Which casting number has been ground off?
The one behind the drivers side head or the pad in front of the passenger head.

 

missing casting numbers

The casting numbers that are located on the driver's side of the engine towards the rear of the engine, right where the engine bolts to the transmission. It still says GM, but where the casting number would be, it is ground off. Haven't really looked for any other numbers on the block yet.

 

Gotcha!
I read somewhere about some gm crate motors being like that.
The front pad might be blank too.

 

No numbers anywhere

Finally got out in the garage with some good lighting and searched the engine for numbers. There are no numbers anywhere on this engine.
No partial VIN, no casting numbers, nothing.

What other methods can I use to identify it?

 

Finally got out in the garage with some good lighting and searched the engine for numbers. There are no numbers anywhere on this engine.
No partial VIN, no casting numbers, nothing.

What other methods can I use to identify it?

Is it that you can see where ID and casting marks are ground off or is it that they just aren't there? Some aftermarket blocks use few cast in identifiers.

What does the legal description say or isn't this licensed?

Bogie

 

You can use the stock heads as identifiers in some cases.

Counting the humps or the hump shape will let you know the heads and potentially then engine.

On the back of the head there is a hump pattern. It may have triangles or rectangles also. There is easily over 20 different hump configurations that I can think of that will let you know if your working on a 350 or 305 kind of deal if it is in stock form.

Take a picture(s) of the back of the heads. If you can shoot the front of them that would help also.

 

cylinder heads

Thanks for the suggestion.
I'll get out there this weekend and get some pictures of the heads and post them here.

 

Left or right hand dipstick tell ya part of the story as well. Add that with the update.

 

The dipstick location and type oil filter can help identify the year of the block.
1955-1979 LH dipstick
1980- RH dipstick

Spin on oil filter replaced cannister oil filter:
1975 - HD trucks, police cars
1968 - full size pass car and Corvette
1964- NOVA V8

 

Some more info

The dipstick is on the driver's side of the car.
It uses a spin on oil filter.
The legal description of the car on the title just says 29 Ford Cp.
It has a camaro steering column in it, that I was able to match up a turn signal switch out of an 81 camaro. That doesn't necessarily mean anything about the engine unless they got the engine from the same car as the column.
The guy I bought it from told me that he was told it was a 350 crate engine.
On closer inspection of where the numbers were, it doesn't really look like they were ground off, it looks like there just weren't any numbers.
Also, it looks like the block is powder coated, so depending on how thick that coating is, maybe they are covered up???

I'm attaching some pictures of the engine. This set won't be much good for identifying the heads cause the valve covers are still on. I'll get more pictures later with the valve covers off.

Let me know what y'all think.

 

Here is a picture of where the numbers should be.

Attached pictures show where expected numbers might be.

 

Attached pictures show where expected numbers might be.

Have you been under it? Often GM puts the last 3 digits of the casting number on the block either left or right you have to check the other side if not on the first one you look at.

The mechanical fuel pump with the drivers side dipstick would suggest a 1979 to 1986 block. Could be a crate as well but these usually have casting numbers. Some crates are provisioned for the dipstick on either side these will have the needed boss on each side just above the pan rail. The post 1986 blocks were for EFI and did not machine the pump mount holes but did the face so a mechanical pump can't be mounted unless additional work is accomplished. However, crate motors intended for 1986 and older installations do have the pump mount finished and of course completing the pump mount for EFI engines by the owner/builder is not unheard of. The problem with all of this is that it does not distinguish between a 305 and a 350 except for casting numbers on the outside they look alike. The head casting number might give a clue as 305s and 350s use different castings.

Pull the rocker cover from the head there should be a casting number on that surface somewhere between the valve sets if these are GM heads. there may also be a casting date clock or code in there. Not that heads have to be the same year or displacement as the block, but it is something to use at any rate. These older style heads for the period before the 1987 model year where they use 4 bolts down the middle instead of around the perimeter. An aftermarket head can often be distinguished from a GM head if newer than 1986 by having both patterns which you can see when you remove the rocker covers to check for a casting number.

Bogie

 

This may help. Long read. But lots of great tech.

casting numbers/vin # | Grumpys Performance Garage


Look like 76cc heads. Which is very good.
But I am guessing that motor is far from stock.

Intake and water pump look to be aftermarket. The thing think looks like a general 10 350 block in which a wide variety of things will bolt up to it. Easy to mix and match to have the thing fit your situation.

Guessing it may have a early 80's HEI stabbed in there or maybe not due to firewall clearance.




I would run the thing until it needs attention then pull the thing, rip off the pan, intake, and heads to get a clear idea what your dealing with and to discuss with my builder.





I will pull a engine for a oil pan gasket without a second thought. Being able to pull a engine in less then a hour is a beautiful thing and lets you do repairs so much better then in car.

How that thing is setting in there you could pop it out and back in during a weekend taking your time.

Pull the pan to know if your dealing with a 2/4 bolt, single/dual seal, and maybe get some crank numbers. Mark the dizzy then pull the intake to let you know what kind of cam your playing with and if you should be running oil for flat or roller. Pull the tappet covers and check the head numbers and see if any goodies are hiding in there.

Be into it for a intake, oil pan gasket, and tappet cover gasket (around $200). Replace the stuff with felpro stuff that can be reused and eliiminate most of the guesswork.

 

Head pictures.

Here's pictures of one head with valve cover removed.
There are some casting numbers but I'm having trouble reading them, looks like they may have been partially bead blasted off.

One number is B12 7B
Another could be any of the following:
553882
333882
666882
353882
xxx882???

Hard for me to see, maybe y'all can make out the pictures better than I could, they don't look any better in person.

As far as cam goes, it sounds like it has a pretty healthy cam in it, real lopey when idling.

 

heads.

According to the link cerial posted, and if that casting number on the head is 333882, then these heads were originally from the following:

333882 350-400, 74-80, 76cc, 160/60cc ports

So it probably really is a 350, and at least that gives me a year range.
That link also showed other places there may be numbers, so I'll get out the reading glasses and search the block more thoroughly.

 

According to the link cerial posted, and if that casting number on the head is 333882, then these heads were originally from the following:

333882 350-400, 74-80, 76cc, 160/60cc ports

So it probably really is a 350, and at least that gives me a year range.
That link also showed other places there may be numbers, so I'll get out the reading glasses and search the block more thoroughly.

The dipstick location, the mechanical fuel pump, and now the 882 head i.d. certainly lean toward this being a pre 1980 motor.

Bogie

 

882 heads are door stops or boat anchors....