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Original Message
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| A 105 block is just a later casting. |
| By Dave Shoe - 03/24/2003 6:08:59 PM; IP 12.104.160.195 |
The rumor that 105 blocks have thicker cylinders is wrong. The 105 was simply the symbol the Michigan Casting Center (MCC) used whenever it cast an FE or FT block. MCC first came on line in 1971 casting steel ingots for Ford's steel plant and started casting iron parts about a year later.
Most all 105 blocks did get the extra cranksaddle webbing, but only a minority of them came with thicker "FT" style cylinders.
Note that most, but not all, 361 and 391 FT engines got thicker cylinders than the 360 and 390 pickup motor. Some 360/390 blocks got thicker cylinders, but they are really not all that common.
You can tell which type of block you've got by popping out all six core plugs and using the shank of a 15/64" drill bit. Reaching into all six holes and probing all reachable areas in the block, if the drill bit fails to slip between the cylinders in at least one spot on the block, then it's likely a thick cylinder block. If it does slip through in at least one spot, then it's likely a standard cylinder block.
There is some random variation which will sometimes make the drill bit test give improper results, but it's pretty darned good for the cost of a drill bit. Actually, carrying 14/64", 15/64", and 16/64" drill bits (I only speak in 64ths to avoid translation mistakes) to a salvageyard or swap meet will help give you a better idea what you are dealing with.
Note also that you can sometimes get away with testing inside just one core plug hole, but it's important to realize that the chance for errors increases if all holes are not completely checked.
Also note that this test does NOT check for core shift, so it's possible the jackets and cylinder cores were improperly aligned, making thin spots along a cylinder wall. A sonic map will be needed to sort out exactly what you've got. The drill bit test is simply a cheap pre-screen to help put the odds in the buyer's favor.
The baffle is needed on all FEs that have an active exhaust gas crossover between the heads, as oil can burn to the bottom of the intake, either degrading the oil faster than normal or else creating charcol bricks in the galley.
Note also that Ford no longer made the FE and FT engine from 1973. Production was moved to Clifford Manufacturing, in Clifford, MI, and Clifford determined who would cast the parts. It appears MCC was the main foundry.
It also appears that DIF remained involved with casting industrial FE goodies after truck engine production moved to Clifford. Kinda a strange twist, but I'm still learning these odd details.
JMO,
Shoe. |
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