1963 Engine Casting number

[mike cobine]

What do you think?

[Chuck G.]

Re: 1963 Engine Casting number

Looks too small. Tonawanda block? Chuck

[mike mccagh]

Re: 1963 Engine Casting number

agree with chuck. besides tonowanda, could be mid-65 and later flint block but you didn't mention casting date so i assume its 62 or 63 and hence a new york casting.. mike

[William C.]

Re: 1963 Engine Casting number

Look at the casting date, if the year is 2 numbers (63) then it is a Tonawanda block-not Corvette. If a single number 3 than it is a Flint Block and indistinguisable from the other more common large number Flint blocks.

[mike cobine]

4582819450 1963 Chevrolet : Corvette FUEL INJE

[Bill Stephenson]

Re: Oh no, it is the "original engine"

Mike,

-------That car has been for sale several times in the past year or so. Not into 63s so never looked closely at the pics..........Bill S

[John H.]

Re: Oh no, it is the "original engine"

Does it have the "Flint Plug"?

[mike cobine]

Re: Oh no, it is the "original engine"

Is that what is supposed to go there? I had a fitting and a hose that ran to a vacuum pump on one 327.

[Franz E.]

Re: GM's St. Cathernine, Ontario Foundry

The block was cast in GM St Catherine's, Ontario foundry. These blocks primarily supported Canadian automobile production. Blocks are similar to Tonawanda castings, however, as Mr. Hinckley has pointed out doesn't exhibit the "Flint Plug". Casting numbers are the same except for size, St Catherine characters are much smaller than Tonawanda. Applications may have been Pontiac and Chevrolet products assembled in Canada, Based on all available information, no Corvettes.

[Robert Willis]

Re: GM's St. Cathernine, Ontario Foundry

St Catharines Engines also have the date codes on the side of the block between the freeze plugs unlike U.S. blocks.

[Clem Z.]

flint plug made it easy to convert these blocks

to front feed dry sump oil system. this eliminated several 90 degree turns in the main oil gallery. i would just enlarge the hole to 1/4" NTP. without the flint plug you needed a drilling fixture to get the hole in the correct location. on BBC "tall blocks" for trucks there was a similar drilling used to lube the air compressor for the air brakes BUT what was the orignal use on a SBC?????

[John H.]

Re: flint plug made it easy to convert these block

The only use on a SBC (after '55) was to plug the gun-drilled hole Flint needed to create an internal intersection in the front oil gallery; Tonawanda used a different machining process to create that intersection that didn't require the externally-drilled hole.