Help to decode this engine, which is best book?

[John R Taylor]

I have a complete engine, I would like to know for sure, what year Corvette it most likely came out of, and its proper horsepower option code. There is a bewildering number of books out there that claim to I.D. this sort of stuff. Please tell me which book or books are the most complete. On the back of the engine,drivers side, there is a raised boss with A2064, Next left to right, is GM above 3858180, 4T on the next raised boss, a dial showing a pointer 7 dots from 0 as you count clockise, CONV 1 on the next boss. Are the letter codes in the flywheel area/ back of block important? The stamp pad at the front of the engine passenger side clealy shows the T0I25S . If this is a Corvette engine...what would the likely VIN number have been for the car it came out of? What else do you use to decode
the horsepower option of the engine? What are the correct casting number heads to look for. ( I have not pulled the valvecovers) The bore scope shows a slight crown on the pistons. It has an 8inch harmonic balancer. I believe it to be a SHP 327/365hp , and from a 1965 Corvette. It may have been a Fuel Injected engine...How would you be sure? John

[Michael W.]

Re: Help to decode this engine, which is best book

I don't believe it's from a Corvette of any year. Using the casting number of 3858180, that identifies it as being a 327 block. Several references indicate it was used in the 1964-67 time period, but in cars other than Corvette. The stamp pad code of T0125S indicates that the engine was assembled at the Tonawanda NY plant on Jan 25. No Corvette small blocks were aseembled at Tonawanda . The suffix 'S' was used on full size Chevs, 250Hp with a powerglide transmission.The sequence of A2064 although in an unusual spot (for a Corvette) may be the casting date of the block, January 20, 1964.

Or I may be full of schnapps, again.

[William C.]

Re: Help to decode this engine, which is best book

the location and the two-number year code do indeed identify this as a Tonawanda block. A few of these blocks made their way into Corvettes, but all were Flint assembled, so you have a passenger car engine. Even the heads have perceptable differences between Saginaw and Tonawanda castings.

[John R Taylor]

Re: Help to decode this engine, which is best book

Bill Clupper, and Mike Ward....Thanks for the info on my engine...I am fixing to tear it down and just wanted to know if it was a Corvette . I will get all the Casting numbers and dates..maybe we can figure roughly where it's from and what it was in it's day. If it has a Chevy cam...it may have the part number on it. Which book or group of books has the distilled knowledge of all you guys that have done this for years, and been around it to the point you really know ? Or is that really asking too much? What do you recommend for the New Guys out here? Thanks again, John

[Wayne P.]

Chevy by the Numbers, Get it at NCRS *NM*

[Frank H.]

Re: Help to decode this engine, which is best book

Hi
If it has a 8" balancer and 461 heads it would be a 300 hp,if S code is 250hp then the heads will be 896.