Craigja22

Does anybody have info on what the original engine was for vin#194378S417587 , I heard there is a book that shows what equipment the car was shipped with.

Rescue Rogers

not that i heard of. The only way to tell roughly is by the original tach, fuel lines and drive shaft hardware. You have a 50/50 shot at getting the block size right just by guessing, the tach can give a clue on HP

Easy Mike

There is no option information in a 68 VIN. Your best bet for original equipment for the car would be from factory documentation from the seller and/or the tank sticker.

Craigja22

Thanks for the info, working on restoring my 68 and finding signs it may have been a BB. I found a 2nd fuel line and caps on the drivetrain etc. It has a corvette 327 in it currently but is one number off of the vin#. My car vin ends with a 7 but the engine ID ends with a 8. All other numbers match. I new it wasn't a match but now I am thinking it was a BB car. I guess I can hope the tank sticker survived. It also had the BB hood which appears to match the original paint etc.

ed427vette

The second fuel line only means it wasn't a tripower or an L88. Rochester Quadrajet carbs used the second fuel line (return line). Quadrajets were used on both the big block 390hp and small blocks. Holley carbs used a single line. The caps on the half shafts may indicate BB but sometimes they would appear on small block cars. The only way to verify with certainty is with the tank sticker or some other GM document. There are no records that exist or kept for these cars by anyone with regard to individually equipped optioned cars. Only total options ordered for the entire run year are available.

Its very odd that the engine stamp is off by one number. How did that happen? Its not like dealers order groups of cars made in a row and sold to people in the neighborhood. They ordered what they ordered and cars were made for them and delivered when ready. It could happen that two consecutive cars coming down an assembly line could be for one dealer or a dealer nearby but what are the chances the engine from one car ends up in a car next to it at some point in its life. Very unusual for that to happen.

Craigja22

I was thinking that it was odd myself. In another post someone mentioned that there may be a different tach used for BB vs SB. If anyone has any info it would be great. I used a mirror and tried to view the top of the tank but it was hard to tell.

694speed350

what are the letters on the flat on the passenger side block and what is the redline on the tach?

68/BB

That almost sounds like a stamping error on the line. I assume they stamped the block after it was installed in the car on the line in order to match it up(?). Being off by one number defies the odds of a NOM being installed in that car at some point in the cars life that is only off by one number. Doesn't pass the sanity test to me.

Easy Mike

Possibly, but the VIN derivative stamp would not identify the original engine.

68/BB

But if they indexed the stamp one number too soon, then that would BE the original engine that he has in the car. Unless I am misunderstanding what he is saying, that's been known to happen. (Just ask my wife :-) )