Joe Lucia

[Jim S.]

Joe,
I was looking at a "69" big block car ,very rough and very, very dirty.At any rate the stamp pad reads "to710trk".At least I think thats what it reads.It was very lightly stamped and I could find no vin #S at all!what the heck is it?
Thanks,
Jim

[Michael W.]

Re: Joe Lucia

I think I know what it is, so I'll email Joe so he can tell you. Hint: 'trk' sounds like an abbreviation for tr _ _k? Want to buy a vowel?

Or you can go here:

http://www.nastyz28.com/sbchevy/spcoded.html

like everybody else does that wants to look smart.

[Jim S.]

Re: Joe Lucia

Mike,
I thought of that right off ,but couldn't bring myself to believe anyone would stick a truck motor into a corvette! I was hoping for an alternative explantion , but that chart kind of seals it!
Thanks for the post
Jim

[Ed Jennings]

Re: Joe Lucia

In most cases, particularily with earlier 283 and 327's, there is not any difference in a truck block, a passenger car block and a Corvette block. In the case of the mild performance Corvette engines, there is little to differentiate the entire engine assembly from its less illustrous brethern. When a block was cast at the foundry, it was a matter of random selection as to whether it would power a dump truck or become a legendary Corvette fuelie, or LT1 or whatever.

[Joe L.]

Re: Joe Lucia

Jim------

I've been out of town trying to run away from uncontrollable grief caused by the passing of my cat. I wasn't sure I was ever going to come back, but here I am. At least, I'm here for the time being. What happens next, who knows?

Anyway, as others have described, the engine in question began life in a 1978 or 1981 truck with 454. As far as the basic engine goes, there is absolutely no difference between a truck block (for light duty truck application, like this one) and a Corvette block. Some MD/HD trucks use a "tall deck" block. However, these require different intake manifolds and distributors and usually won't fit into a C3 Corvette unless a radical hood is used.

If this engine still has its original cylinder heads, they will be small port, oval heads. These are not the same as the larger oval port heads used for most Corvette applications. However, the heads can easily be changed. Other internal changes to the engine can be made, too, to yield much higher performance.

Many, many, many big block engines currently residing in Corvettes started out life in trucks. In fact, that's where most big block engines come from. You see, Chevrolet didn't really produce the big block engine for cars. They produced them primarily for truck applications and truck applications have been what kept the big block engine alive for all these years, right up to the present.

[Gordon Peterson #4961]

My Condolences

The three major loves of my life - the wife, the '63, and my cats. I know how you feel.

Pete