Posted By: an8sec70cuda
340 engine info? - 08/27/13 03:45 PM
I have a 340, cast date on the block is 1-6-70
VIN is 1B255690
casting number is 2780930-340-1
Can you tell what kind of car it came out of by the VIN?
Posted By: JohnRR
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/27/13 03:50 PM
There are some that have a list that will tell you what it could have come from , in 71 Hamtramack , plant code B , was building E bodies and A bodies .
That's as close as I can get you
Posted By: dogdays
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/27/13 04:16 PM
Casting number means nothing.
Casting date means little, except to fix the date of the block's appearance in the world, not the build date.
VIN means a whole lot.
Engine ID number, STAMPED INTO the block on the driver's side front of the engine block right below the head gasket, will tell as much of the rest of the story as can be found.
R.
Posted By: skicker
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/27/13 06:35 PM
I know 70 is different from 72, but when I had my 72 Barracuda the engine #'s that were stamped on the block below the drivers side head read HM318R. The H was the engine designation for a 318 and the M was the designation for Mound Round Michigan plant the 318 was self explanatory and the R was for regular fuel. The final 6 digits were production or vin #. Its been about 25yrs ago...hope this is still right.
Posted By: dogdays
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/27/13 07:06 PM
The H was the model year of the car into which the engine was installed.
The 340 was the engine designation.
R was indeed regular fuel.
R. (irregular fuel)
Posted By: an8sec70cuda
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/27/13 09:08 PM
I'll get the numbers off the front of the block below the head when I get home this evening...I'll post them in the morning. Thanks!
Posted By: an8sec70cuda
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/28/13 12:58 PM
The numbers off the front of the block are pretty hard to read. They're very faint, but here's my best guess.
GM340234260696 A
I'm gonna keep the motor since it's a '70 model (assuming by the cast date) and my 'cuda was originally a 340 car. My car's original engine got sent to the scrap yard many years ago by a previous owner.
I was just curious if anyone could tell me what it came out of.
GM34020696
G= 1971 Model Year
M = (Check to see if it's actually a W)
340 = Cubic Inches
2 = (Check that again to see if it's P)
3426 = December 14, 1970 Assembly Date
Posted By: an8sec70cuda
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/28/13 01:48 PM
Well crap...so it came out of a '71 model car?
Posted By: dogdays
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/28/13 05:47 PM
"being able to determine the year from the letter on the ID pad"
Let's get this straight. We just did that.
Just like on a bigblock engine, the smallblock engine ID number tells you the model year of the vehicle in which the engine left the factory.
In the case of your engine, the "G" at the front of the engine ID clearly says the engine was built for a 1971 model year vehicle. The VIN does the same.
It may be an idiosyncracy but I am not so much worried about what car, but more worried about what engine, so I concentrate on the engine ID number.
Others who are more into the restoration game might concentrate on the VIN.
In the world of Mopar blocks, the 340 is relatively rare. So in my mind any 340 is worth saving.
R.
Posted By: dogdays
Re: 340 engine info? - 08/28/13 10:47 PM
Didn't mean to come down too hard, sorry. In my mind this is part of the fun of Mopars, the discovery of the "true facts". Where/when was the engine built, and those gurus who can look at a VIN and tell you what it probably came in, are cool.
Another fun thing is knowing which parts came on both a 2-barrel 383 and a 375 hp 440. I started out in the chevy world and it was a real bummer to hear that there were almost no parts in common between a 165 hp 350 and a 370 hp 350. Or even a garden variety 396 4-barrel and a 375 hp 396. Block, crank, heads, rods, pistons all different.
Good luck with your car!
R.
