Original engine or not?

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Backally

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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i see threads about people looking for the original engine to their car. I got a 340 engine in a 70 Duster. By looking at the numbers on the block how can I identify if it was the original engine? And from what I read there should be numbers on the rt side of the block but mine doesn’t.
Thanks
 
There is a machined pad right under that hex "block drain plug" if you sand the paint down there should be a series of numbers that include a VIN sequence. i also think there may be another pad under the LF cylinder head...or maybe that's Chevy:) dern it I'm gettin old memory is foggy:)
 
Ok, had some grease on it and I didn’t see it from my angle. It’s not the original, is there a way to see what it came from?
 
We can try.... Can you get a clear closeup photo of the number and post it?
 
Now, look on the front of the motor, right under where the drivers side head meets the block, there will also be numbers there. Assembly date of the motor, displacement, fuel designation, and a couple other numbers. Then, correlate all that with the casting number and casting date of the block. You should be able to say it was cast on.....date, was assembled in ......date, it’s a .....displacement motor for car 123932
 
2 is the model year...1972
B is the manufacturing plant...Hamtramck Mi
The last 6 are your sequential build numbers, which should match the last 6 digits of your dash VIN, fender tag VIN, and body stampings
That block sat around the warehouse a while before it was machined and installed. July 70 for 71 model year.
 
Yeah there is "numbers matching" and "period correct" for a replacement engine etc. I would think the latter is all based on the date of the block.
 
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Now, look on the front of the motor, right under where the drivers side head meets the block, there will also be numbers there. Assembly date of the motor, displacement, fuel designation, and a couple other numbers. Then, correlate all that with the casting number and casting date of the block. You should be able to say it was cast on.....date, was assembled in ......date, it’s a .....displacement motor for car 123932

Looks like HM 340 R 36580 206. Not sure if you can see them in the photo
 
I can’t make out much besides the 340P, and a few numbers. The P stands for premium fuel, as most 340 blocks called for. There’s an assembly date in that somewhere, but all I have is my puny little phone screen to look at it with.
 
That block sat around the warehouse a while before it was machined and installed. July 70 for 71 model year.
True. I have read that as a rule of thumb, most matching number parts (including the engine), should be dated no more than 2-3 months before the car's build date. BUT that exceptions could occur. I've read many accounts where dates on parts would be well outside that 2-3 month period. I always wondered if judges accepted those exceptions, or if the owners struggled to prove it was the car's original part.
 
True. I have read that as a rule of thumb, most matching number parts (including the engine), should be dated no more than 2-3 months before the car's build date. BUT that exceptions could occur. I've read many accounts where dates on parts would be well outside that 2-3 month period. I always wondered if judges accepted those exceptions, or if the owners struggled to prove it was the car's original part.

I had a 68 cast 383 that didn’t get assembled until 1971, I always wondered what happened to that block, must’ve been waaaaay back in the corner.
 
I had a 68 cast 383 that didn’t get assembled until 1971, I always wondered what happened to that block, must’ve been waaaaay back in the corner.
LOL. Or maybe waaaaaaaaaay back in the corner under a pile of seat covers made from 'Rich Corinthian Leather'.
 
I had a 68 cast 383 that didn’t get assembled until 1971, I always wondered what happened to that block, must’ve been waaaaay back in the corner.
LOL. Or maybe waaaaaaaaaay back in the corner under a pile of seat covers made from 'Rich Corinthian Leather'.
I just bet the warehouse didn't rotate their inventory. FILO (first in, last out) They just keep filling the empty space in the front of the bin with new castings.
 
The 340 in my swinger came from a 72 challenger and it was cast in 70. They just used what was on hand and some may have been pushed to the back like mentioned. So casting date will get you in the general area but the vin and other stampings tell the true story.
Those numbers on the front of the engine can be hard to read. They are usually so shallow that paint fills them in.
 
LOL. Or maybe waaaaaaaaaay back in the corner under a pile of seat covers made from 'Rich Corinthian Leather'.

I know, right? I always say, don’t do something you don’t want to be known for. Instead of being a badass like Kahn, Ricardo will always be known for his love of the “finer” things, and for that parrot he had, what’s his name?....Tattoo?
 
I know, right? I always say, don’t do something you don’t want to be known for. Instead of being a badass like Kahn, Ricardo will always be known for his love of the “finer” things, and for that parrot he had, what’s his name?....Tattoo?
Tattoo was played by Hervé Villechaize. Did you know that he built a large complex of apartment buildings designed specifically for small people. Everything was sized and engineered for the wee people. And best of all, he did not charge them rent. He called them Stay Free Mini Pads. LOL!!
 
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