ok i own a camaro and want to do a rebuild however I do not think the motor is out a camaro .. please help these are the codes that i can see


back of motor on the block it says 8914638


on the frount its hard to see but i believe it says 126870 to72 dr

please help and give me a clue on what size motor it is and what it is out of!!!!

 

Try this site

http://www.nastyz28.com/sbchevy/sblock.html#casting

I don't think is a complete list of casting numbers, and I didn't see either of the numbers you provided on this list. Or do a google search on small block Chevy casting numbers.

 

check your VIN and see if that camaro even came stock with a V8. the best way to check your cast #s is to ask a dealer where the #s will be located and what they should look like, then u can take it back to him and see what he turns up.

 

A block casting ending in 638 could be:

3914638....307.....68....2

or

14093638...350...87-95...2 or 4...Roller or flat tappet cam, one-piece rear seal

From your interpretation of the casting #, I'm guessing it'll be the former one.

126870 is the last digits of the VIN of the car it was originally installed in. Given the format it's in, it's a pre-1980 VIN. Once again, I'm betting it's the 307.

TO72DR is the engine stamping code. It came from the Tonowanda engine plant, which means it probably came out of a truck.

The 307 was the lowest possible V8 of its day. They were all 2-barrels. As it came, it's less than the lowest 305 that came in one of these cars; a genuine POS. But, it's a small block chevy, so any SBC heads will bolt up to it. Its bore is bigger than the 305, and the stoke is shorter, so it can be made to breathe marginally better than a 305, with the same parts. However, the pistons are probably dished, which means the compression will be in the toilet unless they're replaced; which will cost probably $1000-1200 including machine work just on teh block, not counting the heads or anything else. Not much sense spending that kind of money on a garbage motor like a 307 (or a 305 for that matter) when a 350 core is only like $50.

If it's really a 307, don't rebuild it. Go buy a better core. A better core is SUPER CHEAP, and it makes no sense whatsoever to spend all that money and get that much less motor, when so little more money will get so much more motor. A 350 core, at this point, would be the ABSOLUTE CHEAPEST HP you could possibly buy. No other upgrade mod even comes close to the bang for the buck.

 

ok thanks a ton .. well the motor i want would be a small block 400 but i hear they are hard to find .WE own a junk yard and get many 2 bolt main 350s but i do not think they are worth my time. How hard is it to find a small block 400 and what cars did they come in them .. are they really hard to find . and about how much for a core??

 

If it's a hassle to find a 400 (which I agree, it's not that easy), then just use one of your 350 2 bolts. It's FREE, which helps you justify the 383 crankshaft. Boom, damn close to a 400cid, and it's a bunch cheaper to start with, and you're already done.