I bought an 87 gta it originally came with a 5.0L.
But he said the guy before him swapped a tpi 350 in it how can i tell if this is true?The numbers in the front left of the car right above the headlight the original Is stamped 02-7803 and then below it in silver permanent marker it says 02-7261.You think that is the car the engine came out of.I need help bad i wanna buy parts but i need to know if it is the 350 or 305.Also when i am driving the temp sits about 200 but when i stop in like the drive threw it goes up to about 220 is it supposed to get that hot?i put a 160 thermo in it still runs as hot as the 190 did.
Thanks in advance.

 

Check out the casting numbers on the actual engine, IIRC its on the rear of the driver's side head?

P.S. Just a little FYI- on this board, the use of d00d is not well received by some users due to a now-banned, over exhuberant user...dare I say the name???(s h a n e) Not that I care, but I'm just trying to help you out.

 

it is damn packed from the top ill have to jack it up and try and see the numbers what should it say if it is the 350?will it say 5.7L or will it say 350?And what of the temp getting hot.I will cut back on the use of dood thanks for the heads up

 

If your lucky it will have it stamped in there 5.0 or 5.7 but youll most likely find the big long casting number which would be the best anyways.

 

What will the casting number say if it is a 350 or are they all different?And what do i do with the casting number report it back here you guys can work your magic?

 

SBC casting numbers

For mine (305) it was easy to tell as it had the last 3 digits of the casting # right above the oil pan when you crawled under the car.

As for the running temp, the stock fan switch kicks the electric fan on at around 220-230? or so. If you want it to run cooler, get an aftermarket fan switch (Hypertech) makes them. You can get it for different settings, 180, 200, better than stock if you want to keep it cooler. But running it at that temp won't hurt it, that's how it came from the factory.

 

If its a bone stock twin elec fan setup the secondary fan kicks in around 220.

As for the casting number yes theirs quite a few to say the least lol

 

Yep. You cant change the engine operating temperature with just a thermostat. If you just replace the thermostat the fan will not kick in until it reaches 220 and.. yeah.

 

i wouldnt worry about it unless it starts going up and over 220 while driving.

These cars have very little airflow to the rad so temps will take a jump while your stopped.

The secondary fan is doing its job, i would leave it be.

 

So How do the numbers differ from a 350 and a 305 will they actually say 350 or 305?

 

As the guys are trying to say, there is no quick, clean, low hassle way to know about the engine. If you wanna know for sure, you'll have to look at the block numbers. If its a later model, the displacement wiil be stamped in a couple of places on the block, as mentioned above. The older blocks, you'll just have to get the casting # and follow the link posted above. This is a 350 casting # shown in the pic, but there are many different 350 casting numbers and yours could be the same or different, you'll just have to do it the old fashioned way and look for yourself. Also, this has been covered a zillion times here and the search button is your friend.