Diamond Motor

If you pull the oil pan, there are numbers cast into the block, I can't remember if it an obvious date stamp or coded. I was unaware of this when I had my pan off. Others will be able to advise better than myself.
 
You don't need to pull the pan, the date is cast into the block near the front and above the pan rail an inch or two, towards the front of the block. Sometimes it is easy to figure the date, but not always.
 
Nothing on the outside of mine but the diamond, is there a way to tell from the inside?that's what my memory tells me others have said, I could be mistaken.
 
That's the area I am looking at mine, nothing there and no grinder marks. Vinces site says 'typically' in this location. Have others found it somewhere else?
 
I took pics of my block, at the area the date casting should be, but they will not load as an attachment. I sanded off the paint, there is no cast numbers, and they aren't faint, there is a long vertical casting flaw from the closest valve cover bolt to the closest oil pan bolt. It has not been welded or ground off. Is the any other way to tell the year? It is an A block with the diamond in the correct location.
 
Sometimes these date codes are not all that easy to read. The example on Fordgarage show a nice raised casting. Check out the pics of my diamond block. The date code is slightly recessed and even on a clean, unpainted, block appears invisible without further work to bring it out. The best I can read on mine is a 5 and possibly a 7 for the last digit but the month letter (first digit) is completely illegible. For reference I circled a nipple (for lack of a better word) shaped rust spot on the block.
 

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Malak,

Thanks for the pics, if there is anything on mine, it is way less than even what you show. Sanded a very thin coat of paint to the bare block, nothing. No biggy as it is not original to the truck, when I fianlly get around to restoring i'll be janking it out anyway. Not a bad runner, but it will wind up in the corner of the shop like the ******* engine it is ;).... Would like to see a few pics of the coupe/truck one of the more interesting (period) conversions i have seen.
 
Your welcome Steve. I'll post some pics of my coup/pu when I get it running again (hopefully in a couple months). And your right it's definitely a period conversion with several interesting "Farmer" conversions done to it. No plans on changing it. Just drive it the way it is.
 
Just checked three "A" diamond blocks motor I have in my shop. All have a date codes just behind where the oil return line bolts to the block (one is dated L18 6 which I would guess is Dec. 18th 1936). The two "B" diamond blocks I have in two of my Model A's have the same size raised dated area right by where the fuel pump mounts. The motor shown in my avitar with the Miller O/H is dated 3-35.
 
My diamond engine has a date stamp "L 31". I'll post a photo below. If I'm interpreting the Ford Garage website info correctly, that code means it was fabricated December 3, 1931, which must be one of the earlier diamond engines. That is inconsistent with the assertion that early diamond blocks had no date codes. Malak's block date stamp looks like "L 51" to me.
 

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I just acquired a diamond engine from a gleaner combine and it has a vin number where the model a engines were stamped. I checked it by googeling 1932-1944 ford engine vin numbers. That took me t Fordbarn where there is a long list of engine numbers. My engine number is shown as a 1937 and noted as a gleaner combine engine dated b227, Feb 22,1937.
 
There are many diamond block engines found in the past here on the west coast; if they have a engine number RF**** it was built at Richmond Ford, or LB**** it was built at Long Beach Ford. The diamond indicates hard seats for the exhaust valves. These were new Blocks. The engines when built had a new C camshaft with the journal for driving a fuel pump, and copper coated between the valve lifts, a "A" crankshaft. These engines were sold by Ford as a replacement engine. I do not recall seeing a date stamp on the outside of these blocks ?

Ron
 
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