I am trying to figure out a little more about how to ID my new 1932 Pontiac project. Can anyone tell me if the numbers cast into the engine should necessarily correlate to the numbers on the frame or cowl tags? I am 99% sure the car is all original, but the engine # does not appear on the cowl or frame - just on the pink slip. Thanks!
Numbers that are cast into an engine will not have anything to do with numbers stamped anywhere...but numbers stamped on an engine might be related to numbers stamped on other parts of the car. Well, they would be, if it were a different car. GM wasn't too good about using the same numbers on the engine, body, and frame back then. Chrysler corp and a few others were more likely to do that. If you are planning to replace the engine, then you probably want to talk to DMV before you do anything to the car, so you can get a new title that includes other numbers, or something. If you get rid of the original engine, then you have no ownership documentation that the car is yours.
Thank you for the helpful information. Luckily, the project came with the original engine and those numbers are referenced on the title/pink slip.
As Jim said cast numbers only mean that you have a certain block cast in a certain year. They no way relate to the " serial number of the car nor the alleged Vin. Cars didn't get actual specific vins overall until the early 70's when the feds mandated it. Before that the engine had it's stamped serial number that on inline GM engines is usually on a pad close to the distributor. They also had a separate body number that may not have any relation to the engine number except that when you trace both they end up being for the same year and sometimes model of vehicle. On Chevy AD trucks like My Avator there is no correlation between engine serial number and body serial number except that normally you can trace the prefixes for both to the same year and model of truck. Ford stamped an engine on the engine/trans and usually but not always the same number was stamped on the frame rail by hand when the engine/trans assembly was installed in the frame. Numbers matching on that pontiac should mean that Yes the serial number stamped on the block is correct for that model of Pontiac and yes the body serial number is correct for that model of Pontiac. It's not like mid 60's Corvettes where numbers matching means that every detail exactly matches the data plate and possibly the assembly sheets At this time the GM heritage center doesn't list Pontiacs but you might contact them to see if they might have any info https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/ That said, this being traditional hot rod and custom car board 75% of us could give a rip about an original engine as it is normally something that we only decide if we are going to sell for scrap or haul to a swap meet.
Howdy! I think I was trying to figure out if any (or part) of the numbers on the body tag should match the number sequence(s) somewhere on the frame? Thanks for the helpful info!
Wait! Back up the truck.........you have a 32 Pontiac???? Most came with a flathead 6 but some came with the Oakland flathead V/8 acquired when GM bought the Oakland car company in 1931. Is your car a V/8 car? Those are so cool! I had a chance to buy a 32 Pontiac 4 door with the v/8 and I actually had the money but snoozed and lost. What body style is your car? Aside from the massive amount of wood used in the bodies, they're great cars.
Here she is! I hung the front sheet metal on just so I could see what it looked like, before the tear-down. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know of a source for SB Chevy motor mounts for this car, or am I on my own, as usual. LOL
That's a beaut! Those are pretty cars. As a true Pontiac guy, I used a 370 [1957 Pontiac 347, punched to 370 cu in] in my 34 ford coupe with a Muncie 4 speed. Easy to mount with an old Hurst front mount with Speedway frame brackets. Speedway also sells a universal tubular motor mount crossmember to work with Chevy or Ford side mounts. Welds to the frame rails.
Does anyone know of some obscure source for chassis components, for example, engine cross member for V8 (389), frame boxing plates or X-member, etc? I have Google'd myself silly and can't come up with anything. I figure I will need to fabricate most everything myself.
Probably not much aftermarket support for old Pontiacs. You'll have to make your own boxing plates and may be able to use some "universal" engine mount crossmembers with modification. Maybe you'll get lucky and find an old Hurst 389 mount at a swap meet. Good luck, it's a cool car. I've got some pictures of one somewhere on my phone.
Looks like a '31 with the Sprint 6... Very cool. Thanks for sharing the pics! It's tough to find very many examples of these that have been hot rodded. But, that's what drew me to it in the first place ;-)