i found this site while doing some research on a newly acquired monte carlo ss
i recognize some of the user names from other sites and found some info on here , if i come across a 3rg gen as a project car i would deffinetly frequent the site more often , you have a very informative site
i have a question though ..the engine in the monte carlo has a suffix # v 1026 cja
is this a 305 lg-4 or something else, it has center bolt valve covers
the engine will be replaced soon but i am going to play around with this one for the winter , is this a roller cam engine or do i have to take it apart to find out
any info would be nice
thanks
Kenny

 

are you sure the suffix code is CJA?

 

yes , i was having a problem researching cja so i went back several times to check
i was told it was out of an 89 caprice (350) but i found one site that said it was a 305 , other than that ..nothing

 

Don't bother with the stamping number.

Also don't bother with whatever the PO says. They all lie anyway. Especially about the 305/350 thing.

Get the block casting number. It's conveniently located right out in the open, easy to see; on the top of the bell housing flange, behind the driver's side head, where the transmission bolts up.

If you can't see it there, look at the sides of the block, from underneath. Usually you'll see the last 3 digits of its casting number in digits about 3/4" tall. That's enough to identify the block.

There's NO WAY to make a 350 out of a 305 block, or vice-versa; so whatever those numbers tell you it it, it is, for certain. You can bet your life on it.

It is certain that it's not a LG4. The last year for that was about 87. If it's really from 89, it would have been a TBI motor of some sort.

You will have to take it apart to find out if it is a roller setup. That's a machine process, in addition to a casting feature; not all blocks with any given casting number also had the machine steps done, or the parts installed. And it's not impossible that if somebody has been inside of it, they would have "upgraded" it from roller to flat-tappet to save a couple of pennies anyway.

 

i'll see if i can get a glimpse of one of the casting numbers
thanks


*edit* looks like GM 5.0LG
guess i'll find out about the cam when i swap the intake
thanks for your help

 

the stamping code is the best thing to decode on an engine

tells you year make model hp tranny everything, evne usualyl RPO code also

good luck

 

www.chevymania.com shows suffix code CJA as:

Code |Year |CID |Vehicle ..|HP |.RPO |Trans..| Carb |Comments
CJA ...|.88 ..|305| Camaro |180| LG-4| 700R4| 4-Brl |

 

The LG4 never had a roller cam, even the later motors with centerbolt valve covers. The block is a roller block (although it may not have all the necessary bolt holes drilled & tapped for the cam retaining plate and lifter "spider") but it's got a very wimpy flat tappet hydraulic cam shoved into it from the factory.

The cam is the flat tappet version of what the fuel injection guys around here call the "peanut cam" Under 180* duration @ .050. REAL small. MICRO small.

Primary restrictions on this motor are the cam, the entire exhaust system from manifolds to tailpipe, the single snorkel air cleaner and the programming in the chip. That's what separates the LG4 from the significantly more powerful L69 HO version of the motor.

 

Well, the '87 LG4 did have a roller cam. It was still lame, though.

However, '87 was the last year of the LG4. In '88, the base f-body V8 was the LO3.

 

The stamping code is worthless.

All it tells you, AT BEST, is what vehicle the BLOCK (not the ENGINE..... it doesn't tell you a thing about the heads or internals, such as the cam) was originally installed in. That's assuming you can find it listed somewhere to look up at all.

The casting number will be a 7 or 8 digit number. Some real common ones for 305s of about that age are these

14093627...305...87-91...2...Roller or flat tappet cam, one-piece rear seal
14094766...305...86-up...2...One-piece rear seal
14102058...305...87-91...2...Roller cam, one-piece rear seal

Look on the side of the block, see if you spot the last 3 digits of any of those cast onto it anywhere (627, 766, or 058). Probably easier to see on the driver's side, from underneath.

The 5.0LG doesn't tell much, except that it's probably some kind of a 305.

You WILL HAVE TO take it apart to find out if it has a roller cam. Since of course, even if it came with the one kind or the other, it can easily be changed. And the stamping codes, even if they had that in them somewhere, would not have been updated, you can believe that.

 

The guys over at MontecarloSS.com have never reported pulling a roller cam out of any factory-installed V8 in a Monte Carlo (SS or otherwise), regardless of model year or if the motor had a one piece RMS or centerbolt valve covers.

I would be very surprised if you found anything but a flat tappet cam in that motor.

Maybe the Camaro LG4 got a roller cam in it's last year in the Camaro but nobody reports that to be the case in a Monte engine (either LG-4 low output or L69 high output).

 

Gotcha. Yeah, the '87 Camaro/'Bird LG4s got the roller cam.

Keep forgetting about this non-3rd gen Monte thing . . .

 

i still haven't had a chance to pull the intake yet , not that i will invest much time into the engine anyway ,as soon as the intake is on i'm spraying the bottom end out of it ...lol
i'll let you guys know how much it can take
think it can see the 12's with only an intake and the bottle

 

Pushrod length should be a good indication of roller vs. flat tappet cam. Roller rods are shorter. You'll have to double check the length, but 7.2 vs. 7.8 comes to mind.