Looking for information on 79 Vette engine
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
Looking for information on 79 Vette engine
My engine is dated on the rear casting 1-11-78 but it is out of a 79 corvette original owner car but the suffix code is ZAB indicating a 1979 195 hp 4brl.carb automatic trans L48 fed What is the " fed " and could the very early 78 engine be an original engine in a 79 vette ? So do I have a 78 engine or a 79 ?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,226
Likes: 669
From: Northeast
So the casting date is "A118" ? could the letter be different because they started producing 79s in August 1978 so having a block sitting around for 7 months would be odd even if your car is one of the first.. What does the stamp pad reveal? what date was it stamped and what is your build date on the trim tag. Blocks for early 79s were produced in 78 so yes a 78 block can happen.
Fed has to do with emissions as to Cali emission standards.
Fed has to do with emissions as to Cali emission standards.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,949
Likes: 4,507
From: Virginia
"ZAB" is correct for a 79, whatever the casting says.
http://corvettec3.ca/engines.htm
Does the partial VIN on the stamp pad match the car's VIN? Is it an L48 auto (with federal emissions)? I suppose someone could have faked a stamp pad, but why?
http://corvettec3.ca/engines.htm
Does the partial VIN on the stamp pad match the car's VIN? Is it an L48 auto (with federal emissions)? I suppose someone could have faked a stamp pad, but why?
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 13,082
Likes: 3,399
From: SW Florida.
OP says engine is out of a 79 corvette. and his avatar is a single headlight early model. i think 57. that and the 62 are the prettiest C1's. a 79 L48 is a 79 (or 76 or 81 or whatever between 74 and 81) passenger car block .nothing special. no steel crank, 4 bolts, forged pistons, etc. just another 350. but in the ensuing 43 or so years many things could have been done to it. both positive and negative. so if it runs good, time it right and run it.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
"ZAB" is correct for a 79, whatever the casting says.
http://corvettec3.ca/engines.htm
Does the partial VIN on the stamp pad match the car's VIN? Is it an L48 auto (with federal emissions)? I suppose someone could have faked a stamp pad, but why?
http://corvettec3.ca/engines.htm
Does the partial VIN on the stamp pad match the car's VIN? Is it an L48 auto (with federal emissions)? I suppose someone could have faked a stamp pad, but why?
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
So the casting date is "A118" ? could the letter be different because they started producing 79s in August 1978 so having a block sitting around for 7 months would be odd even if your car is one of the first.. What does the stamp pad reveal? what date was it stamped and what is your build date on the trim tag. Blocks for early 79s were produced in 78 so yes a 78 block can happen.
Fed has to do with emissions as to Cali emission standards.
Fed has to do with emissions as to Cali emission standards.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 13,082
Likes: 3,399
From: SW Florida.
ok, here is what it was when it left the plant. a 350. cast crank, cast dished pistons, 2 bolt mains. crappy heads that love to crack and have 76 cc chambers. crappy cam. a lot of corvettes were not driven much. and got engine upgrades cuz the owner wanted more get up and go. whereas most other chebbys got new engines cuz the orig was shot. so it may well be a great low mileage engine. but it is in a mid year now. that 66 deserves a bit more compression and cam. no rush if it runs good.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
ok, here is what it was when it left the plant. a 350. cast crank, cast dished pistons, 2 bolt mains. crappy heads that love to crack and have 76 cc chambers. crappy cam. a lot of corvettes were not driven much. and got engine upgrades cuz the owner wanted more get up and go. whereas most other chebbys got new engines cuz the orig was shot. so it may well be a great low mileage engine. but it is in a mid year now. that 66 deserves a bit more compression and cam. no rush if it runs good.
