joseph p

I have a friend who has a 396 engine sitting for years in his warehouse that he claims is from a '65 Vette. His brother claims it is a crate engine bought in 1965 from a Chevy dealer, never put in a Corvette.
The passenger head pad reads T07I5IF....the casting number by the flywheel reads 3855962
Most of my familiarity with engines is with smallblocks.
Can anyone help me with these numbers?
Thank you

LARRYCOOK

got this off the internet hope it helps.

1965 Corvette Big Block 396ci. #3855962 Dated F-29-5. Assembly Date T0712IF. Vin # 5122944. 4.085 Bore. 4 Bolt main. Bare block. If you are restoring a Corvette, you NEED this block. This is a very rare block. Please be sure this is the part you need before bidding. Please review the large pictures for details. Ask any and all questions prior to bidding. Stk # ED812F

JohnZ

If there's no VIN derivative stamp on the inboard end of the stamp pad, it wasn't "born" in a Corvette; the block casting number and T0715IF stamp ID it as an L-78 (396/425hp), but without a VIN stamp, it's an over-the-counter complete engine assembly.

joseph p

So maybe his 75 year old brain is working! As you can see on the pad, there are no numbers after the F. Would that prove it was never in a car? Is an engine with only these numbers not valuable to a Corvette restoration? He has the complete engine, minus the exhaust manifolds.
He says he bought it and ran it in his drag car for a short while, put other pistons and cam in as soon as he got it and then after only using it for a short while, had it professionally put back together with stock cam and pistons. Says it ran fine 15 years ago when it was stored away in his heated warehouse.
I'd like to make him an offer but don't have a clue where to start and the lack of the last numbers has me confused.
Thanks

Blue 396

As you stated and John confirmed it is a crate over the counter assembly. The block has value to someone with a 396 vette built after July 15 (the assembly date of the engine) you would be looking at the last 2 weeks production so not many cars. The heads, pan, timing cover and intake (if stock) will be of more value to any 396 corvette. If it has the correct 3124 carb it alone is worth $500 ++++++ depending on code same goes for the starter = if all of the parts are real L78 396/425 parts it could be worth decent $$$$$'s if you wanted to part it out and deal with all the grief of selling them off. If you are looking to use it in an application other than a 1965 corvette pass on it and buy a crate 502 - the internal parts for a true 396/425 are expensive and getting scare

joseph p

Actually I was thinking of buying it because he's trying to get rid of projects he realizes he will never get to. I thought if he would give me a good price, I could resell it to someone restoring a 396 Vette. The engine does have all the parts, right down to the starter and his younger brother claims it was all bought complete at a Chevy dealer.
Unfortunately he talks of it as if it's gold and I don't know what $$$ will make it worthwhile.
Thanks for all your help.

joseph p

Does anyone know of someone or some place where I could get a somewhat specific appraisal of this engine, so I can make an offer would leave me a chance to make a profit if I try to sell it?
Thanks again

bluestreak63

You can try searching more on the internet. Or maybe call some Corvette restoration shops.

A quick search and I found this...$19k, not sure if that's what it sold for though.

http://www.racingjunk.com/Street/255...-for-sale.html

If you want to try an make a quick buck, maybe go the route of asking for a finders fee from a Corvette restoration shop. Tell the owner what you found, send pics, etc. and say you want 10% if they end up buying it.

joseph p

Change of plans....spoke to the owner and he is willing to let me sell it and he will pay me the finder's fee.
Now I guess I will get all the part numbers I can off it and then research the largest Vette Restoration Shops and contact them to see their interest.
If that doesn't work, I'll post it in the parts for sale forum and then Ebay with a reserve.

FASTZ

I think that you will find that the largest restoration shops would only be interested if they had a current customer with a need or it was cheap enough for them to buy and resell. You may have success here in the parts for sale section. The issue is going to be the very late build date. Not many original cars that were built that late that can use it. To make it worth big money.

desert65

Someone replied to my post that there might be a 396 out there for sale on the forum. I just bought a 1965 original 396 car, that now has a 327 in it. The car was built on June 16, sounds like your motor was later so that wouldn't match my build date. If you don't find someone who is willing to pay big dollars for it I might be interested. I am doing my own restoration and it would be nice to have the correct engine in the car, even if the date wasn't quite right.

joseph p

Unfortunately I'd like to know what ballpark I'm in. "Big dollars" is a little vague. Please help me here.
Thanks

desert65

I don't really have a number in mind ay this point. I saw a reference to another 396 that someone was trying to get 19k for which ks far beyond what I could afford to pay.

packrat

The Corvette # 5122944 396/425 motor that Larry Cook site in post #2 is listed in the C2 Corvette Registary as a 1965 Coupe. Would be great to see if the engine and car could be reunited.
The T0715 IF engine is a very late production engine. The casting date and stamp date would make it correct for a very small number of people that would pay the super bucks.