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I would like to track down the provenance of the engine that sits in my 1958 CI (VIN J58S107052). I believe it is a 305 LB9 TPI.
The block is stamped GM 5.0L G (this could be a C not G and what does this letter refer to?)
The cast date is A055, which I think is Jan 5 1985
The cast number is 14010201 but the reference material I have lists this number as being a 350 CID, and last built in 1984. This conflicts with the cast date and the engine stamping.
To complicate this a bit further the engine number is V0917CKD (taken from the rego papers and not actually verified on the pad). Based on the suffix, the engine is a 350, and this conflicts with the block engine stamp (which is 5.0 L not 5.7 L)
Motor vehicle registration (rego) and insurance includes the VIN and the engine number in Aust. The rego certificate includes the same number that is stamped onto the pad, which means nothing other than the car is known by this as well as the VIN number.
You have confirmed the problem that the casting number conflicts with the engine suffix. If someone went to the trouble of rebirthing the engine using a new number and in the correct factory format, then you would think they would at least get the suffix in the correct date range to tie back to the the casting number (and date).
The engine was bought separately from the car in the US by the previous owner 15 years ago, who shipped it to Aust for a full restoration and RHD conversion. I had the engine rebuilt locally by a reputable mechanic, and I believe it is designated as a small block LB9 (1985-1992), which at least ties back to the casting date number ending with “5”
Also, what is the letter “C” or perhaps “G” that appears on the casting after GM 5.0 L (“C”) ?
My notes show the car was for sale in 1992-base engine, powerglide, radio delete, very original. I wonder what happened after that.
That date would be right based on when it was shipped to AUs. The conversion to RHD and restoration took some years before I bought it.
i”m guessing you tracked this car using only the VIN.
You said strait up that the number didn’t look right - does anyone have an image of what an original stamped number looks like and happy to share?
if I had to guess I would say the engine number was modified before shipping to AUS, & not inspected before sale or discovered until now. I wonder how common this is as these old engines are frequently swapped between cars or sold for parts.
Pity the road ends here, as it’s a very clean car and it becomes somewhat of an obsessive pass time looking for the family history of these classics.
Appears that your engine has been rebuilt at some time if these numbers don’t match. Same as mine.
Not unusual to see that the bell housing and the stamping plate on the top of the engine are from different engines.
No one on the forum answered my original question about the reference to “G” on the bell housing, so i would be interested to know further if you get the answer. Good luck.
The G on the bell housing denotes that the engine runs on gasoline. For two years, 1983 and 1984, small block Diesels were offered in the Chevy El Camino.
Appears that your engine has been rebuilt at some time if these numbers don’t match. Same as mine.
Not unusual to see that the bell housing and the stamping plate on the top of the engine are from different engines.
No one on the forum answered my original question about the reference to “G” on the bell housing, so i would be interested to know further if you get the answer. Good luck.
The G on the bell housing denotes that the engine runs on gasoline. For two years, 1983 and 1984, small block Diesels were offered in the Chevy El Camino.
Casting number decoding HELP
