Block Pad Number V0908HW

[Bart B.]

I am trying to determine if the engine I have is a Corvette engine and if it is likely to be a 1969 or 1970 application. The pad is stamped with V0908HW and does not have the partial VIN you would expect. The block is a 3970010 casting number with a date of September 5, 1969. Heads are casting 3927186 with dates of August 18 and August 15 of 1969. I think it is a 350/350 motor for a manual transmission. So is this motor a corvette production motor, a replacement motor or what? why would the VIN be missing from the block pad?

Bart

[Michael W.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

HW is a valid code for a 1969 Corvette 350/350 w/ manual trans. No idea why the VIN derivative is not here. A replacement engine of that era would have a CE prefix. Do the dates make sense with the car's production date?

Are you sure the pad is original and not a partial restamp?

[Joe L.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

I am trying to determine if the engine I have is a Corvette engine and if it is likely to be a 1969 or 1970 application. The pad is stamped with V0908HW and does not have the partial VIN you would expect. The block is a 3970010 casting number with a date of September 5, 1969. Heads are casting 3927186 with dates of August 18 and August 15 of 1969. I think it is a 350/350 motor for a manual transmission. So is this motor a corvette production motor, a replacement motor or what? why would the VIN be missing from the block pad?

Bart

Bart------

The "HW" suffix definitely confirms that it's a 1969 L-46 (350 HP, 350 cid). There are only 2 reasons that the VIN derivative could be missing:

1) It was a St. Louis factory mistake;

2) The engine is a complete PRODUCTION engine but originally sold in SERVICE. I don't know if this was being done as early as 1969 but it was definitely done later.

[Bart B.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

The engine was not in a car when I got it. I do not have any history of the car it came from other than they thought it was from a Corvette. Could this be a hold over engine from 69, due to the strike, and not installed until the 1970 model year?

[Bart B.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

The pad looks original with all the age and machine marks.

[Joe L.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

The engine was not in a car when I got it. I do not have any history of the car it came from other than they thought it was from a Corvette. Could this be a hold over engine from 69, due to the strike, and not installed until the 1970 model year?

Bart-----

No, it could not. The 1970 emissions configuration was different and this resulted in a different configuration for the engine assembly. A 1970 Corvette would not have had a 1969 engine installed.

[Michael W.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

The engine was not in a car when I got it. I do not have any history of the car it came from other than they thought it was from a Corvette. Could this be a hold over engine from 69, due to the strike, and not installed until the 1970 model year?

HW is not a valid code for 1970 Corvette or any other GM car.

[Loren L.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

They were still building 1969 Corvettes in December of 1969. I have no VALID date on when CE engines started - does anyone else? I think this was a service replacement engine before the "CE" concept started, ie GUESTIMATE.

[Michael W.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

This:

http://www.camaros.org/engine.shtml#ReplacementEngines

gives a date of 19 Sep. 1969. Other sources state that CE engines started appearing in April 1969.

[Patrick B.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

A fiitted block or a short block would have the CE number but a complete service engine would have the same engine plant stamping as a production engine, and this practice certainly pre-dates 1969.

[David L.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

I am trying to determine if the engine I have is a Corvette engine and if it is likely to be a 1969 or 1970 application. The pad is stamped with V0908HW and does not have the partial VIN you would expect. The block is a 3970010 casting number with a date of September 5, 1969. Heads are casting 3927186 with dates of August 18 and August 15 of 1969. I think it is a 350/350 motor for a manual transmission. So is this motor a corvette production motor, a replacement motor or what? why would the VIN be missing from the block pad?

Bart

Is there a VIN stamping in the vicinity of the oil filter? You have to look closely as the VIN's stamped in this location are stamped on the rough cast surface. I have an original block from a 1970 Camaro SS350 and the VIN is stamped near the oil filter.

Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: Block Pad Number V0908HW

Is there a VIN stamping in the vicinity of the oil filter? You have to look closely as the VIN's stamped in this location are stamped on the rough cast surface. I have an original block from a 1970 Camaro SS350 and the VIN is stamped near the oil filter.

Dave

Dave------


Yes, I'd forgotten about that. That's another definite possibility.