Guest Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I have a '57 Bel Air I am restoring that originally came with a 6cyl engine, and the previous owner got the car, it had a 327 in it. I know this isn't the original engine, but is there anyway I can track this engine and see what it came out of?Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 327 were available 1962-69 in several performance levels. I think your best bet is to find an old Chilton or Motor general service manual that covers those years and look up the engine code in that (I have a 69 Chilton Professional Edition that I can check if you can give me the engine code).The V8 engine code is found on a machined pad on the right front of the block, just under the cylinder head. There'll be a T or F (or sometimes a C), followed by numbers, followed by a two-letter code. The two-letter code will tell you what the engine was originally installed in.Other than being a little expensive to buy internal parts for now, the 327 is an excellent engine choice AND AT LEAST IT AIN'T A 350!!! I get SO tired of seeing crate 350s stuck in everything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Thanks for the Info. I will get the number. Do you know of a place on-line where that would be listed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Mine only has one letter at the end. The whole thing is F0404D.Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Ok, can someone tell me if I have this right. My engine ident. number is F0404DFrom what I am coming up with it should beF= Flint motor plant0404 = April 4thD= 283 powerglide.This is what I am coming up with from the web. Sound about right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DeSoto Frank Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Travis,That sounds plausible...And...a 283 would be a "correct" engine for a '57 Chevy (first year for the 283).The 283 is a fine running engine, and has some pep as is from the factory...I believe the 283 in my '66 Impala was rated at 185 HP, with stock manifolds and the 2-barrel Rochester 2GC carb.Now, somebody may have worked this block up to 327 by boring/stroking...you won't know that until youget inside and start measuring.If your small-block is in decent shape, it may be the engine to stick with for now...235 Chevy sixes are around, but they are more expensive to re-build than a small-block, and the performance is not as good. Also, you might want to find out whar rar-end ratio is in your car: six cylinder cars usually had "lower" rear-ends than their V-8 cousins, and if you plan on highway cruising, you might want to consider a rear-end thats a better match for the V-8 & Powerglide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Tried to reply last night and the ISP started their weekly maintenance thing just as I hit the button. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />Yup- my 1969 Chilton lists code D as 1962-63-64 283 Powerglide. A factory air car with 'Glide would have been DK. 1962 is as far back as it goes, but I would guess it was the same code all the way back to 1957.F is Flint MI engine palnt, T is Tonawanda NY.Aside from being a correct engine for your car, the 283 is a fine engine unto itself. 283/327 are both good engines. 350s are good engines, but they are boring beyond belief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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