My '51 Hornet has either a '55 or '56 block. the casting reads: 532500 CWC 2.
It looks like I'm a little short of digits and there is no apparent damage to the block.
Anyone have an idea whats going on? '56 are supposed to have hydraulic lifters, so how can I tell what I have short of removing them for inspection?
Dean Prodromos Folsom CA (yeah, where the prison is)
There is another set of numbers above what you listed. It will be between CWC 2 and the distributor. It will start with a letter, followed by two or three numbers. That is the date code for when the block was cast.
My secret decoder ring says that the block casting 532500 was 1955 to end of production. So your block *should* have hydraulic lifters. Another indicator is the size of the head studs--Blocks up through 1954 (I think ) had 7/16" studs, but later blocks had 1/2" studs. Hydraulic lifters are noticeably quieter than solid lifters, particularly at idle. That said, 67 years is a long time for things to have been done to your engine, so if you don't [u]know[/u] the history of your engine, I'd take off the valve side covers and check. If they are solid lifters, adjust the clearances, and if they are hydraulic, then reset them too while you're in there (per workshop manual).
I was looking for that additional information adjacent to the casting number , but I don't see any,
PS: The block has 1/2" head studs and cap screws (a mix) and a 262 head, which I read somewhere is the correct configuration.
Dean Prodromos
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