I got a chance to inspect the VIN today, and it looks like I have a 1997! I also threw the 454 up on the stand today, and again I can’t emphasize
just how nice this crank is! Spins over a full iron BBC like it’s nothing! I pulled the water pump, balancer, timing cover, and oil pan to check out the crank.
Sure enough, #1 is loose.
I also extracted a broken oil cooler line fitting from the block.