I have an old block 69-79 casting 3970010, 010, and the small pad infront of the pass. side head only has "TA 44" stamped into it very clearly.

Casting numbers indicate it's either a 302, 327, or 350 with a 4.00" bore.

Date stamp is J187.

I plan on using this engine to replace the 305 in the 92 Firebird.

I have a Quick Fuel DP 650 carb and an Performer RPM intake for the engine. The cam is a TH740... I have to look at it when I get home.

Is the engine a 350 or something else because the casting numbers dont add up to the suffix stamped on the pad? That suffix is for a 57-58 small block 285 I think.

The heads are some ported stock center bolts i havent taken the covers off and looked.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've been reading these threads for years now and just joined the group. I'll be sure to document the build and post it.

 

The 010 block was used in 302,327,& 350 engines.You would be ahead of the game by finding a newer model roller block & starting from it,IMO.

 

If all that's stamped on the pad is TA 44 and no partial VIN then the block has been decked and the stamping is probably done by the machine shop or engine rebuilder. The information of what the engine originally came from is now gone.

J187 is not a suffix date code. Stamped date code has a letter for the assembly plant then 4 digits for the date code then the suffix code. Should be something like V0101CLJ and there should be the last 9 digits of the VIN number also stamped in the same area.

You now have a normal, run of the mill, millions produced, 010 casting 4" bore block. Everything else is meaningless. Check it first. It probably has at least a 0.030" overbore.

 

3970010 = 4" bore

Date casting (not "stamping") J187 = the 18th day of the Jth month (10th, Oct) of a year ending in 7. Which for that casting would be, 1977.

Since the only 4" bore motor in 1977 was the 350, that's what it started out its life as.

Doesn't get much more ordinary than that.

Even if that stamping code was factory, wouldn't make a damn bit of difference, except to somebody doing a "numbers matching" build. Those "codes" don't mean that any one block is better, or not, than any other. There is no useable, actionable, decision-quality information in them.

But if it's in good shape, doesn't have any of the deeeeeep 70s QC Problems, isn't already bored .060" and wore out, etc. etc., could be a decent foundation for a motor.

 

This link sums it up nicely
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...44-post48.html

 

The super hi po guys used em before inexpensive aftermarket blocks hit. They were liked due to being a more consistent casting. If you are under 500hp or even a bit more, probably best to find a roller block unless you already have a lower valvetrain that is compatible.

 

They are no more, or less, consistent, than any other 70s blocks. Well and widely known for being WILDLY inconsistent.

Which is why I referred to the QC Problems from that era... starter bolt patterns drilled too far from the crank, lifter bores that didn't point at the cam, bell housing dowel pins that off-centered the trans from the crank, decks that were in some other area code from the crank, cylinders that pointed at the throws of the crank instead of the journals, ... the list just goes on and on.

But as long as the OP does his homework and checks for ALL of that stuff BEFORE spending a bunch of money putting some DOOMED motor together in it, he might do all right.

 

If you're after a basic stock to mild build as a street replacement build then go ahead and slap an engine together. With the availability of aftermarket components including relatively inexpensive blocks, there's no reason to invest a lot of money into an old production block.

By the time you spend all the machine shop working getting an old production block up to blueprint standards, the cost of an aftermarket block with a much better casting and better tolerances becomes very affordable.

Even a basic parts store long block is a better platform to convert into a mild engine than starting from scratch.