this is kind of a history question, but also tech. Cdartz's question prompted this. our friend pulled apart an 88 l98 car and was very surprised to find 4 bolt mains. All numbers match on the block, and the suffix code even says 88 l98 for firebird, so it's the original block. Looking up the torque specs table in my Chilton manual for f-cars, it very clearly states that all V8 thirdgens, 1985 to 1988 were 4 bolt blocks. That includes LG4, L69, LB9, L03, and L98.

1982-84, and 89-92 are listed as 2 bolt blocks.

Can any owners, or people with the good thirdgen data books, like willie, verify this information? This comes as a total shock to me. if you have seen your original block with the oil pan off, what year are you, and what did you see? does it fit the chilton data?

 

According to my Chilton's,'86 had 4 bolts, the rest 2 bolt. Maybe those few IROC's that got the 350 in '86 had ones straight off of the vette line.

 

My '88 GTA 350 (5.7) had two bolt mains when I overhauled it a couple of years ago. You might want to start a poll.
jms

 

Some L98's in Vettes aren't even 4 bolts.

As for the 86 L98 cars, any that were produced were GM testmules, they never left GM's ownership unless they were 'recycled'.

Chiltons manuals aren't the most accurate resources ever.

 

Chiltons manual? Theres more errors in there than I can count.

As for the block, dunno. It could have been a fluke, replacement, someone tried to make it look like it came in there, anything. Even vettes werent graced with 4 bolt mains. I have an 88 engine sitting in a car here that came right out of an 88 IROC, and its 2 bolt.

I'd say surprised is a good choice of words. Be happy it was either a mistake or swapped in.

 

that's what i thought. i'd never heard of a 4 bolt in a thirdgen factory, but it was in there clear as day, and all the numbers match. Must be some sort of a factory fluke i'm thinking, because all the dates on the block and the install correspond to when the car should have been manufactured.

i definitely would not put any faith in what the chilton manual said, that's why i posted here

 

It's gotta be some sort of GM screw up, cause like Wraith said, we ran the casting numbers and it's the original engine.

 

That's what you're supposed to think... these tracks are side by side... sand people travel single file to hide thier numbers...


I'd imagine there is more to this than what is obvious from the surface.

 

am i the only one thinks the sand people just needed to be hugged?

 

A lot of 2 bolt and 4 bolt main blocks have the same casting numbers. go to mortec.com and look. I'd like to know what my dad's '88 truck has in it, but when i looked up his block's casting number it says 2 bolt and 4 bolt.