Hi, I just picked up a 1978 and trying to decode the vin. Can anyone help? Vin: 8H48H161443 Color: 1C DSO: 42 Body: 97R Trim: MS Axle: 1 Trans: W Thanks
Its either a 351M or a 351W engine but Im willing to bet its a 351W with the W code trans. Most of the 351M's came with the C6 trans which is code U.
If you get ahold of the shop manuals for your year car they have all the codes listed in the beging. The engine and trans codes I know off the top of my head for the most part. All the others I am guessing on.
Here's what I came up with Color 1C= Black DSO 42= Cleveland Body 97R= GT Trim MS= unable to find Axle 1= 2.50 Trans W= C4 Plant code H= Lorain engine code H= 351-2V On the trim code I'll continue to keep looking.Ford had a great idea starting in 1978 and that was to only list trim codes in the Body volume of the shop manuals.Which I can't find for that year.I'll post the answer if I can dig it up,it's around here somewhere.
Anything in the Ford 335 series of engines will have 8 bolts per valve cover. The 335 series includes the 351 Cleveland,351M, and the 400. The 351M replaced the 351 Cleveland starting in the 1975 model year. The 351M is a destroked 400, it uses the same block and heads as the 400. The 351 Cleveland has a lower deck height than the 351M/400 and uses a narrower intake manifold than the 351M/400. All heads from a 335 series engine will fit on any other 335 series engine. You might have trouble using the 4V heads from the 351C on the 351M/400 engine since Ford did not mass produce 4V intakes for the 351M/400, however you can use 351C 4V intake with spacers on a 351M/400 in order to use the 4 V heads on them. A 351 Windsor has 6 bolts per valve cover and shares some parts with the 302/289 which also have 6 bolts on each valve covers. A 351C head can be modified to work on a 351 Windsor block, These are known as "351 Clevors".
