I do have some books that list many of the codes from the 50s to the 70s, in addition to the ones pictured here, if you need help finding one please send me a PM. There are literally hundreds of suffix codes, and I will not attempt to list them all here.
Chevy engine serial number decoding code#
The first letter of the 3 letter code on early to mid 70s engines will often be C for Chevrolet car engines, and T for chevrolet truck engines. It can be one or two letters on 1969 and older engines, and three letters on 1970 and newer.
Before about 1960, the date does not have the leading zero, so in this example you would see F306AF.ĪF is the suffix code. The first letter tells you what plant the engine is from, either V or F (Flint, MI), it could be T (Tonawonda, NY).Ġ306 is march 6th, the assembly date. The stamped code on 1957 and newer engines tells you the engine assembly plant, the month and day of assembly, and the type of engine and what it was used in. Mid 50s engine have a sequential engine number, engine plant, the last two ditits of the year, and the letter suffix code. The stamped code on 30s-mid 50s engines includes some variation of the car model code, and a sequential engine number, but no date information. Some newer V8s have it on a little machined pad just above the timing cover. It will be on a machined pad at the base of the distributor on straight sixes, or on the deck surface just in front of the passenger side head on V8s. The third set of numbers is the engine number stamped into the block. The casting date is usually a day or two or three before the engine assembly date, but sometimes it's weeks or even a month or more earlier. The last number (sometimes last two) is the year. The second or second and third number is the day of the month. The letter is the month, A = Jan, B = Feb, C = March, etc up to L = December. The casting date code is a letter followed by 2, 3 or 4 numbers. The date codes are sometimes ambiguious, because they don't have the whole year, only the last digit (with a few exceptions). Casting numbers for Chevy V8 engines can be found at:Ĭasting numbers for Chevy 1937-1962 (stovebolt) inline six blocks can be found at:Īt the same area where you find the block casting number, you will also find the casting date code. On the V8 engines, it is on the top of the block, at the back, above the bellhousing area. On the straight 6 engines, it is on the back on the passenger side of the block, hidden or almost hidden by the starter motor, or along the middle bottom of the block, possibly hidden by an engine mount. We will start with the block casting number, which is from 6 to 9 digits long. Each engine will have 3 or 4 number sequences that when combined, will identify what the engine is from. The mid 50s and earlier engines are stamped differently than the newer ones, but the casting date numbers work the same back into the early 1930s. Chevy was pretty good about putting a lot of information on their engines, and the numbering systems have stayed mostly the same for a long time.
Chevy engine serial number decoding how to#
The point of this article is to help you figure out how to decode stuff.I seem to answer a lot of questions about Chevy engine numbers, so I thought I'd share some of my "secrets" here in a tech post. Lastly, in extreme cases, you'll want to verify the numbers stamped onto the component were the ones stamped into it originally and aren't restamped. You need to decode the engineand see if it matches the vehicle, and if the code signifies Z28 or SS equipment. Numbers matching is important when you're trying to decode a Z28 or Super Sport where the VIN won't identify the vehicle as such. But numbers correct is not numbers matching. Some folks use these terms loosely, or will say 'numbers correct' or something to that effect. If it does - it's 'numbers matching',otherwise - it's not. The partial VIN will match the vehicles VIN. This match is done via the PARTIAL VIN stamp on the component. When people say 'It's numbers matching' - what they mean is the engine (or other component, i.e the transmission) can be MATCHED to the vehicle it was originally used in. This is my opinion, and the generally accepted norm:
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