Thread: Need i.d. stamp help!

Tweet

The number you're showing is part of a Suffix number that identifies the build characteristics of the motor. There should be either two or three letters following the numbers, but it appears that someone has filed them off. The VO319 part of the number would be Flint, Michigan, March 19th. The 8 is confusing. Could it be a "B" ? At any rate, the numbers should be followed by a series of two or three letters, that's what's missing.

The only reason I can see that someone would alter the Suffix code would be to try to pull the wool over the eyes of an unsuspecting buyer and try to make claim that the motor is something it is not. I would have no problem adjusting the attitude of such a person with a baseball bat, as I absolutely hate liars and cheats.

The block casting number is cast into the block at the rear, driver's side of the block, just in front of the mating surface where the bellhousing bolts up. Use a wire brush and solvent to clean up the number so you can read it. If it's in a vehicle, it may require using a strong flashlight and a telescoping mechanic's mirror to see it. That number will generally tell you what the motor started life as by the cubic inches, years of mfg and other details.....
http://www.speednik.com/files/2013/0...asylum-com.jpg
Chevy Small Block V8 Casting Numbers - Mortec

Sometimes it is possible to use acid to reveal a stamped number that has been altered like your Suffix number has been. I might be tempted to brush a little battery acid on the tail end of the number just to see what happens. Law enforcement finds altered numbers like that. I'm not sure what kind of acid they use, but the details may be in some of these articles.....
Evidence Technology Magazine - Raising the Numbers
http://scholarlycommons.law.northwes...0&context=jclc
Crime Scene Training - How Crime Labs Restore Obliterated Serial Numbers
Can a ground off serial number be recovered?

Thanks Glenn, I was still formulating my answer when you typed.

.