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Attn sbc gurus - what can you tell me about this block

W

wisman

Member
Joined
May 29, 2011
Messages
12
Location
wisconsin
Corvette
c5 blue 6 speed
Casting number 3892657
pad CE8 23219
small journal forged steel crank
domed pistons
solid lift cam

What date was it casted?
What does all those number mean on the back of the block?
What does the circle of dots with the pointer indicate?
If the "8" on the pad (CE8 23219) indicate 1968, but 1968 used large journal cranks --???
 

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wisman,

Here is what I have. Others chip in.
Casting #: 3892657
Years used: 64 - 67
CI Used On: 350, 327 & 302
2-Bolt mains

I coun't find anything on CE8 other then the following. Note: CODE CExxxx (counter or crate engine) was used from 1968 to current year.

Good luck with the rest.

Cheers

Vito
 
Your second photograph shows a casting date of H 18 7 which equals August 18th 1967. Could be a warranty replacement block for who-knows-what or an over the counter crate engine.

The rear end shot showing H16 and 657 are date and the last three numbers of the block casting number respectively.

The front shot shows a pipe plug fitting above the timing chain cover which I believe was exclusive to Flint MI cast blocks.

The circle of dots with a pointer is a 'clock' indicating when the block was cast.

The pistons, bores and decks appear to be in very good condition- nice find!
 
Thanks for the input
I wanted some experts to look at it to see if I could confirm my beliefs.
I bought this engine 35 years ago along with a bunch of high performance parts. Owner was into racing when the wife got pregnant and after a couple years of sitting in the basement he decided to unload the whole thing. he bought it new and pulled it apart to balance it and thats where it sat for 9 years until I came along. I put it all together and stuck it in my first car, a 74 camaro. 30,000 miles later the car has an electrical fire and the fun was over, I kept the engine and trash the car. 30 years later in 2006 resurrected the engine with fresh rings & bearings, honed the cyl walls and stuck in my 69 camaro for a year while I built a stronger 350. It still pulled strong and reved up just like the old days. it's been in storage again for the last 4 years. I was cleaning the garage
and I thought I'd take some pictures and see if I could confirm what the original owner stated. He told me it was originally a 67 327/350 hp Vette engine. I'm only confused with the 67 casting vrs the 68 stamping on the pad. Again,
Thanks for your input.
 
Being that it was cast in August 1967, that was past the end of production for '67 Corvettes. The 8 after the CE is probably for the year assembled, possibly as a warranty engine for a '67 Corvette. Without paperwork, it would be impossible to prove when where it was first installed and for what reasons.
 
Can you think of any application that a domed piston and a solid lift cam was used, other than a Vette?
 
wisman said:
Can you think of any application that a domed piston and a solid lift cam was used, other than a Vette?
Click to expand...

That's a Flint V-8-built short block, manufactured in early 1968. L-79's (327/350hp, hydraulic lifters) used the same 11:1 domed pistons as the L-76 (327/365hp, solid lifters); L-79's were also available in the ChevyII/Nova, but the L-76 was only available in '64-'65 Corvettes. If that short block came from GM with a solid-lifter cam in it, it was a non-warranty customer-paid replacement (the 5/50 powertrain warranty didn't start until 1967).

:beer
 
Give that man a cigar (JohnZ)
I think you may be on to something, the cam is a gm piece but may not be part of the original package. I recall that, he called it a 30/30 cam which I believe was a 302 cam. In the huge pile of parts he gave me was several cams but I never decoded these cams.(still sitting in the basement) I suppose the original cam may be sitting downstairs. I'll have to decode these next. Do you know how to decode cams?
I suppose it could have been a short block, that would explain why in the 2 truck loads of parts there were no heads.
or he was keeping them for himself -- back in those days a good set of 2.02 heads were hard to come by.
 
"CE"-stamped blocks were only furnished as either short blocks or "fitted blocks" (short block, less crank and rods). If your loose cams are GM pieces, I can probably decode them; they will have either 4-digit or 7-digit raised casting numbers on them.

:beer
 
So I went digging through the pile of old parts piled up in the basement. The pile got smaller through the years, I could only find one cam and it was a Sig high flow cam but it was in a GM shipping tube with part number 3863151--any thoughts? My belief is, this is the cam he ordered to replace the original and this is what I've been running this whole time. Not sure what happened to the org at this time.
Seeing how I got you on the hunt, I have a bunch of parts I'd like to run past you, one at a time.
 
Now I'm REALLY starting to wonder what I' running in the engine! Ive been using solid lifters! The guy I bought this stuff from told me to use this cam (handing it to me) and these lifters and it was a 302 cam. The tube may not have anything to do with cam I'm running. Almost makes me want to pull the block out of storage and pull the cam out to see what the heck I've been running. All I know is, it was a hellofalot fun from 3000 on up. What would be the harm, or results of running a solid lifter on a Hyd cam?
 
The 3863151 is the L-79 (327/350hp) hydraulic cam, and it will have the raised casting number 3863152 and a vertical diamond symbol on the core. The "30-30" solid-lifter cam was 3849346, and will have the raised casting number 3849347 on the core.

:beer
 
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