i am trying to identify an engine i pulled from my old black 85 z28, i know its not the original 305, i was under the impression it was a 69 car 350 but im no longer sure, any help would be greatly appreciated

Casting number: 3956618
Suffix code: V0312HN
Engine partial Vin: 19L044232

thank you

 

68 - 79 350 & 302 250-300HP 4 bolt mains
Truck/Hi Perf



http://www.thedirtforum.com/castings.htm#block

 

it is only a 2 bolt, so it must be a low perf car

and the date code runs as march 12 1969, as far as i can find on the internet

 

That tells you about THE BLOCK.

Doesn't tell you A THING about THE ENGINE.

The odds of a 45-yr-old engine still being EXACTLY as it came from the factory, with no changes whatsoever (or at least, such minute changes that the stamping code still accurately decribes it) are probably somewhere between 1 in 100,000 and 1 in 1,000,000. So remote as to be unworthy of serious consideration by any but the most starry-eyed n00b.

What head castings does it have on it? How far has it already been bored? What cam is in it? What crank is in it? Which ones of The Problems (starter bolt holes too far from the crank, lifter bores don't point at the cam, bores aren't pointed at the crank journals, bell housing dowel pins aren't centered on the crank, head dowel pins locate the heads wrong, bell housing flange isn't perpendicluar to the crank axis, ... the list goes on) does it have? What pistons are in it? What's the deck clearance? What ....

That's the stuff that makes a difference; not the suffix code stamped on THE BLOCK. THE BLOCK has long since forgot what sheet metal (or even fiberglass) it was wrapped in when originally delivered.

You can take A BLOCK from a lowly 160 HP 350 2-bbl 75 Impala, and turn it into a 600 HP ground pounder; or, A BLOCK from a 71 "LT-1", and turn it into a puny wheezing pathetic TBI truck motor. THE BLOCK will still carry that stamping code that MEANS NOTHING.

If you're trying to make a decision about what to do with THE ENGINE, that stamping is of no value. There's better ways of figuring out what's the right thing to do in your situation.

 

The 3956618 casting is a 4" bore block from 1968-1969

The HN suffix code could be two different engines from that period.

It could be a 327 from 1968 or a 350 from 1969. They both could have had 4 bolt mains. There's another HN code from 1969 but the casting doesn't fit in that time period.

Your partial VIN breaks down to 19L044232

1 = Normally a check digit.
9 = 1969
L = Van Nuys, California
044232 = Sequential number which is strange because they usually start with 100001

Based on all that information, it's a 1969 350 block. How much is still original you won't know until it's torn down. Any other component attached to the block could be something completely different. Tear it down and get all the casting numbers from everything if you want more information.

 

the engine is in fact mostly torn down, the crank, rods and pistons match the block (as far as i know), the heads have long since been removed, the cam, as far as i know, is stock but worthless.

sofakingdom, the point in my post was solely for the intent of figuring out where the block itself came from as i have no intention of using the rest of the shortblock, the cam is burnt and worn, the crank is old and damaged (spun rod bearing), the pistons are in decent condition as are the rods but i would replace them with a forged/h-beam combination, i was trying to figure out if the block was worth putting all the money into or if i should just bump up to a ls1 instead for the 3,000 i intend on spending.

i did a bit more research and the site i went to (nastyz28.com) suggested that the engine came from a 1969 gm B-body car, i also measured the bore with a depth gauge and it comes to about 3.46" so its not the 327.

my last question is how much is this worth as a bare block?
how much would it be worth rebuilt?

i am a automotive/diesel technician but i am not very well versed in the market for rebuilt engines.

thank you

 

As a bare block core in need of rebuilding, it's worth pretty much the same as any other 70s era 350 block core in the same state. Value depends on how far it's already been bored, and whether it identifiably has any of The Problems referred to above that plague the majority of blocks from that era.

Same for after it's rebuilt; no different from any other 69 - 80 2-pc RMS block rebuilt with the same parts & machine work. That could vary widely between a "gee boss I always wanted to rebuild an engine" hack job, an El Cheeeepo "rebuilder special", somebody's "resto" project, a hard-core racing engine, etc. As such, it could be anything between less than the value of a stripped-down block (since it might need to be striped back down, in which case it requires labor to bring it back UP TO to the "value" of a bare one) and many thousands of $$$$.

The "value" in either case is independent of the stamping code.

Measure the bore before making a decision; that's the primary thing you need to know first.