NOS ? block 383 68 casting

Is this block NOS

Has cosmoline in cylinders
Caps intact

No vin

But stamped Hp 383

Is it NOS ?

Its Goin to machine shop for a 383 rebuild for my roadrunner

I have other blocks. But This was easiest to throw in truck .

I have the matching engine to my car, but needs some work

If its real nos , is this a bad move ? Or ??

I didnt think it would have come stamped with the top pad
If an over counter or replacement block .

Used block. The pad was stamped at final assembly, not on a bare casting.

It is 1968 model year, so look for a partial VIN on the rear bell at the top where it meets the transmission.

I thought the pad WAS stamped after assy.

And
I forgot about 68 vin

Still cool piece dated 4 months b4 my real 69 block

Oh well , was excited for couple minutes .

Back to look for hidden 6 pack cars ..

I think using the car's #s engine would be the best route, unless it's a race engine that could damage the block.
That assumes it's a stock or restored car.

Regular 68 - 383s did not have the vin #. I thought in 68 it was only Hemi and 440HPs that had vin #s at the bell housing. Maybe 383 HP blocks got them?? I think the only 68 blocks that got vin #s were the ones that went in 69 cars.

for the 1968 model year:

340, 383HP, 440HP, HEMI & their associated 727/PP833 transmissions were stamped all year

My 1968 340 with SPD Nov 14, 1967 is stamped.

Would love to put original engine back in car , but
I Have some repairs to do to orig block that will take some time .
This is an easier route, for now.

Build it and use it. It is a used block. Repair you NM block and preserve it. If you decide to sell car it may add value depending on how original the car is.

You will find arguments about 1968 383 A bodies engine VINs. It's been years since I looked into this, but I recall that there were many reports of '68 383 A bodies with no engine VIN.
Anecdotally, and the reason I looked into this, I had a '68 383 Dart that had no VIN on the engine. This was back in the 80's. I met a guy at a car show back then who also had a '68 383 A body with no VIN on the engine.

My 383 convertible Barracuda had no engine when I bought it, but I found a block out of a 1968 383 Dart. It is sitting in my garage right now, and it has no VIN stamping. The guy I bought the engine from pulled it out of his wrecked 383 Dart, and he is a minster so you have to trust him.

Robert

The block will be spit shined and polished and pressure tested out of
the shop today.
I could NOT see a vin on block prior to sending out