im stuck decoding my engine code. ive got all but the actual engine. code is V0420CIA

V- flint engine
04- april
20- 20th of april
CIA- ????????

i checked one site that has an engine decoder for sbc but CIA isnt listed. ive found CLA, C7A, and everything inbetween, but no CIA. maybe they forgot, but my engine is suppose to be a 87 LB9. can anyone help me out?

 

Those are the date stamps saying when and where it was cast and whatnot. The casting number tells what the block IS.

 

isnt the "CIA" part suppose to tell what the block is? i think a C7A is from an 85 Omega? 5.0. and the CLA is a 197x vet 350. or something like that.

 

found it, its not the CIA, i guess when they painted the engine, the paint filled in the little leg on the L. so when i cleaned it, it showed right up. but not im just as confused...
CLA codes for sbc are

1973 350 with 190 hp
1977 350 with 180 hp
1974 350 with 195 hp

all belong to the vett. are these motors any good? it seems kind of slow, just like an LB9. it has a tpi setup on it. but originally it says its suppose to have a 4bbl carb. thx.

 

Hmmmm..... 190, 180, or 195 HP..... in 83, the L69, a 305, had 190 HP. The LB9, another 305, has as much as 225 HP in various years.

And as we all know, TPI will cost power on almost any motor you put it on, compared to a carb. So you have basically a 180 HP motor, that's putting out probably somewhat less than that; although it no doubt has the TPI torque peak at 3600 RPM.

So.... are those motors any good? You do the math.

Ignore the "V" word. No magical properties were bottled up within the fiberglass and while the motor was in that car, permeated the block with some special hidden inner superiority. It's a block and some heads and stuff. That's it. It doesn't make the slightest bit of difference what sheet metal, or even fiberglass, it was originally wrapped in; any magic that there might once have been, is all gone now.

If it still has the OE heads still on it, they're probably 882s; if so, please have them melted down as soon as possible, to erase the disgrace of such pitiful excuses for motors from the collective memory. And of course, if the OE cam is still there, smash it to cast-iron dust as well.

 

The single 882 i used for porting practice i had hot tanked and cleaned really good and it is now my boat anchor. by far one of the better anchors i have ever used.

Yea im not too sure i would put a factory TPI system on an already bugged 350...

 

so what is the diff b/t this L49 and other 350, such as the L98? just poor heads and crap cam? also, wouldnt the tpi set up add more power to a carb engine? stock vs stock. i havnt quite found the year of the engine, (to see what hp it had, not like it makes a diff). kind of glad its a 350 and not the 305, but the way you guys say it, it seems i took a step backwards.

 

Its a SBC specifically a 350 so you can do all the mods like any other SBC to increase performance. First replace the heads, cam, and intake. You will then have a pretty good 350 engine.

TPI is not a performance intake manifold, never was, never will be and was never designed to be. It was made for good gas mileage and good street pep. I will not make power and will never be fast.

 

What you have is a 70s smogger pig.

However, it has potential. It's a 350, so it has (duh) 350 cubic inches, just like the L98. The similarity pretty much ends there.

The L98 has much higher compression, more cam, the heads flow altogether better, and the exhaust is hugely improved. There's no real comparison between the 2, stock for stock.

But, the L98 is very expensive to modify, and the results are usually a disappointment; unless of course you take off the TPI and put something else on it. But that's a whole other matter. The L98's main issue is that it's crippled with the intake that's on it. Take that off, put even a mild 4-barrel intake and a carb, you can pick up 30 or 40 HP over what the TPI will produce. Or, one of the non-TPI aftermarket FI intakes such as the MiniRam or Stealth Ram, and you can get similar results to what a carb will give..... because they also uncork the intake tract.

What you have, is a block with a 4" bore. As far as performance, that's about it. Although, it's not impossible that it has a steel crank, better than basic rods, and/or 4-bolt mains. Which make it somewhat of a better core to rebuild than most. If you think of it as just that, a good core block and maybe crank and rods to rebuild, then it's not so bad.

The things you should look to get rid of (besides the TPI, unless you're specifically wanting to keep it) are pistons, heads, & cam. In other words, the things that make it a smogger turd. Then choose the type of intake you want; either a carb setup, or one of the FI ones. Right now you have the worst of all worlds; the weeniest 350 made, and an intake that cripples even that pitiful thing.

 

its only crappy because of the heads and cam right? im just looking for a mid to low 13 sec car n/a. id perfer to keep the tpi set up, just because its already on there, and looks somewhat new. the car had the engine put in before i bought it, so how can i know if the heads have been changed and what not? also, its got a 3 inch catback, but what about for headers? should i just treat this car like its an L98 with the mods? or should i be better off in the corvette forum for engine builds?

 

What are the head casting numbers, and while your at it the engine block casting numbers?

www.mortec.com

Yes the stock heads and cam were pretty much crap. While the shortblock might actually be something pretty good.

 

ill have to check those numbers tomorrow, its 12:30 am here in tx so ill wait till the morning.

 

it says the casting numbers are 1410218, stock right?

 

Is that the head casting number? I found this: 14102187...87-91...305..........1.84"/1.5" valves, it looks like you are missing a "7", i these are the heads they are not stock if that is a 350.

What is the block casting number?

 

yea, i think i may have overlooked the 7, that is what i just found right now at that website. well on the site, it has where the block casting number is, but i couldnt find it, could you describe where its at? oh and, are the 305 heads better than the dogs that where on these 350 before?

 

can they be seen from above, or below?

 

Look here... behind the pass side head. Conveniently located right out in the open, in a prominent place.

 

can they be seen from above of below the car?

 

i found one number, seems almost like one, but its more of in the middle of the intake manifold. number 10088015, or is that just the tpi manifold part number?

 

It's right where the pic shows it.

I could be wrong, but that seems like it would be hard to see that place from below. I'd recommend you try looking from above. In the pic you can plainly see the intake, the place where the oil pressure sending unit goes, the head, the valve cover, and the bell housing flange. Those should be sufficient guides to point you to the spot.

No, the block casting number will not be found on the middle of the intake manifold. It's on the block. The manifold has its own casting number, which might be the one you found. It doesn't matter. It's useless for the task at hand.

The number you want will be in the place there that says "3951509" on my block.