63 eng numbers

[Rick H.]

New to Vette world. Where do I find engine number and where do I find what eng car was born with?
Thank you

[Rick G.]

Re: 63 eng numbers

Hi Rick. Welcome to the NCRS! I suggest you purchase the Technical Information and Judging Guide for the year of your car. It will answer many of your questions and is the best resource available. You can purchase it at the online store link above under "Member Services".

[Owen L.]

Re: 63 eng numbers

New to Vette world. Where do I find engine number and where do I find what eng car was born with?
Thank you

You should find the engine casting number on the rear flange of the block that the transmission bolts to. There are secondary stamped numbers (or should be) on a "pad" just below the front of the passenger-side cylinder head, to the side of the water pump bolts. Be aware that none of these will tell you what the car was manufactured with and there is no GM record of what options were installed on a specific VIN. The casting number will indicate the block configuration and the casting date will tell you if the block was poured in an appropriate time frame prior to the car's build date (according to where it falls in the model year's VIN sequence). Any stampings may indicate (but no 100% guarantee) if the block was stamped with your frame & body VIN, the engine assembly date, and the engine's option code.

The stamped pad is what most people refer to when stating that a car has "matching numbers". The problem is that the stamps have been counterfeited for decades, so they are not the sole clue to whether your car came with the coded engine that's currently installed. Just about every engine option has secondary clues in other parts of the car to help verify the engine.

Take a few very clear pics of the pad and post them if you are curious as to hearing opinions on whether it reflects factory-typical characteristics.

[Tim G.]

Re: 63 eng numbers

Rick, if you're looking at a 1963 to purchase, please be careful. There are many misrepresented cars out there, especially 1963 Corvettes. NCRS is here to help you sift through the bad stuff.

[David H.]

Re: 63 eng numbers

Rick

Welcome to NCRS Tech Board.

Links below are to several John Hinckley articles. Many of these articles are applicable to both Corvette and Camaro.

In particular, that "cast codes" pdf may be helpful to you when sorting out your engine.

"Lime Book" on that list may also have useful information in this instance.

Dave

http://www.camaros.org/pdf/cast_codes.pdf

http://www.camaros.org/articles.shtml

[Rick H.]

[Thomas S.]

Re: 63 eng numbers

Top front by water pump. 327/340shp.

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[Rick H.]

Re: 63 eng numbers

Most helpful thank you

[Thomas S.]

Re: 63 eng numbers

Good luck. There is a wealth of knowledge by many owners that go way way back. You won’t fInd that anywhere else on any site devoted Vettes. There is simply no substitute for having worked on these cars when they were first released and over the decades since.

Above all keep it original and you can’t go wrong.