Originally posted by SnakeHerder
Hi. A friend just got an old Chevy 283, and is trying to figure out about what year it is. It has the early, staggered valve cover holes, and the ID F030IM cast on the boss.

Any help on what this is will be much appreciated.
Tim
That is not the casting number. Try again, I looked up every 283 casting number . They are all either 6 or 7 numbers long and contain no letters.It looks like what you have there is part of the vin number stamped om the block. Also look to see if it has side motor mounts( 3 bolt holes in a triangle on each side of the block)