rebuild the engine said it was low mileage from an old crashed car, and it had the CJ heads on it, I'm thinking that the mystery digit is an 8 and it is a CJ build. Maybe I'm being too optimistic or I'm just looking for evidence to support the outcome I want.

damn you Ford and your cryptic ways!

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA427

I'm thinking that the mystery digit is an 8

Maybe. Try squirting it with a little rust remover and scrubbing it with a toothbrush sized wire brush. Look for two dots under the the first digit. If you see those, that's a giveaway that it's a 1970 or later.