Well i just found out today that the engine in my Camaro i bought is a 305, and not a 350 like i was told when the guy sold it to me... man, at the time, he seemed real nice guy, but i wouldnt have bought it if it had a 305... i couldnt tell, looks the same, it is still a strong motor, and the trans was bad, so i couldnt get on it to really tell, but i looked up the engine VIN on a camaro site, and the engine suffix code of SDA came back 1984 305 4bbl 150 HP. Funny thing, is the cars VIN decodes a L69 so someone replaced the engine at some point, unless he really thought he put a 350 in it, and got screwed and passed it along... Oh well, now on the hunt for a decent 350 for it... Anyone that ever looks at a car with a "350" in it, be sure to get some kind of verification, or you may end up down the same road i went

 

Sorry to hear about getting a 305. But why remove it why not drive it till it goes. Invest the money in headers and such that cross over to a 350 also when the 305 goes then get the 350.

Dan

 

I'm slightly confused. The engine number in the VIN does not mean a thing if the engine has been replaced. It could have been replaced with a 350. The VIN will tell you what originally came with the car.

So all may not be loss. If you can see if there is a casting number on the left back of the engine block right below the head. If it says 5.7 you are in luck. If it says 5.0 then you are correct it is a 5.0. Allen

 

Yeah, thats not a bad idea, i was thinking i might do that, until either the eingine goes, or i have everything i need for bolt ons...

 

No, this is the engine VIN that you can decode and it tells you what day the engine was made, what location and engine details... for instance mine is:

Flint MI, March 13, 1984 305 4BBL 150 HP

The VIN for the car says the car came with a L69 305 factory, but i dont even have that in there now, i just have a regular plain jane 305 from that year... As long as the engine VIN is reliable, then thats what i have. I still want to run the castings on the block, but i figured this was good enough... I cant get to them anyways...

 

I also have a correct year (84') 305 in my Camaro. It's supposed to be L69, but it's not. My 84' block says "305" in large numbers on the back of the block.

 

Where did you find the engine vin?

 

The good numbers for Id come off the pad above the water pump near where the head bolts on on the passenger side. That is the suffix codes, my 305 is ZCA with 4 bolt mains.

 

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Little black pad behind the alternator, on the pass side... had to clean it off really good, was dirty and coroded...

 

engine suffix stamping code

casting numbers are generally worthless other than telling you engine size and evne then not always does it decode as only one size

the stamping code up front is how to find out the details of a chevy v8 engine, year, model, HP, tranny behind it, model of car, everything,

 

And another long gone thread is brought back from the dead

 

Well, since someone brought this thread back from the dead, it would be nice to list the URL that decodes the number stamped in the block by the waterpump. I'd kinda like to know what my block originally came from.