1/2 " bolt holes in block

[mammyjammer]

I have not posted a dumb question in a while so here goes....

What are the 1/2' bolt holes just above the oil pan on the passenger side of the block for?

[fe66comet]

I believe those are indexing holes for alignment when they machined the block at the factory.

[mammyjammer]

That explains why I have never seen anything bolted to them! Thanks

[65er]

Mine had a clip bolted to one of those holes and the clip held a transmission cooler line. Of course that line is history now...

[fe66comet]

Even my ford tractors and flat heads have those pockets cast in so it must have been one of Henry's assembly line brainstorms.

[TomP]

Pretty sure the cooler lines didn't need bolts that size, they were for another reason. Somewhere i'd seen a picture of a huge C shaped apparatus that carried the engines through the plant.

[fe66comet]

Yup that is how they assembled everything after the model t, the assembly was moved, drilled, handled and assembled by those holes to save setup time an each casting. The tractors were done in the same manner the bosses can be seen on all N series up. The Fordson tractors started showing index holes midway through the Fordson F model in 1920 or so.


Model A index hole



Flathead V8



9N tractor index hole









Ford 4 cylinder 53 jubilee.





Ford three cylinder tractor.