Determining Engine for new Dipstick

[Foxcroft80]

Hi All,

I apologize for my ignorance - I'm new to mechanics but am loving it so far and am trying to learn!

I had posted last week that my dipstick was getting chewed up and I need a new one. I called the GM place and they directed me to get the casting ## off the engine. The engine is in the truck so after fumbling around I found this ## on the front driver side: 3970014. I did note that the engine has the word PERFORMER stamped into it. Is this enough info to give the dealership? They were mentioning a number with letters/numbers but the only combo like that I found was on the exhaust manifolds. What am I missing??

Any help would be appreciated...

[enaberif]

The dipstick is being chewed because you are missing the lower tube that goes into the block to keep the dipstick away from the crank.

To figure out the dipstick they cam in 2 general sizes and you will most likely have the longer. EBay will be your best bet as the older stuff is mostly being discontinued.

But start with getting the lower tube to save any future dipstick.

[BLT gmc]

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[BLT gmc]

I agree the secondary market will be a good place, but even better may be one of the board members. If it is a standard oil pan and standard oil filter, you should drop the old oil, change the oil filter, put 5 quarts of new oil and run for several minutes. Then shut off let sit for several minutes and the check the oil level with the dip stick. By knowing the exact amount of oil in the motor you can determine if you have the right dipstick and how accurate it is.
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[hugger6933]

The numbers you found on the pass side pad are not gonna help [much]. The numbers they were seeking are on the drivers side rear of the block behind the head. The word PERFORMER was it found on the intake manifold? I think that is the type of intake made by the famous company called Edelbrock. By the way the intake if it is a performer is a great entry level intake for your truck. The thing to do is determine the side of the engine that the dipstick belongs. Is it on the drivers side or passenger side? That will help determine the year range of your engine, the dipstick swapped sides from the driver to the passenger side sometime around 1980. So if you know weather it is drivers side or passenger side then just get the tube and stick as a pair then you will be golden. Now don't hesitate to ask questions there are no dumb or stupid ones. How else can we learn with out asking questions. We all started somewhere. Even though I sometimes feel I was born with a wrench in hand, truth is I was almost nine [9] before I tore into my first car, but i had read extensively and asked tons of questions of my dad and bigger brother before that. Jim

[Foxcroft80]

Thank you all. The dipstick is on the drivers side. The number I mentioned was found on the drivers side. I do have an Edelbrock top end. The guy I bought it from didn't know much about motors either (he did a ton of work to the body but never really touched the motor) but the guy HE bought it from said it was an early to mid 70's 350 small block. Making sure I keep an eye on the oil level is paramount for me - I'd rather enjoy driving it than throwing a rod and dumping cash into a new engine!

So, knowing dipstick is on the driver side (fill on passenger and breather on driver), any other guesses as to the year?

[Foxcroft80]

PS - all oil was drained, new filter and 5 quarts put in last week so I'm good right now. Just want to be able to monitor oil levels. There are no puddles on the garage floor so I don't think she's leaking. Maybe burning a bit.

[cdowns]

I HAD TOLD YOU TO go into A GM DEALERSHIP AND GET THE DIPSTICK NOT CALL EM UP

[Foxcroft80]

cdowns - you did say that! Guess that's probably what I'll do. Of course they'll hem and haw...was hoping to figure it out on my own.