New to the forum, so this may not be the correct place to post, but here goes.

We restore vintage boats (not cars) and a couple years ago we bought one from an older gentlemen. He told us the boat had a 327 in it, but that's about all he knew. I pulled the engine last week to begin refurbishing the boat and started checking numbers. Now I need a little help figuring out what year it is. Here's what I know from the numbers:

Block casting number: 3858174
Code stamped on block: F0117HT
Intake Manifold: 389049 It's aluminum and has a spider web looking design with a "W" in it. There is also a I4 stamped in it.
Heads: 3782461 L105 and 3782461 L155. Both have "0" stamped in the rockers

Is there some other casting or stamped number somewhere that can tell me what year this engine is? From searching the web, I think it is a 327 350 HP special high performance, but I don't know what year. I'm pretty sure that whatever it is, it doesn't belong in this boat. Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

The 3858174 block was used in 1966 Corvettes. The HT suffix identifies it as a 327 ci/350 hp 4 spd car. The F0117 shows it was built on January 17 (1966) at the Flint assembly plant.

The manifold and heads sound correct.

If you also have the other information from the stamp pad - something like 61xxxxx - it will tell you the VIN number of the car, and possibly enable tracking down the car through the C2 registry or other sources and enable reuniting the two!

 

the heads have a casting date of 65. on the other side of the block where you got the casting number is a date code. also was there any other numbers where you got F0117HT?

 

Thanks for the information. In answer to your question, no, there are no other numbers stamped into the pad by the F0117HT.

 

The intake manifold with the W is for "Winters" who cast the manifold, and I think you will see a the spiderweb is a snow flake.

Look near the distributor area - drivers side of the engine. You will see a circle of dots with an arrow and a date code like B176 (Feb, 17, 1966) - this is the block casting date

What is this date code?

Phil

 

Okay, I see where you've suggested I look. There's some corrosion and the letter/numbers are somewhat blurry. There appear to be four digits. The first one looks to be an A, but it might be B,E or F, followed by what I think is 146. The 4 and 6 are very distinct, but the first two are tough to read. (I tried using a brass wire brush and that helped, but they aren't distinct.)

Slightly above those numbers/letters is what looks like another "tag" of sorts. It also is difficult to read, but it looks like it has a single number: "3".

 

The heads, cast in December 1965, are '66 Corvette.

 

Or Chevelle or Impala or just over the counter Without a vin stamp the block was not installed in a car at a factory. So it's a over the counter replacement engine

 

....or just a crate engine bought to put in a boat.

The casting dates on the heads do match up well for an engine that was assembled on January 17 1966, so I think it probably is all original. The HT is a Corvette code.

 

Besides getting a huge "thank you" for helping figure out a date the engine was built, you guys all get extra kudos for shedding light on another mystery.

The boat we are restoring is the prototype for a model the manufacturer created but never put into production. The nature of the boat demanded it have a small but higher performance engine, but it wasn't making sense that they would have installed a used Corvette engine in a prototype. Now, knowing that the engine wasn't stamped with a partial VIN number and was probably an "over the counter" engine, leads us to believe it really is the original engine. Until now, we doubted that. Thanks again, you've been a tremendous help.

There is one bit of potentially bad news, though, and that is we've just discovered some problems with the boat's hull that may make it impossible (read that as too expensive!) to fix. Oh well, if that happens, I guess we'll find us a shell for a '66 Corvette and restore it. Certainly cars aren't the potential money pit a boat is! ;-). Thanks again.

 

Boat: noun, a hole in the water that your pour money into

BOAT: acronym, stands for Break Out Another Thousand

 

Love to see some pics of that old boat and motor if you can. Lots of wood boat people around here as well. you may even catch a buyer willing to restore the hull......

 

I know the suffix code was Corvette only. I was trying to correct the common myth that there is a Corvette only head casting number. And that the same head was used on other applications as well.

 

You gents have been amazingly helpful and I hate to bug you any more, but I'd like your input/suggestion/recommendation on a couple questions I have.

First, if we decide not to restore the boat, how likely is it that we'll find a 66 Corvette "shell" to put this engine in? Are they as rare as hen's teeth and will the search be an exercise in frustration? And where do I even go to find such a vehicle? Second, if we decide not to do either of those things, we'll have an engine for sale. What is the demand (if any) for an engine like this? And what is a reasonable price? Thanks in advance!

 

The short answer is that the engine you have is rare and valuable for the right buyer. By "valuable" I mean $2K to $4K (just my estimate), compared to about $500 for a garden variety 327 from a passenger car.

The type of buyer who would pay that price is someone who owns a 1966 Corvette that no longer has its original engine, and is interested in restoring the the car to be a "numbers matching" car. Any 1966 Corvette that was assembled within six months after the assembly date on that engine would be a candidate recipient.

You appear to have a genuine Flint-assembled 327/350 with a (presumably) genuine Flint assembly code stamping. The only thing missing for a "perfect" restoration is the car's VIN number next to the assembly code.

For someone who owns a suitable candidate '66 Corvette, one option is to simply install that engine in the car and leave the missing serial number off the pad. In formal NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society) judging, the missing VIN number is only a 25 point deduction out of 4500 for the whole car. Restored Corvettes with a missing or incorrect VIN number have achieved the highest possible award (Duntov award) that the NCRS offers.

Another option that is controversial is to stamp the pad with the serial number of the car that the engine is put into. There is a fine line between "restoring" a car and making a fake car. I won't try to address that complex topic.

Regardless of whether the buyer plans to add a VIN number to the pad, the engine has considerable value to someone restoring a 1966 Corvette that no longer has its original engine. As long as the date on the assembly stamping of the engine is within six months prior to the assembly of the car, the engine will get almost full credit in NCRS judging.

In terms of how to sell the engine, the NCRS has both online and print advertising. Ebay reaches a broader audience and should also be considered. To prove the engine's value, you will need to be prepared with excellent photos of the casting number, casting date, and stamp pad, as well as other photos of key engine parts. You might consider contacting the chair of your local NCRS chapter to ask for help with this. The chapter chairs are listed on the NCRS web site at www.ncrs.org.