Help a noob with his '69 3/4 ton project.

[BigCarl]

So, here is the skinny.

I have recevied this truck dirt cheap and have plans on getting it on the road for Spring. But, I have never worked on a GM vehicle before. I have found plenty of parts for this truck at dirt cheap prices which was a huge contributing factor in taking ownership of it.

Here comes the noob... get ready.

My biggest question is... What engine is this?

I know its a 350 sbc and has the quadrajet 4 bbl carb. But, from there, I know nothing.

Is this the original engine? I cannot find the ID tag... the intake manifold is supposedly from the 68/69 model year, or at least that is what I researched through Google. Now, with that said, I am thinking this would be the original engine for this truck. But, can't be sure do to the lack of a tag, or at least not being able to find it.

Looking on the glove box door, this truck does have the 350 option on the tag with the 3 speed Hydramatic Tranny. The guy I received it from told me the engine was bought brand new in the 80's but, I can't see someone putting a circa 1969 intake manifold on a mid'ish 80's motor... Right?

The engine tag is supposed to be at the front of the pass. side cylinder head, but I have failed to find this plate. I have put up a pic of the area if someone could point out exactly where it should be, I would be most grateful.

Here is the beast:



Engine shot:



The corner where I think the ID plate should be:



The Carb:



The production number on the intake manifold:



Any and all help is appreciated as this is m first huge project. However, I am mostly concerned with that engine. When I find out what engine it is, I can get all the specs for maintenance and such.

Thanks in advance.

Carl.

[BurnoutNova]

thats a late 70's sbc... the pad right infront of the passenger side head has numbers on it. there stamped into the block.

i know its a late 70's becasue the size of the pad is smaller than earlier ones, and its painted blue (most likely late 70's)

[airdale94]

The previous owner probably bought a long block in the late 70's and just pulled everything off the original engine that doesn't come with a long block. Intake manifold, carb, distributor & coil, and all the brackets and accessories on the front of the engine.

Nice looking truck by the way... except for the rear wheel well!

[BigCarl]

Well that sets me in a better direction. But, to add to this... The engine is painted blue, but the blue is covering orange paint. The valve covers, block and intake all have blue paint over orange. I don't know if the orange is primer or not.

As for this pad on which the block is stamped, I am going insane trying to find it. I have looked all over, but sadly, I don't know specifically where to look. Can you see this pad in a pic that I have posted? If so, which one and where in the pic is this pad.

Thanks for the speedy reply.

Carl.

[WorkinLonghorn]

That sounds right,and to answer the question about the '69 intake mani on a later engine;When you buy an engine it usually doesn't include the intake.You switch over the old one or buy an after-market one.
I have the same truck. Glad to answer any Qs- Brian

[WorkinLonghorn]

The pad is on the BLOCK just below the front of the passenger side head. In the second engine pic above it would be under the fuel line about 5 inches down the metal part.
BTW,on my rebuilt engine this number was milled off leaving a blank pad with no numbers on it.

[BurnoutNova]

]


maybe this will help

[arkracing]

Underneath the fuel line there - right behind the passenger side of the water pump where it bolts to the block. Clean that off with some Carb cleaner and a putty knife or rag or razor blade.

there will be a series of 2 or 3 letters @ the end of a bunch of numbers - post them here and we should be able to narrow it down for you.

Better yet just write down everything you see on that pad

[blukangoo]

Here you can find the casting number:



Here is where you find the Engine ID:



Here is a close-up of what the engine ID should look like: (Post your engine ID and you will know in no time what kind of engine you have.)

[BigCarl]

Thanks for circling the pad on my pics guys. That's where I thought it was originally and had cleaned that spot off completely. That spot is just a bare shiny spot. There are no numbers or anything on it. So, now I am stuck again not knowing the information about my motor.

Now, is there another place I can look for this information or was that the one and only spot?

Carl.

[xshadow]

is there any other way to id the engine if the numbers are missing?

[northerngmc]

The red tag on the front of the carb looks just like the tag on mine. It is from "Autoline Products" Autoline is a remanufacturer in Canada. www.autoline.ca

I emailed them from their webpage with the number on the tag and they told me that the qjet on my truck was built for a 74 Chev 3/4 ton with a 350.


BTW I pulled my block numbers off the drivers side rear of the block. I sprayed a little penetrating oil back there to loose the dirt and then cleaned it up and found out I have a 78/79 305 in my 69 GMC. Are you sure it is a 350?


Good luck

[tclaremont]

If it is a service replacement block it will not necessarilly have any numbers stamped there.

Note that it is important to understand that these are stamped numbers as opposed to cast numbers. They are likely to be filled with dirt and grime to the point where you may very well miss them.

[72BLUZ]

Originally Posted by BurnoutNova

]


maybe this will help

CALL YOU LOCAL CHEVY PARTS DEPT AND GIVE THEM THESE NUMBERS. THEY CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOU HAVE

[blukangoo]

I had to scrub for a while til my numbers on the front were visible.
I don´t know of any other spot where there would be some numbers.
If you post the casting number, somebody can tell you what block it is.
See if you can find them.
They are usually here:

[BigCarl]

Well, as I posted above, the pad where the numbers SHOULD be is clean. No numbers or letters, nothing. This is why I asked if there was anywhere else on the block that had information. Otherwise. I am stuck just knowing that I have a small block. So, does this mean that I have to take all the individual parts off the motor and take them in to get them replaced with like parts? Ie starter and plugs or are all these parts the same on all small blocks for all years? As you can see, I am a complete noob at american vehicles and parts.


Being that there is not information on this engine, I cannot find out the displacement or other facts about it. What now do I do?

[northerngmc]

Originally Posted by BigCarl

Well, as I posted above, the pad where the numbers SHOULD be is clean. No numbers or letters, nothing.

You mention 'pad', but are both pads blank? Both the engine ID on the right front corner and the block casting on the back left corner are gone?

[BigCarl]

Okay, I found the block ID. Looks like I was looking in the wrong place again. Yeah I'm stupid, but I am wising up now.

Alright, here are the numbers.

3970010.

No Made in Mexico stamp, just the big GM letters above it.
So, now with that said, how can I find out if this is the 302, 327 or 350?

3970010 350 69 Corvette late 69,4 bolt main
3970010 302 69 Camaro Z/28,Late 69, 4 bolt main
3970010 350 69-79 Truck 2&4 bolt main
3970010 350 69-79 Pass,Chevelle,Camaro,Nova,Monte Carlo 2&4 bolt main
3970010 350 70 Corvette 300,350,370 HP 4 bolt main
3970010 350 71 Corvette 270,330 HP 4 bolt main
3970010 350 72 Corvette 200,255 HP 4 bolt main

I found that table at Bowtieguy's site.

Again, the front pad has been milled off. So, from what I have researched, is it safe to assume that this is a rebuilt engine bought from a GM dealer?

It seems that every answer I get leads to more questions.

EDIT:

I just did a background check on the carb that is on the truck through Autoline. The model number is C-9102 which was made for a 1969 Chevy 350 truck engine.

Carl.

[arkracing]

It's possible that it was a re-manufactured GM motor, but it could just be a re-manufactured anybody as well (like a Jasper).

If there are no numbers & letters on the front pad then the block was decked. Most of the "Service Replacement" Motors still had a block ID stamp on the front there - so it is pretty safe to assume that your motor was "rebuilt or remanuf."


I would bet $ that the motor is a 350 and not a 302 or 327.

If you could get a picture of the Harmonic Balancer I might be able to tell if it is a 327 balancer or not.

99.9% of the "3970010" motors are 350's

SBC's are very easy to work with - most everything interchanges (obviously pistons and cranks aren't because they have different strokes and pin heights and bore sizes). Starters for the most part are interchangeable - there is a 153t Flywheel and a 168t so you have to watch out for that.
Plugs - everyone probably uses the same plug in all the small blocks - Autolite 24,25,26 and equiv. Early heads will take a different plug, but you most likely have the standard ones.

No need to panic - lots of chevy guys here to help you out.

[jerry moss]

since it's very unlikely you have a real Z/28 302 (very high $$$), it would be safe to say you have a 4 bolt 350. as for maintanence parts, check to see if you have big or small spark plugs and spin on or cartridge type oil filter.those two items will help somewhat in determining if you have an early or later motor. smoe 69s still had the cartridge type oil filter but not positive as to which year GM switched over to small plugs. hope this helps.

[1970cstblazer]

Chevrolet switched to small plugs in 1971.

[WorkinLonghorn]

I had that same numbered block on my last '69 GMC and it was the standard 4 bolt main 350.I believe they just call that block a "010".

[blukangoo]

Originally Posted by BigCarl

So, now with that said, how can I find out if this is the 302, 327 or 350?

Take one of the heads off and measure the cylinder (Bore) Diameter.

[arkracing]

Originally Posted by blukangoo

Take one of the heads off and measure the cylinder (Bore) Diameter.

That won't work - 302,327,350 all share a 4" bore

[Bucky71]

You could measure the stroke by removing a spark plug, sliding a wood dowel through the hole, rotating the crank (by hand), and marking the dowel at the spark plug hole at the bottom and top of the piston stroke. The distance between the marks would be your stroke.
302 = 3.00"
327 = 3.25"
350 = 3.48"

Good luck.