TECH: Chevy Engine Numbers

I have bought a 350 that was transplanted into the truck I got it from. I can not find the last letters that are stamped on the front pad. Could you please help me with them. V0210SAF I know the "V0210" I can't find the SAF, I believe it's a corvette. The heads & intake were changed to 193's when installed into the truck.

Thanks, Pat

 

Ignore the part about it being from a Corvette, that's just normal salesman bullshit.

But if you could post a picture of the stamped number, and the stamped partial VIN if it has one, that would be a big help identifying it.

 

Any chance it is SAP? SAP comes back as a 1993 350/275 horse tuned port injection engine. Does it have the oil cooler adapter above the filter?

 

That's what I told them, they all came from a vette. lol I'll get a picture posted tomorrow.

Thanks, Pat

 

I'll check closer tomorrow, if it's a "P" and not a "F".

I bought it from my next door neighbor. The oldest brother said that he watched them pull it out of a wrecked Vette, and then changed the heads & intake, before putting it into his Mom's wagon. The engine was a transplant into a full size '93 chevy wagon. A boat of a car. It was Mom's car, but the boy's wrecked it many times over. After wrecking all of theirs first. They each go through (destroy) a car every 6 months for the past 11 years I have lived here. Five son's, three and a half came without brains! One scraped his S-10 to get money to make a payment on it! Figure that one out!

Yes it did have a adaptor, and the oil pan has a fitting on the drivers side also. But I didn't get to see where that ran to, he just brought me the engine. The filter was off, because when he ran the car off the road into a field, something went through the oil filter, then he drove it a block or so, then it started to make noise.

Thanks, Pat

 

It is definitely a "F" and not a "P"

Thanks, Pat

 

with no partial VIN on it, perhaps it's a GM crate motor. Those suffix codes don't show up in the lists for engines that were installed in cars.

But it's not a Mexican engine, else it would start with M instead of V

 

It's just a 350 with switched heads, that doesn't know where it came from!

Thanks, Pat

 

Hi! I'm new here. Could anyone help me with engine suffix code DTW? It's cast 460777. So I know it's 305. From suffix and partia vin I can tell it's from Tonawanda engine assembled in Atlanta in something. I can't find suffix DTW or witch cars were made in Doraville 1979.

 

What specifically do you want to know about the engine? It's a 1979 305, it either came with a 2 or 4bbl carb. If it has the original intake, that will tell you what it is, essentially.

 

Is it lg3 or lg4. And if there was any additional information from DTW. By looking at it, seems extremely low compression. Also 1.94 intake valves. Propably chanced. No original intake.

 

1.84" intake valves we're the max in 305s....

 

I made it home, where my books are....shows DTW as Malibu or Monte Carlo, with the 4bb carb, 160 hp

 

Thank you, very much squirrel! I have owned this engine from 1990. Tried to find information ever since.

 

Could use some help if possible.
I got a Chevy 350 with block code 3970010 and date code A172 so I know its high nickel and made in early 1972.
Front pad only has these digits, 18CKW. I looked up CKW and it shows 4 speed, Corvette, 200 HP.
Is there any way to know if the pistons are dished or flattop from the numbers or do I need to pull a plug and go in with a borescope?
Thanks!

 

sure, pull off a head and look.

But you could also look at the date codes and casting numbers on the heads, and see if they are original...and if you want to assume the pistons are original, then the casting number should give you the CC of the heads, and you can do a little math to figure out how to get 8.5:1 compression with a steel shim head gasket, and those heads. Does it require a dished piston, or a flat top? My guess is that it would be a dished piston.

btw "high nickel" isn't a thing that is related to the casting numbers on those blocks, it's more of an urban legend.

 

Cast iron crank and 2-bolts mains....
..... Maybe....

 

I would not be surprised to find 4 bolt mains in that engine...my experience is that trucks and vettes got 4 bolts even in lower performance 4bbl 350s in the 70s.

 

Thanks Jim. I am sure it is original. I haven't pulled the valve cover yet but they have accessory holes and embossed "symbol" at the front is a leaning triangle sort of like this... _/l_
Ill just get a scope or pull the head like you say. Appreciate the info.

 

Scored this motor out of a '67 or '68 Chevy "hippy" van while working at a scrap yard a few yrs ago.
Casting #3789935= late '61 car or Vette 283?
Casting date #j311 = Oct. 31 '61?
Stamping on front pad #F1128C = Flint Nov. 28th manual trans?
Is this correct? How can I tell if it came out of grandmas 4 door grocery getter or out of (heaven forbid!) a real life Corvette? More interested in HP rating than anything though the history would be nice... Ty for any info

 

C in 1962 is a full size car 283 2bbl engine, it's not from a vette, for a few reasons--62 vettes all got 327s, and none of them got 2bbls, 62 vette engines had two letter codes starting with R or S

 

Thanks squirrel. This is one of the most useful threads on this site.

 

Thank u very much! Keep up the good work!

 

An update for this post: I pulled the valve cover and found that the casting number is 3973487X and code A1 32.
Here is what I found out from the chevytalk.com/tech/engine/SBC_heads.html site.

""487" - 3973487 OR 3973487X. The regular casting was found on the 1971-1972 350 LT-1 engines, had 1.94/1.50" valves, 76 cc combustion chambers, Do have accessory holes, intake port volume should be 161ccs, exhaust port volume should be 65ccs. The 487X had 2.02/1.60" valves."

So I have the big valve heads! I will be borrowing a bore scope to check out the pistons so see if they are dished or not. Then I should have the complete picture. I do know from the guy I got it from that it is an original vette motor.

 

Have a 327/350 hp engine sitting here. Casting date is Sept. 15, 1965. With a Sept. date, would this be correct for a '65 car or a '66? I'm thinking the application would be '66...not sure? Thanks!

Note: Heads are dated late Aug. '65 also.
My dilemma is, do I need the 461 or the 490 alum. intake to be correct for this motor?

 

is it going in a restoration? or is it a hot rod?

Is there a partial VIN stamped on the block?

 

Block has been decked. Not sure of use, but would like to make it all correct. I guess it still could have gone into a '65, but I'm not sure if a motor cast in Sept. and built in probably Oct., would have made it into a '65? The #461 is 64-65 and the #490 is '66-67.

Note: I would consider the eng. a '65-66, but the intake apps. are as you see...hence my dilemma.

 

I don't know, it's likely it would be a 66 engine, but it's also likely that anyone who finds out when the block was cast, might not care too much about it.

It's kind of moot with the numbers gone off the front, anyways, eh?

 

1966 Chevrolets went on public sale in September '65. The Sep '65 casting date alone wud tell me it's a 1966 engine. Production of '66 vehicles began in mid-summer '65 and I wud think that any '65 engines that may have made it into a '66 vehicle wud have been cast way before Sep '65. That analysis may not stand up in a court of law, but logically speaking, I think it holds water.

 

While we are decoding numbers, near as I can tell, the numbers stamped on the front of my block is: T0522GF. it sure would be great to get an ID.
Thanks.