Solidusdonut

Hey guys. Just pulled my engine and trans for a rebuild. Its an 84 firebird and all I know is its not the original motor. Casting numbers on front passenger side are... 16S...maybe...140482.
Other one is V0317CMJ.
Back driver side is 3970010.
Here's the numbers above oil filter as well. 010 020 162.
I need as much info as you all can give. Google hasn't been much help. :/

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

3970010 = 69 - 80 4" bore block

Those other #s are the VIN of the vehicle it originally was installed in. EQUALLY OBVIOUSLY, not yours.

OBVIOUSLY not original to your car.

Was used in 350, 327, 302.

There will be a number, 1 #, 1 letter, 2 numbers; right near the casting # on the bell hosuing flange; that's its casting date. Post that and we can tell you what year it was poured.

Probably the single most common 4" block in existence.

Nothing else matters; all the stamping code will tell you is what vehicle the BLOCK came in. Tells NOTHING about what heads the rebuilder stuck on it, what pistons, what cam, etc. etc. etc. it got built with.

Someone will come on here presently and tell you that the "010 020" means "high nickel, hich tin". They are full of excrement, that was an experiment tha tlasted about 3 months, and then the casting plates got all mixed up and ceased to mean ANYTHING AT ALL.

But hey, at least you've got a 4" bore.

So now, if it needs a rebuild AGAIN, all you gotta figure out is, is it worth "rebuilding" again. How far has it already been bored; does it have any of The Problems that afflict blocks of that age - starter bolt holes too far from the crank, lifter bores that don't point at the cam, bell housing dowel pins that are so far from the crank centerline that even offset ones won't align the trans to the crank, and so on.

Pay more attention to stuff like that; and NO ATTENTION WHATSOEVER to the "codes". They are UTTERLY WORTHLESS at this point in the life cycle of THE BLOCK.

Solidusdonut

Thanks for your reply. Will get that number for you in the morning.

On all my past cars I just did body work. This is going to be my first rebuild. Watched a video of a guy doing a tear down and rebuild and looked simple enough to me. I was told it was a 350 bored 30 over when I bought it but there was no proof. Is there a realtivly easy way to check to see if its ever been rebuilt. Don't matter if I have to take it apart as I plan on doing that.

Lurbie

iTrader: (3)

Measure your cylinder bore diameter. A 350 has a 4" bore. If it was bored 0.030 over, you'll measure 4.030"

DeltaElite121

This is correct. Go to harbor freight and buy one of their calipers and you can use that to measure the bore. That will tell you for sure what you're currently sitting at.

Solidusdonut

After looking some more I can't find anymore cast numbers. I proceded on removing the valve covers to find a push rod MIA... That explains the low power but the motor showed no symptoms. Would post pics but can't on mobile. Will update once I get to the block. Gonna jot down the head and intake numbers as well and see what info I can find.

Solidusdonut

Well the piston under that is in pretty bad shape. Correct me if I'm wrong but 14022601 are 305 HO heads right?

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

305 heads, generally.

Some HOs got those; some (mine for example) got 416. Some other 350s also got the 601s.

What's the cyl diameter? (4.03", 4.04", 4.06", ??)

Solidusdonut

Hey guys. Taking a break before I pull out the cam abd thought I'd update everyone. I went to get a mic today but they were out. I've decided to hot tank the block so I will get a measurement when I drop it off. I have everything off the engine except the stubborn flywheel. The guy at the machine shop said he would hone the block, something about bearings and replace all the plugs for $100. Seems decent to me. Will update

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Determine the cyl dia BEFORE spending A DIME on it.

Solidusdonut

Understood. Idk if you can determine it off a piston number or not. 6271096 That's stock right?

Solidusdonut

Also... Bad news. I found a crack under the passengers side 3rd cylinder. I'm gonna have the shop take a look at it. If its fixable I'm going to continue the rebuild. If not I'm just gonna patch the crack and replace the broke parts unless I can find a block cheap enough.

Lurbie

iTrader: (3)

I'm not very familiar with repairing blocks, but as cheap and readily available as a SBC 350 is, I'd count my losses and get another block. No reason to puts hundreds or thousands of dollars into a build just to hope that the crack doesn't get bigger. Have you looked at the aftermarket blocks too? You'll likely have the same amount into it by the time your done with machine work and all.

Solidusdonut

Lol at this rate it won't be a rebuild. Ill have to take a look at AM blocks. Really depends on the costs as I'm on a budget. If worse comes to worse Ill patch the crack with jb weld and some liquid sealant and just slowly start buying a whole new motor.