OK i am going thru my 68 Notchback and making sure numbers are good. Found all the numbers on the rad support and rear truck and they all match the fender tag order number. Now for the engine, i am not finding the stamp on the rear of the block but it is pretty dirty and not much room with the engine still in the car. I did find the front stamp under the drivers side head and the casting date on the passenger side. This is were my confusions starts. The casting date on the side of the block is 9-6-67 ok not sure if a block would sit that long as my build date for the car was 9-19-68. The stamp on the front is PM318R 2243 272? If i read the sheet correctly a P is a 79? but the 2243 is a 68 date code?
318 Identification
- Thread starter Trad68
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What shape side marker light/reflectors does your car have on the fenders? Are they round or rectangular? A build date of mid September 1968 would indicate it‘s a 1969 model year car. Chrysler typically stopped production of that model year in July with the next model year starting in August. In other words, the last of the 68 model year cars would be built in July (maybe early August) 1968 before the 1969‘s were made and hitting dealership lots in September 1968.
Drivers side, front of the block below the cylinder head is where the specific block numbers are stamped. It's on the machined deck surface that sticks out under the head.
It has the round 68 marker lights..
i just realized something. my fender tag states a build date of September 16 but I'm guessing that would have been in 67 not 68. No the casting date on the side of the block would make sense for 9-6-67.. Still don't understand the P maybe it was stamped wrong.
Wow, a 1968 model year car built on September 19, 1968 is very, very, very late build car! Others with 68 model year cars would know better but I don’t think Chrysler started adding the last few digits of the car VIN to the engine block until part way through 1968 production and even then it might have varied depending on the production plant? The fact your block was built very early in the 1968 model year production and the car was built very very late is a head scratcher for sure.
I am far from a expert but the 2243 is the Julian date code when it was assembled. September 18 1968. It was eb=ngine #272 assembled that day.
Guys in the know, correct me if I am wrong.
PM 318R I believe is Maryville plant (PT is Trenton)
From what I have seen in the past is the engine casting number is always the prior year.
My Galen book says the first 2 characters are the assembly plant followed by the CID and R for regular fuel. There is no mention of model year in those first 2 characters. The assembly date is the Julian code regardless of what year and model they were installed. As an example, a late built 67 engine could go in a 67 model year car or a early 68. THe Julian code is the important date.
As long as the engine is assembled prior to the car assembly date, all is well (a reasonable amount of time) From what I understand, 68 was a transition year for VIN# stamps on engines and transmissions. If yours was a 69, the vin would be stamped and you would (or would not) be "numbers matching".
Sounds good. I was going by this sheet i found on the web. Not sure what it came from..
According to that chart your engine would be a 79. (PM318R) 68 would be a "D"
cudamark
Well-Known Member
Nope. PM was used in both '68 and '69 on 318 blocks. (and 273's too)
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cudamark
Well-Known Member
Looks good to me for an original for your car. PM is Mound Road plant and was used in both '68 and '69. (for the 273's also) The casting date is good for an early '68 model too. 919 is Sept 19th 1967, not '68. Also, in '68 the VIN was not stamped into a 318 block. Only high performance engines got that. In '69 they all got it.
I corrected my post above. Sept 19 67. The Galen book for the Julian date code says "1968 model year" which would be 67.
You have to think backwards. -
