I'm going to be looking at a thirdgen firebird this weekend and I don't think its stock. I might want a part or two off of it or the whole car. It was given to my friend by his friend who just left to the navy. The kid in the navy is also young, like 18, and bought the car when he was 16.

Anyways, I'm not sure if my friend knows what engine is in the car. How can I identify if its a 305, 350, or 400 block? Or maybe even an aftermarket block. This might be useful information to know anyhow. Chances are its what engine that the VIN says is in there but I would like to make sure.

 

You can look for the partial VIN on the s/n pad on the right front of the engine. If it matches the car VIN, you know it's the original engine and can trust the 8th character of the VIN.

If it is different, then look for the block casting #. Head casting #'s wouldn't be a bad idea, either. For the block, the last three digits are sometimes cast into the side of the block in large numbers.