was talking to my brother about Olds 455, he says that Olds cast a number in the block for sequential year number of the Olds 455 block. 1st year 1968...1 on the block. On his 72 block - number 5. So i started looking at my 1974 Buick 455 block, located just above the starter on the block is cast “5” in approx 1 inch tall. I then checked my 1972 block, sure enough it has the number “3” So 1970 block being 1st year of the 455 would have a “1”. 1971 a “2” 1972 a “3” 1973 a “4” 1974 a “5” 1975 a “6” 1976 a “7” I can vouch for 1972, 1974....anyone able to confirm some other production year numbers to confirm this theory? Thanks
Olds is much sneakier than that. ^^^This is a '68 block. First year of Olds 455. At this point I wouldn't rule-out coincidence. 1, 2, 3, etc. could simply refer to the mold number that the sand cores were created in. Don't forget to drill 'n' tap that '74 block for coolant drain plugs. They've got the (unmachined) boss. Later blocks didn't even have the boss.
I have a 75 AF Block that does have a 6, and a 70 SF block that has a 2. The 70 block however never had a VIN, and may have been a later service replacement, but definitely was a 738, 1/2 inch feed SF with a November production date
Nope, not on Buicks.. the big casting numbers were just mold numbers. There are two ways to ID the year of the block. 1. VIN number stamped on the block, the second digit indicates the year of production. 2. A two character stamped letter code on the deck surface of the block. This is covered in detail here.. https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/400-430-455-block-id-prep-and-oiling-mods.214613/ JW
I have not seen enough thick blocks to have any data on that.. never thought to keep track, but will in the future. The really thick blocks are few and far between.. I have seen maybe half a dozen, and I have sonic checked hundreds of them.. dozens of 75 and 76 blocks.. It was not uncommon for racers to go thru a pile of 75/6 blocks to find a thicker one, I know a couple guys who did that work, back when the wrecking yards were full of them, and they could be had cheap. Those days are long gone.. I never paid much attention to those numbers cast into the block, because I am not quite sure what they mean.. are they numbers that indicate the core box that the sand core was made it, or are they some other number that was added during assembly of the sand cores, to indicate something else? Never been curious enough about that to ask someone who would know.. JW
Similar discussion on Classic Oldsmobile. On an Oldsmobile engine it's documented as the "Mold Number". The mold number roughly corresponds to the casting year, but not exactly. Doc below courtesy of Joe P. from Classic Olds.
Can someone decipher this engine vin. Its larger font than what ive seen. The first letter is a B if not clear.
Its on front of block, so is it a 73 block? The font is larger than what im used to seeing on 70 to 74 blocks. He claims it was said to be a 75/76 blue block.
