Bob
I'm glad you found the source of the Alphi format. I thought it
might have been from Norm Miller but I was not sure and I did not want to
automatically put his name on the decode format without checking first.
I don't think I have upset the logic with my engine build date of
1/16/65. I still think F21KA relates to the purchase order date. Here is
my logic; F21KA = 12/21/64, this is the Christmas and New Year Holiday time
frame, there is a good chance the Industrial Division was short handed or
shut down for the Holidays. The order was for well over 1000 engines; I
have no idea how quickly Ford could gather the parts and then assemble the
engines but I don't think they could do it in just one day; remember this is
a large special order of 260 cu.In. engines at a time when Ford was
assembling the 289 engines. The F21KA series of engines shows up on the
Rootes build list in March 1965 so Ford had several weeks to assemble the
engines, fill the order, crate them and get them on a ship. There is also
a possibility that this series of engines was split and placed on 2 ships,
only the ship manifest logs or Ford's shipping logs will reveal this secret.
We would need everyone on the list who has a F21KA Rootes engine
number to check the Ford build date stamped on the block to verify the time
frame for this engine build.
There is a Ford casting date for the block which is cast into the block;
located above the starter.
There is a Ford build date that is stamped into the block; located in front
of the left head.
At this time I can only guess and speculate about the logic employed by Ford
and Rootes in 1964 without more detailed information. Guessing can be fun,
it generates food for thought.
Ron Fraser :)
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Palmer [mailto:rpalmer@ucsd.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2004 1:23 AM
To: 'Ron Fraser'
Cc: 'Tiger List'
Subject: RE: Engine Date Code
Ron,
Thanks to you for the info, and to Dick Barker for pointing me to a very
interesting and informative article titled "Alphabet Soup - What's it All
About Alphi?" by Norm Miller that he wrote for his erstwhile Tiger Press.
Through persistence and a liberal dose of good luck, Norm was able to get in
touch with an old Ford Industrial Division employee, one Hector Serrano, who
explained to him, among other interesting facts, what the suffice means,
which is the assembly date of the engine, and how to decipher it. The
numbers 0-12 correspond to the letters, M,G,B,L,A,C,K,H,T,R,S,E,F,
respectively. Hence, as Ron says, F21KA signifies an engine assembly date of
Dec. 21, 1964.
According to Norm, these numbers are indeed Ford originated numbers, not
Rootes numbers, but in a special arcane format used by the Industrial
Division. However Ron, you upset the logic of the story by saying your
engine has a build date of 1/16/65, but a Rootes engine code build date of
12/21/64. Now, I would speculate that there are really two 'build' or
'assembly' dates - that for the bare engine, and another for the final
assembly with accessories, as ordered by Rootes or whomever. But if this
were the case, the dates seem to be reversed. I don't suppose there is any
chance that your engine isn't original? Naw, I didn't think so. So maybe
there are still a few things for our inquiring minds yet to be revealed.
Bob
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