Is there a way from the casting number or something along that, to tell when you engine block was made. Like the dumb *** I am, I forgot to ask the guy i bought it from back in may, and I don't have his email address anymore.

 

Go to www.mortec.com

They've got a huge list of engine block and head casting numbers.

The easiest way I've found to identify blocks is by the three digits on the side of the block. They're the last 3 of the casting number.

For instance, my block is a 638 which is short for....

14093638...350...87-95...2 or 4...Roller or flat
tappet cam

There are other ways to identify what year it came from, and what month it was made, and what shift and all that stuff if you really want to get into it.

 

There are other casting codes on the block that may give you a rough idea on what year it is. It may be something like 1279, 129 day of the year ending in 9.

The best way is to get the suffix code off the block. It's stamped into the pad on the block in front of the passenger side head. It's hard to read and usually full of dirt, oil and paint. If the block has ever been decked then the number will be gone. The suffix code will tell you the exact year of the block and exactly what it came out of.

Casting numbers, as mentioned above, only give general information. The same block casting could be used on many different models of cars over many years.

 

Stephen, I believe your example of 1279 would mean either 12-7-9 or 1-27-9.

Which would translate out to twelfth month (12), seventh day (7), ninth year (9).

OR, first month (1), twenty-seventh day (27), ninth year (9).

The proper pick would depend on the amount of space between the numbers...12 7 9, or 1 27 9.

I've never seen a code that started with a 3 (as if the number meant the three-hundreth_ _ something day of a year). Just my experience there. There very well could be.

The 9 can be decoded to mean 1959, 1969, 1979, 1989, or 1999.

A 1959 block would have a large passage for a down-draft tube near the distributor hole.

A 1989 block should have roller cam provisions (tapped or not).

I believe a 1999 block (vans and non-Silverado - older style trucks) should have the roller cam provisions and no fuel-pump boss. I've not seen but a couple of '97-later 350 blocks so I will defer on the other differences.

That leaves a 1969 and 1979 block to choose from in our example.

The 1969 block (if it is a 350) will have a number stamp pad (right-front on the block that is about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long versus a 1979 block that has a number stamp pad that is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long.

The '69 block is also noticably heavier than a '79. There are other differences most noticably in the higher stressed areas such as the transmission bolt areas.

The above mentioned code is usually found below where the distributor would be on the flat area before the transmission mount bolt holes.

This is just an example of the 'detective' work necessary especially when you are a 'junk-yard rat' like I have been for over 30 years.

I have also noticed that, for example, if a block has the 1 27 9 (Jan. 27, ?9) then the manufacture date of the car is USUALLY four to eight weeks after the casting dates on most of the cast-iron parts.

Hope this helps some of you 'junk-yard rats'.

jms

 

Sorry. It was just used as an example. I didn't have my books handy at the time for proper examples. There's too many casting marks to memorize what the all mean.