How to determine original engine.

[speesh]

Can you tell from the serial #if your truck was a v8 or 6 banger?
2 things have me wondering.
1. I have had my suburban for 36 years and I just noticed the "V" on the hood ornament! ( I know, not very observant!)
2. It has a 235 which I always assumed was original. When I first got it back in 1981, the radiator was chewed up from the fan. I couldn't figure that out, even replaced the motor mounts thinking the engine had moved. That didn't help so I just used a different fan and had a radiator shop solder up the leaks.. Now after all these years I aquire a 6 cylinder radiator and I noticed that it sits a little farther forward of where the other one is!
So now I wonder if it was originally a v8, but who would go from v8 to 6? It's possible, back then it was just an old truck and they just put whatever they could get. Other alternative, engine is original and front doghouse was replaced....
Any ideas how to tell original engine?

[Henry50]

Your vin number will start with a V

[1project2many]

Yep, V in the VIN. Is your truck Chevrolet or GMC? Chevrolet V8 radiators were mounted in a different location with a steel plate to cover the gap between front fender cross-tie and rad support.

[mr48chev]

1project2many nailed it as he usually does. The V8 trucks had a V prefix on the vin so it would read V3A then the rest of the vin on that one.
I learned something today.

Info here https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/doc...olet-Truck.pdf

I'm thinking like they are in that the burb had a nose change including radiator at one time in it's life. I had a 57 Panel with a 327 in it that had come with a six and had a long spacer on the fan to get it closer to the radiator as the radiator was still in the six cylinder position. Internet hadn't been invented yet and there was very little info on trucks in the magazines then.

[speesh]

Is the v.i.n located on the driver side "A" pillar, inside the door? If so, it starts with 3A57L.

Edit: I looked it up, it obviously was not a v8 because there is no V.

[dsraven]

simply contact the heritage centre, they can send you a build sheet so you know exactly what it was when it rolled off the line. the guys there are really quick at getting back to you as well.

[1project2many]

simply contact the heritage centre, they can send you a build sheet so you know exactly what it was when it rolled off the line.

Maybe something has changed, or maybe it's different with Canadian vehicles, but years ago I tried and was told they had no records for old trucks. They sent a packet which has the same specifications manual as I linked to above. I worked for a GM dealer at the time and I used every resource I had available but I never found a way to get anything from GM other than that generic packet.