block numbers question

[Dav]

pulled the starter for the sole reason of figuring out what this motor came from. and put it right back in.
there is a tab of steel sticking out that has '78' in numbers about 3/4 inches high.
where all the id sites say the numbers should be are the following, in numbers about 5/16 inches high;

D8VE 6015 A3A
8D1 3

the D8 means 1978
the V does not match any vehicle
E means engine and so does 6015
i think A3A could be ABA in which case the motor is in it's 53rd style. if that's not a B but instead a 3, i haven't a clue what it means.
the 8D1 3 also do not come up in any of the ford id sites i have looked in
so can anyone with the right books or just lots of knowledge tell me what this came out of?
it is hooked to a C-6. since most of the work on this truck is aggie engineering, i have a gut feeling that the trannie is original to the motor. someone used what he had

 

[RonD]

D8VE is casting mold number
yes D8 is 1978, but this could be found in a 1981 vehicle if Casting was never changed, but wouldn't be found in a 1977 vehicle(unless engine was swapped, lol.)
Casting number is not the year it was made, just the year it was designed

V = Lincoln(1961-1981)

E = Engine group

Yes, 6015 is generic part number for any Ford engine

A3A/ABA is the revision number, small changes made but not enough change to change casting number, AAA could be no revisions, so ABA could mean just 1 revision

8D1 3 is the date it was manufactured
8 = 58/68/78/88/98, in this case 1978 because of casting number
D = April, i.e. Jan=A, Feb=B, March=C, ect.............
13 = 13th

So engine was made April 13th, 1978 for Lincoln division

 

[Dav]

thanks Ron
since lincoln is not noted for high performance engines, i am going to run with flat tappets and see what the u-pick has for distributors

 

[RonD]

You ever try to PUSH a Lincoln?

Any engine in a Lincoln of that era would be high performance by default

 

[adsm08]

You ever try to PUSH a Lincoln?

I tried to push a boat across a parking lot once. Is that at all similar?

 

[RonD]

As long as the boat was NOT on a trailer then it would be similar

 

[Dav]

strangely enough, i pushed my 58 T-bird convertible on more than one occaision, too many occaisions. it was easier to push than any other vehicle i have owned-except for my bug-eye Sprite. (oh how much i wish i'd kept that bird!)
this leads to the reason for the post; to figure out if i need a dizz with a machined gear or a cast gear. i have a parts motor. if i pull the intake will the tappets be exposed? if so, i could pull a pushrod and measure it against one from the 'good' motor-6 7/8 inches long-, then pop out the tappet and know if it's roller or flat.
yesterday measuring that pushrod was the farthest i've been into a fomoco since 1986.

 

[adsm08]

Yes trailer, no axle.

 

[Dav]

the push rod

from the 'lincoln' motor is 6 7/8 long.
the parts motor has a 6 1/4 inch long rod and roller tappets.
so now i need to confirm what dist i have. progress, albeit slow progress