FE Block Plate

[emorrison96]

Hey guys - I've got my mock engine together for my 65 Mustang project and am now transferring it off the engine stand and onto some motofeet in order to mock up the bellhousing and transmission.  I was able to find a block plate on Ebay and there were no part numbers on it; only the FoMoCo stamp.  It has the 3 holes for the oil galley plugs.  I believe this is the correct one for a 1965 but if not, please let me know as I'm going for period correctness here even though this engine was not available from the factory in this car.  In cleaning the plate up and blasting it it appears that there are some remnants of an adhesive rubber strip at the bottom on the side that faces the block.  In all of my research trying to find out what this is the only thing I've found is that there may have been some sort of seal on the transmission side of the plate for the inspection/flywheel cover.  Can anyone verify if there were actual seals on this thing, which side they were on or both, and what they were made of/where to get them?

[thatdarncat]

Yes there was some kind of foam seal that was attached with adhesive to the lower edge of the block plate so it would seal to the removable cover plate. Like you I've never seen more then the remnants of a bit of foam and adhesive left. Heat and oil deteriorated them pretty quickly. I can't tell you exactly what kind of foam it was, maybe someone here has researched it. I think you could find something that functions in the weatherstrip section of a good hardware store, just maybe not exactly as it left Ford. There were multiple versions of the block plate made over the years as Ford made running changes to the design. Some have the 3 holes for the little plugs , some had a large hole where the cam plug is. As far as I know they all function the same for locating the starter and will look the same once assembled. You just need to watch for stuff like a plate without holes hitting oil galley plugs on hydraulic lifter blocks where the plugs stick out. The block plates have been discussed on the other forum, I don't think a definitive timeline list of changes and photos was ever arrived at. Sometimes the plates have a date code stamped in them, but it is like the code stamped on other sheet metal parts of the car - month/date/shift - and doesn't have the year. 

[ScotiaFE]

I don't really think there is a 65 block plate. Just lots of different ones.
You can find them with the cam plug hole cut out also.
This one has 4 holes drilled in it.
I like the ones with the cover over the cam plug. Just in case it might come out the block plate
will stop that.
There was a seal strip along the lower lip of the B plate where the inspection cover mated up.
I believe at first it was a felt type material that was glued on. Then latter on a rubber foam type material.
I think is was for noise suppuration and I guess you could find one if you looked hard enough.
I doubt you will lose points if you make something up.



 

 

[emorrison96]

Thanks guys - those posts contained the information I was looking for.  I'll scour the aisles of Home Depot for something that will work.  Here's a few shots of my progress so far.  A couple of the stacks have a different sheen than the rest.  I'll address that at some point - maybe have them chromed when I have the inspection cover chromed.

[ScotiaFE]

Nice!

[thatdarncat]

Sweet!

[Nightmist66]

Very nice!