The stamped number on the back of the block behind the intake is 9A235145 anyone know what this means?
Yeah, 9 = 1969 or 1979, A is Atlanta assembly, 235145 is the consecutive unit number of original vehicle... In 1969 Atl was building Galaxies, Torinos & Fairlanes, dunno what they were doing in '79... Block casting will tell you whether it's a '69 or '79...
The block was cast late 68 can't remember exact cast date. It's supposed to be out of a 69 Ranchero. It looks like the numbers jive with what I was told by the seller. Also isn't there two different heads that were produced. Something about the casting having a 2V or a 4V cast on them, one being better than the other?
Atlanta built Ranchero in '69(but not '68, those came from KC)... Yes that means if you ordered a Ranchero from Los Angles, Seattle, Dearborn etc it had to be shipped cross country... The 4v heads were '68 models only... Ranchero never had the option, only Mustang/Cougar & the Mercury intermediates... Sounds like production was same as '69, full size & intermediates... I know they built some Fox T-Bird & Cougars in the early '80s, switched to Taurus when they were introduced in '86... BTW Atl was always a fullize plant from way back, I had a '64 Galaxie that was built there...Was a very late build and Norfolk had already shut down for change over to '65 models...
I'm assuming due to the C8 cast codes that the heads and block where cast late in 68 and machined and assembled in early 69
AFAIK all '68 & '69 blocks were C8... There are documented instances of blocks being cast one day, machined & assembled by the next day...