Aparently Colvin's Chevy By The Numbers has the block 3858180 as Passenger, Chevelle or Corvette. This was based on a previous response I had put in regarding my engin. I purchased Chevy V-8 Engine Casting Numbers 1955-93 by Cars&Parts Magazine. It shows that number as Passenger, Chevelle or Camaro. I have to scrape paint off the block to get the Engine ID off the head, but can anyone offer a tie breaker. It's in my 67 Camaro and I still am not sure if it's the original block but would like to know if the book I bought is less than accurate.

I see it as a 327 listed for 64-67 but doesn't mention which vehicles specifically. I've looked at a lot of 67 Camaros that looked like they had the original engine because the codes and dates matched, but a lot of them did not have the VIN stamped into it. Sounds like it's a possibility you have the original engine. What you really need to check is the casting date on the back of the block and then the engine code and date on the front.

I scrapped the paint off the front passenger side pad and all that is there is 855629822. It doesn't correspond to anything I've seen so far, no date or any other numbers there either. The only other numbers I found so far were next to the block cast, it was K2740 and further up was 8T. As I said, the block has been painted, so it's hard to find all the numbers.

What book did you get your info from?

[This message has been edited by pr67 (edited 05-16-2000).]

I have 2 67 camaro 327's. Neither have the vin stamped on them. I have never seen a 67 camaro vin stamped on any block, and I've seen a few.

------------------
Steve
67 SS 396,4-sp
67 RS 327,4-sp
72 RS 350/350
69 4X4 suburban 350,4-sp
73 3/4 ton 454/400
http://www.geocities.com/stevocamaro

Maybe the big number you're seeing has something to do with it being a Canadian car. Have you tried to contact GM of Canada to see if they have your VIN on record? You can get some paperwork showing all the options that originally came on the car if it was sold in Canada. The K2740 should be the date, but the 40 doesn't sound right. Did you pull the valve covers and check the dates on the heads yet? They can help determine the possibility of the engine being original or not. You don't see any engine code on the passenger side pad by the head? Should be something like V1030ME or something similar. Without the code or VIN, you'll never really be able to prove 100% it's original, but if the dates are close enough, then you can assume it's the original.

The vehicle history shows me it was originally sold in Canada. I've called GM Canada and they are sending me the paperwork in about two weeks.

I haven't pulled the valve covers off yet and the only number I found on the pad was that long one. Nothing else. It's definitely K2740 though, I've checked it more than once and it is pretty clearly stampped.

Any other suggestions? Anyone else have reference material other than Colvin or Cars&Parts?

The block casting date should be on the passenger side and the casting number on the driver's side. Check the passenger side for the casting date on the back of the block like the casting #. The K2740 may be some other casting code or a Julian date. You'll be able to verify the original options with the GM of Canada documentation, but a lot of 67's never had the VIN stamped into the block so don't sweat it too much.

3858180 can also be used in a truck! Bet this is one!

Never thought of that. Do truck engin VINs decode the same way? Maybe the number on the front pad is a truck VIN.

855629822 the first and 3rd digits do not make sense to me for that casting. Truck VIN's are the same but if this was a GM truck the 1st digits should be a 1, C (Chevy) or T (GMC) but a 8 was not used for a GM divsion till Saturn. A 3 would be Oldsmobile which used Chevy builts engine in the 70's and 80's and the 3rd digit 5 could be a Olds plant, I find a 5 used for Bowling Green and London, Ontario but my GM code book stops listing plant at 1986.

The only thing I can say is to make absolutely sure you have the numbers correct. Sometimes they can fool you, 3's look like 8's and vice versa, 5's resemble 6's. I have had to use emory cloth or sand paper to get the stamped numbers to become clear.

The 855 is the main area of concern and as you are probably aware represents the GM division, model year and assembly plant in that order.

Its always possible this engine was used for some other application. My parts book mentions engines used for irrigation use.

That's not the casting #, but the stamping on the engine pad. The casting # he's referring to is in the first post. I've seen engine stampings with a really long # like that on a Canadian block before. They always have to do something just a little different in Canada, don't they! Just kidding.

You have no idea. My only hope now, it seems, is to wait for GM Canada and see if the car was originally sold in Canada. If so, maybe that will give me the info I need.

Once I know if it's the original engine, I can decide how I will restore it. If it's all original, I'll try to restore it to as close to original as possible. Otherwise, I'll make some modifications to my personal liking.