Markings on 350 Chevy engine.

I've mentioned that a couple of years ago I bought a Camaro drag car and pulled the engine and drivetrain before scrapping the rest. I am pretty sure that the engine only had break in time on it, from the way things look, but they must have done it wrong because one lobe on the solid lifter cam was gone and the lifter was shot. I have the engine torn down and am going to have some clean up work done on it before I start reassembling it.

From the numbers stamped on the bellhousing area (3970014) I know it is a 1970-73 4 bolt main block. When I tore it down I found a drilled forged crank, rods with some markings on them that I need to check out better, and forged 20 over flat top pistons. The rotating assembly was balanced ( I can see the grind marks on all the parts) and the engine had World Product Sportsman heads with Harlan Sharp roller rockers.

What is puzzling to me are the markings that are stamped on that pad on the front passenger side of the block. Instead of the usual ones, here is what I see:


D-350 3.48 crank

2244P.02

5.7 Rod

To me those marks look like they were stamped by some engine builder. I think this was someones crate high performance motor as it has a Fluid damper, SFI flexplate, Moroso deep pan, Weiand electric water pump, MSD billet distributor, and a few other goodies. Do those marks indicate what I am thinking, that those were put there by the builder? I can figure out the 3.48 crank thing and the 5.7 Rod part, but what do the other numbers seem to indicate?

Don

I may have answered a couple of my own questions. I did some digging on the internet and the 2244P.02 relates to the pistons. They are Sealed Power flat tops, forged, and with the 62 CC heads I have give a compression ratio of 9.78.

The rods are a little puzzling to me, I don't see any regular Chevy numbers, just GMA 687 on them. Any ideas on those?

Don

on the rods if stock gm there is numbers on the cap part and side by rod bolts fork end of rod /big end . by rod bolts on the cap side by the bolts X or O or B or nothing the older rods have a wider beam and any are better then the new thinner beam rods for mild HO use .i have look at rod numbers only to match a rod that s hurt or many times not a nice rod from GM were it off side or shy at the face of the rod .that number rings a bell just not sure . not at the shop to look at the stock rods i have most of the time i just rebuild them with ARP bolts for mild use there all about the same some guys like the Os and Bs as they say they will bend abit more before they fail ? most guys just talk about pink rods or x or b or o .bowtie rods . powder rods. gm rods . there is so many H and I beams out there that are way better then 1/2 of the gm line up i just go to them on any thing thats making good power. i think that Gma is a new thin beam rod ? if you do not find out i will know latter today as i have sets of them and some Os Bs and Xs rods for numbers

I'll look them over better today and see what numbers might be where you said, Pat. What do you think it means to have all that info stamped on that front pad, is that something a shop does, or what?

Thanks

Don

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I'll look them over better today and see what numbers might be where you said, Pat. What do you think it means to have all that info stamped on that front pad, is that something a shop does, or what?

Thanks

Don

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Don,
Can't speak to the numbers, but on my engine Scott Sehr stamped in a small shop logo on the heads & block, just so he can look and be sure that they were the ones that left his shop. On yours, having those numbers stamped on the block would be a hard reference if a warranty claim arose after some time, showing exactly what was put in it without digging for paperwork. Only thing missing is the cam info. Just a thought.

Ok, today I took a better look at the connecting rods and pistons. The pistons have TRW 2244 P stamped inside, and the rods actuallly read GMB 687, not GMA as I thought. The only other marking on the connecting rod is an X in several places. The rod bolts have ARP on them, as do the rest of the bolts on the engine.

Does any of that info help ?


Don

Hi Don.
What are going to use the engine for??.

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Originally Posted by 1gary

Hi Don.
What are going to use the engine for??.

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Not sure yet. I would love to build a low buck bracket car, something along the lines of an altered with maybe a Bantam glass body, so that might be one use for it. It came with enough parts to build the drivetrain, like a B & M TH350 transmission, Holeshot 3000 convertor, fuel cell, etc. I have most of the suspension and steering components to do that, so I would only need some 2 x 3 tubing, a body, and a narrowed 9 inch rear, plus some slicks, wheels, and a zillion other parts. :LOL:

But that is just dreaming, right now. It is just a shame to have the motor sitting, collecting dust, so step one is to get it cleaned up and put back together.

Don

Yeah know Don my thought was unless you know the wt of the car,gear ratio,tire sizes,it's kind of hard to build tailored to the need.We selling auctioned off SBC parts at swap meets used LPS 3 for storage of the parts we bought and it is guaranteed not to rust for 3yrs.Because we never knew when those parts would sell,needed that kind of protection and the LPS 3 stuff really works.Maybe you want to clean it up and leave it part with that stuff until you know better what you want to put it in.Just my two cents worth.The good thing is over the yrs engine building has gotten that good that we can tailor engines just like that.The other benefit is if you found a sale of overstock parts that meant now you,as a example, wanted to stroke it and the sale made sense,you wouldn't be taking it back apart.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Ok, today I took a better look at the connecting rods and pistons. The pistons have TRW 2244 P stamped inside, and the rods actuallly read GMB 687, not GMA as I thought. The only other marking on the connecting rod is an X in several places. The rod bolts have ARP on them, as do the rest of the bolts on the engine.

Does any of that info help ?


Don

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well there X rods nothing but a stock rod . that some say are better then other stock rods like i posted don :)

Thanks guys for the info.

Don