A lot of us have ribs on our late model FE blocks, service blocks, what-have-you blocks (pic of mine, below). There were a lot of rumors as to why Ford did this, but, most of the rumors were crap. A great thread about the ribs was just posted over on the FE forum and, for anyone who has ever wondered about the ribs, it's a must-read.
332-428 Ford FE Engine Forum: rib feature FE cylinder blocks (the real reason why) ......
