Another engine ID question

twodogs

Active member
Supporter 2021
Hi folks. I recently acquired a one-owner '74 Bronco that has a 200 cid, inline 6. The original owner passed away in 2000, and it basically sat garaged and unused since then. I bought it from his son, who hadn't done anything with it. The paint and body are in incredible shape, and the engine runs quite nice once I replaced a few things.

I'm a little stumped on the engine, however. I believe the '74 should have an engine ID tag bolted on one of the coil bolts. There isn't one, but I determined it to be a 200 i6 by the 5 freeze plugs and the 3-bolt water pump. I can only find a stamp on the engine on the passenger side, just below the exhaust manifold. It reads: C8DE 6015 B. I interpret that to mean the engine is actually a '68 and was built by the Fairmont group. I've also read that the C8 engines were cast and stamped as such, and were used for multiple years.

Would you say that the engine was replaced somewhere along the line (the owner's son doesn't think he replaced it)? Is it possible that a C8DE engine could have originally been used in a '74? The top-end components have the appropriate D3 stamp, which makes sense given that it was produced in January '74.

Thanks for your help!

Brent
 
Yes you are correct that your Bronco would of orginaly had a aluminum tag on the engine for ID of the engine, sadly in many cases these get lost or are tossed when some types of work is being done. Yes that short block could have been swapped out to another over its many years of history. Here is how to tell if it's orginal to the Bronco. The casting / design numbers C8DE-6015-B decode as when the part was first designed so C8 equals 1968. 6015 is Fords generic number for an engine block, these parts could be used for multiple years. The - B at the end means the part was improved in some way over the orginal design in this case severial times. To know what the true date of when a part was made for production use you will need to find the castings date code. This looks like a small metal tag with screw heads on each end, it will have two or three numbers and a letter on it. Best of luck (y) :nod:
 
W E L C O M E !!!
to the 1) bronk community, 2) ford i6 world 3) older vehicles, and 4) one of the many sites for each of the last 3. Many here get up to speed on these 3 with a copy of "the Handbook" and while waiting for delivery peruse the tech archive @ above big blue box w/the crossed screw driver/wrench. "Handbook":
https://www.vintageinlines.com/product- ... e-handbook

You've found some ID info, a 'casting' that shows 1st yr of manufacturing in a series. For "stampings" U will see one on the carb mounting flange, vertical edge, important in IDing it. This is really the 1st step after (some do it B4) acquiring a new to U older (or current) vehicle. 50 yrs is a long time even if U have been informed "U R 3rd owner". Not sure bout a frnt coil spring tag, never saw it in the 4 bronks I owned. (mine is made from them starting in '83).
5 freeze plugs = 200, 250. 3 H2O pump bolts mean 144, 170, 200 so I'd concur. Bronks had the 200 2 yrs '73/4. There is no "numbers matching" motor/rest of vehicle w/these early fords. "the Handbook" gets into finer points like how to cull out a 170 (again a stamp, not casting) from the herd...

For more ona bronk Todd Zucker is pretty good & I see him on the net, has written a history book. And THE premier bronk site CB (classic broncos) is at
https://classicbroncos.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42
many of "the egos" there laughed me off the site due to persistance w/my interest ina 250/4.1 'falcon' (correct: ThriftPower) swap in. This is the site for all things i6 w/international experts on the subject. The site is abt 20 yrs old. CB gas gotten better over the yrs and now has a bit of an i6 following (since the bronk's climb to top sales figures - that was last winter, they R now 22nd I believe). Nothing like here tho. Our founder developed a fantastic head (alu) and since his death 2, 3 yrs ago the fella to get ur Handbook frm has started where he left off...

Hope bub's & I got U off in the right direction ! Keep comin! Lota exerienced, friendly guys. Even have some laughs here~
(y)
 
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