Olds 455 engine

[Butlerson]

I have a chance to buy a Olds 455 for $300. It came out of a boat . The block has the letters LIE and the heads are 396021F. It is painted red which I think was used in 1968 and 69. I was hoping someone could give me some info and advise on it.

 

[joe_padavano]

19 minutes ago, Butlerson said:

I have a chance to buy a Olds 455 for $300. It came out of a boat . The block has the letters LIE and the heads are 396021F. It is painted red which I think was used in 1968 and 69. I was hoping someone could give me some info and advise on it.

 

 

First, the heads don't have that number. 396021 F is the block casting number and appears on the "shelf" above the water pump. That casting number was used on 455 blocks from 1968 through 1974. There are also 1972-76 455 blocks with the casting number 396021Fa. The primary difference is that the Fa blocks usually do not have the threaded hole for the pivot ball to mount the clutch Z-bar.

 

 

 

All Olds blocks from the 1968 model year onward that were originally installed in a production automobile have a VIN derivative stamp on the pad at the LH side towards the front, just below the deck. The second character of that VIN derivative is the model year. Olds also sold a lot of engines for industrial and marine use. If that "LIE" stamp is on the VIN derivative pad and there are no other stamps there, it indicates that it was originally a marine motor. The cylinder heads will have a letter and a casting number. This will identify the model year of the heads, but they may or may not be original to the block.

 

 

 

There is a mold number and Julian date cast next to the distributor hole that can be helpful in identifying the year of the block, though that is not conclusive as there have been proven exceptions to the convention. And finally, engine color could have been changed over the last half century. If you can be certain that the engine was red from the factory, then it likely was a 1968-69 455, but that will be difficult to prove.

 

[Butlerson]

Thank you that was very informative. I appreciate it.