[Mark Schwing]

Engines were stamped with the engine number the day they were assembled. They might go directly to the vehicle assembly line at Dearborn or they might be shipped to one of the many other Ford assembly plants. When the engine was mated to a chassis, the frame was stamped with the engine number. Over the decades since engines were often replaced the two numbers no longer match. In most cases the number on the frame should be the serial number for title purposes. A rule of thumb is that engines went into a chassis within about three months or less of the engine manufacture.