Has anyone ever found their missing original block? If so how did you locate it? My sb 72 doesn't have the original block or trans. Not that I believe I'll ever find it but, it would be a good story to hear someone else that has. WB

ps. 7162 would be the one

 

PLAY LOTTO : you have a better chance winning that then finding your original motor but ya never know..........i think i heard a story about one of the barret jackson guys finding one for his car, maybe in ENGLAND ??? i'm going to keep an eye on here for some neat stories...........wish ya luck........!!!

ZIXXX PACKER

 

Probably right! However in the NCRS driveline guy's are allways advertising "looking for #### block" I'm sure some have to be found. Now it's even OK? to restamp one, I'm not quite clear on this one. WB

 

it's not ok to "RESTAMP ONE" it's dishonest, unless trying to promote your car as something it's NOT " like matching numbers " why bother ?
IMHO

ZIXXX PACKER

 

But as many have said before that if you are using a small block in a small block car its resto, but if you put a big block in without disclosing the fact that the car was a sb that's wrong! Just check out all the "cloned hemi cars" on the market, and the $$$ the comand! I'm really trying to locate the original block and trans, or listening to a find of another. The engine in my car is a running rebuilt 350cu in. that I plan to keep NOM just thought I'd post the question for fun. WB

 

I found the original block for my 54 back in about 1999.

How? I had traced the ownership history back. In the 70's, the car had the original block WITH the car, but not installed. That previous owner kept records of all of his Corvettes (he owned about 20 of them)

He had the SN of the original motor from my car.

He sold all his Corvettes and parts to a guy in PA to start a Corvette business.

Long story short....my car, minus motor was sold from that dealership/Corvette parts business to a guy in Maryland. The motor was sold to another guy, also in Maryland as it turned out.

I had the SN of the motor. Through some contacts, I ran into the guy who "bought a 54 motor" from the same place my car came from.

We got together....it was my motor, with the manual trans bellhousing still attached to it. Traded motors. Got mine back. Reinstalled in in about 2000.

The story was the subject of an article in The Corvette Restorer Magazine back then.

I might add that this was sheer luck, and this process took about 8 years of looking. Chuck

 

Thats awesome !!! & amazing !!! i would never have that kind of luck........gald all the work paid off.........a 54 no less WOW !!
ZIXXX PACKER

 

Here's another one, 100% true. Happened to a friend of mine, a "Corvette guy" I've known for 34 years. Had a Top Flight 63 FI coupe and a Top Flight 64 coupe. Rarely drove them.

Bought a NOM 64 roadster "beater" project car to make into a "driver". Did a frame off. Put on disk brakes. Painted it white (not original color). Had a 67 hood with a red stinger. Had side pipes, red leather interior. Had a 350CI motor.

The "bug" got him. Through the Maryland DMV, he traced the ownership history. The car had always been in Maryland.

Found a bunch of previous owners, but most interesting, he found 2 previous owners living on the same street in Baltimore.

Called one of them. He still lived in the same house. He said "yeah, I bought that car from Joe, down the street after he blew up the motor". "Joe still has the motor in his shed. " Joe still lived down the street too.

Called Joe. Met with him, and got the original 327/300 motor out of the shed. One of the main bearing supports was cracked from where the rod broke. Took it to a machine shop, had "4 bolt main" caps put in, rebuilt the motor, and re-installed the motor in the car.

BUT....now, he had an original motor 64, painted the wrong color, with the wrong interior, with side pipes, disc brakes, etc. It was a "nightmare" from a NCRS standpoint. He finally sold the car. Don't know the new owner, and don't know if he "re-restored" it to NCRS specs.

You never know. Chuck

 

Thanks Chuck, Wow, that's exactly the story that I'd hoped to hear! Talk about luck, and with a 54 that is hitting the lotto It does go to show you that it (the Corvette world) is very small indeed. Perhaps my search will end like yours, but chances are not as good, with the production numbers the way they are. You do still own the car right? WB

 

Another great story! See it does happen, to hear of these motors being reunited only makes me want to search a little harder! Most of the remaining parts on my car are the originals, so I'll be rebuilding things like the master cylinder, calipers and such. The rotors have never been off and seem to be OK. The main problem is no pop or build sheet so I'll never know the true original configuration.Thanks again Chuck WB

 

Yes it can be done .....a guy down here in New Zealand bought a rare C3 with an NOM and eventually found the original motor....keep looking...it can happen

 

The "secret" is to trace the ownership history back through previous owners.

You might hit on one who changed out the motor.

Chuck

 

That's the key; the paper trail. You have to have a few clues to work with.

CHUCK: I read the account of your hunt for the engine for your '54. Where was that? NCRS?

 

I always wondered about those "hot rods" for sale with "covette motor". Didnt much care about the hotrod,but wondered about the vette. best of luck finding yours.

 

Original Blocks can be found on ebay, and I have seen about 5 68 Corvette 427's with the vins passing thru. About July a 68 427/390 block went by and was sold to a guy who was looking for an original motor. This month the car showed up a few states away! A 427/390 car looking for the motor as a project. I tried to get the two together, but the owner of the block was not interested in parting with the engine. He had a Corvette that he needed an engine for and thus, had an interest in making his car original. It was sad, and eventually I just gave up. I was hoping to make the thing work, but it wasn't to be.

 

The story was in the Corvette Restorer, the magazine of NCRS. I think it was the Winter 2000 issue.

The paper trail is the key. It's MUCH tougher now with the "new" privacy laws to trace things.

Gotta make a lot of calls, and write a lot of letters. Chuck

 

Paper work that came with the car
1.Pink Sheet with receipt dated 10/18/90 MV-4ST
with both previous owners names, buyer and seller only no phone or address
however it does have a PA title #? Could be a lead!
2.Inspection receipts from 1990 to present from local shop dated with miles documented
3. Owner cards from the person I purchased the car from
4.Receipt from the notary transfering the car into the person I bought the car from
5. The original title(stamped hstorical document) returned to me from Harrisburg again from the person I bought the car from

So, I do have a few leads to follow up. The guy I bought the car from didn't trust the shop that rebuilt the motor, and felt they were the ones responsable for the change, lead 1
With the owner name before him I can try to locate them and perhaps find out something, even if it's where they bought the car.
Let the search begin!
This would be a great find but it's a base motor car with no air and a coupe, this is really all in fun. WB

 

Hehehe, I know where original engine out of my 82 is and I have no intention of trying to retrieve it!

Some years ago before I owned my Vette, the engine "blew". I don't know the how's or why's of it but the original engine came out and a naturally aspirated 400sb went in. Some time later, the original engine was donated to the local SCUBA club and they then added it to the artificial reef they were building - out of old cars, buses, trailers, anything basically.

So, my block can RIP in Davey Jones locker