head casting numbers

[shetland]

Hello everyone,
I have a 65 200 mustang that I would love to whip on those little imported tuners with. It looks like I have found the right place. First need to know what I have.
My car is in great shape considering that it sat for about 6 years before I bought it in Calif. and drove it home 450 mi to Phoenix AZ. Got 27mpg by the way. It saw very little use for the next 3 yrs as I was fixing it up (budget permitting) but it always started right up and ran great.
when I got it back on the road it started to make some lifter noise, intermitent at first then all the time. When I pulled the valve cover off I was suprised to find that it had adjustable rockers. The casting number on the head is C5DE and it is hard to tell if it is 6090, or 6030-A. I know that the engine was rebuilt at some point. Is this the original head or what? The date code seems right but the adjustable rockers make me wonder. Any info would be apperciated

 

[addo]

It's probably the original head. Certainly the year of casting suggests it.

Not sure on the adjustable rockers - someone else may have a better idea of what was standard then in the US. As the joke goes, "Never say never with FoMoCo parts..." They're a good thing to have, for sure.

Here's your welcome slip in triplicate. Please sign firmly with a ballpoint pen on the top copy. The green one is for your personal records, the yellow one gets forwarded to the local Sheriff and you have to mail the white copy back to FordSix to complete your registration.

Regards,

Adam.

 

[falcon kyle]

Adjustable rockers suggest that the head has been ground on or block decked. Standard rockers will not work in this case. Ajustables will allow for the machining.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Shetland:

And welcome to The Forum. Your adjustable rockers could well be stock and original. As you know the Mustangs 1st appeared in 1964 1/2 and with a 170 six. Adjustable rockers were standard on pre-65 solid lifter engines. When FoMoCo switched over to hydraulic lifters they had left over adjustible rockers so they installed them until they were gone. '65 200s with adjustible rockers are not uncommon. FoMoCo infamous empty bin policy.

With 40 year old engines upgrades and parts interchanges are also a likelyhood. Machining the head and/or block does not necessitate going to adjustible rockers as the hydralic lifters can take up a considerable bit of tolerance. Normal cam and bearing wear can be tightened up by the machining process making non-adjustible rockers fit better.

1st verify that you are getting oil to the very front rocker. To do that- remove the valve cover and start the engine. You should see oil oozing out of the rockers from the back to the front in a matter of seconds. If it takes more then a minute for oil to get to the front rocker you have a plugged or restricted passage. You will need to remove the rocker shaft, disassemble and thoroughly clean all the parts, inside and out. Oil sitting for a long time has a tendency to harden into gunk. The oil inside the shaft does not drain back well so it can become a problem with engines in your situation.

Once you've verified that you have flow or cleaned the rocker system, reassemble and reinstall the rockers. Be sure to number and reinstall each rocker at the same location- this will simplify adjusting. If the rocker shaft shows wear, install it with the bottom side up, for new wear surfaces. Make any rocker adjustments with the engine warmed up. Tighten each rocker until the pushrod will no longer spin between your thumb and fingers. Hydraulic lifters bleed down fairly quickly so don't keep tightening. You may need to start the engine every few minuts to build pressure up again. There should be no play plus a 1/4 turn.

You could have stickie lifter(s) too for the same reasons as above. Before replacing, it is worth it to try one of the high detergent oil additives on the market to try to degunk and free the lifters internal movements.

There's a ton of info here. Read deeply. Enjoy the journey.

Adios, David

 

[Anonymous]

shetland,
welcome to a very fast growing crowd of FoMoCo 6 cylinder enthusiasts.
Mya dvice is real simple.
Click on the logo at the top of the page.
"Ford Six Performance Get Inline"
This will display still yet another logo.
Click on it.
On the left you will see a section labeled "Ford Six Shop"
Yep, click on it.
Now you are close to the end.
There is a description of a book.
The Ford Falcon Six Cylinder Performance Handbook.
Order it!
You will not regret it.
It answers so very many questions, some of which you weren't even aware of yet.
I have taken one and put it into a three ring notebook.
That notebook is now about 2" thick with additional information built around this handbook.
One of the better values on the web today in my humble opinion.
Oh, check out posts by CZLN6 and compare some of his signatures with the authors name of the performance handbook!
The logic "until the bin/barrel is empty" philosophy is true.
My uncle was production control manager at the Hazelwood plant around the mid 60's timeframe.
DaveP

 

[shetland]

Thank you all for your advice. Right after I posted my questions a checked my mail and found my Ford six cylider performance handbook. I started reading right away and questions began to be answered. GREAT BOOK!!! Thanks for the advice on cleaning the rockers. I'll give that a shot first. I'd Rather not pull the Head till I'm ready to change to a modified D8.
Thanks again
Dale

 

[shetland]

David,
Thank you so much for your advice. After a few hours of cleaning and drilling out the oil passages in the rocker arms I re-installed the assembley and this motor has never run so quiet. Best of all the only cost was a valve cover gasket. THANKS AGAIN
Dale