Looking for basic 440 I.D. help.

[4speed68rt]

Yeah, those damn tweakers. Probably sold it for scrap. haha. I think one of the previous posts was saying that they could figure out your SPD if they knew the VIN number, and that would give an indication of the date of the motor assembly relative to the assembly of the car. The motor would need to have been built within a month or two before the car was built.

 

[fesser]

Yeah, those damn tweakers. Probably sold it for scrap. haha. I think one of the previous posts was saying that they could figure out your SPD if they knew the VIN number, and that would give an indication of the date of the motor assembly relative to the assembly of the car. The motor would need to have been built within a month or two before the car was built.

Yep. I posted the VIN after I read that. Not sure if I can show when the car was built unless the Shipping Order number includes some relevant information. I was just looking at a picture I took that showed partial stampings on the engine's side and see that I cut off the production month.
I really do wonder what the appeal of the fender tag is to thieves. So many are missing. They can't all have been lost by body shops.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Well, it was built in LA...

perhaps get the date codes off a few parts that hopefully are original to the car... Like the K member...

 

[4speed68rt]

I took mine off and put it in a secret place, before I took it to the painter. I just knew that they would take it off to paint under it and lose it.
My car is a St. Louis car, and yours is a Los Angeles car, so I don't think the serial numbers are relative.

 

[eldubb440]

R/T should have an HP stamp

my 68 GTX had a D440 block (no HP stamp) assembled 7 months after my car.....no VIN anywhere, I assumed it was a warranty replacement?

just to add to my thought........ my intake and exhaust manifold castings were/are date correct for my car (I can't recall the dates on the heads), further leading me to believe it was dealer replaced warranty long or short block....... I always assumed it was the original engine until years later when I learned about HP stamps, dates, ect.

 

[4speed68rt]

I think that is what mine must be too. The warranty replacement block. It is a "D" 440 HP2 6 26 on the top ID pad. It was cast on 6 8 68. It seems like this should have been in a early 1969 car, but its stamped D. From what I understand they didn't make '68 model year cars that late in 1968.
I confuse myself when I try to figure it all out.
On top of that, the numbers on the bottom of the oil pan rail are wrong. (PT383R2520012) They are stamped 383, when it is clearly a 440. Maybe that 10000 day calender day, 2520, makes it all make sense.

 

[69Coronetrt]

I should know this, and probably did, but what is a SPD?
My VIN: WS23L8E149014
My SO: E8W221190

68's are harder to bracket and it becomes even more of a challenge for low volume plants like LA.

Here's the best I can do for you:

car 8E 143829 has an SPD of 227 (Feb 27th)
car 8E 147829 has an SPD of 325 (March 25th but that seems a little out of order to me)

Meaning.... car 8E 149014 likely had an SPD of, at least, March 1968 and maybe even April. An October 67 engine assembly, while theoretically possible, seems unlikely. Couple this with no VIN to confirm the plant nor HP stamp on an assembly in an R/T and it further diminishes the potential of that assembly being the original for that car.

My 2 cents. Your milage may vary.

 

[69Coronetrt]

It was cast on 6 8 68. It seems like this should have been in a early 1969 car, but its stamped D. From what I understand they didn't make '68 model year cars that late in 1968.

1968 model year production went into July of 68. An early June engine assembly is absolutely possible.

 

[fesser]

68's are harder to bracket and it becomes even more of a challenge for low volume plants like LA.

Here's the best I can do for you:

car 8E 143829 has an SPD of 227 (Feb 27th)
car 8E 147829 has an SPD of 325 (March 25th but that seems a little out of order to me)

Meaning.... car 8E 149014 likely had an SPD of, at least, March 1968 and maybe even April. An October 67 engine assembly, while theoretically possible, seems unlikely. Couple this with no VIN to confirm the plant nor HP stamp on an assembly in an R/T and it further diminishes the potential of that assembly being the original for that car.

My 2 cents. Your milage may vary.

Thank you. At least narrowing down when the car was built is something. I appreciate your help.

 

[fesser]

Well, it was built in LA...

perhaps get the date codes off a few parts that hopefully are original to the car... Like the K member...

View attachment 1364547

I went out there and cleaned up that area of the crossmember but can't see any numbers. I may try again later and clean a little further back. I only concentrated on the first couple of inches, but that circle above goes back more than I cleaned.

 

[MarkLevi]

The red circle in that image isn't where the date code is stamped - it's only there to call attention to the lack of a skid plate. The stamped date code is actually on the front-facing vertical surface of the K-member - it is not visible in the attached image but is roughly 'pointed at' by the white arrow. There also may or may not be a welded-on "coin" (a small, thin metal round or ob-round plate) bearing the last digits of the K-member's actual 7-digit part number stamped into it on that front surface.

Mark

 

[fesser]

The red circle in that image isn't where the date code is stamped - it's only there to call attention to the lack of a skid plate. The stamped date code is actually on the front-facing vertical surface of the K-member - it is not visible in the attached image but is roughly 'pointed at' by the white arrow. There also may or may not be a welded-on "coin" (a small, thin metal round or ob-round plate) bearing the last digits of the K-member's actual 7-digit part number stamped into it on that front surface.

Mark

If I knew how to do emojis I would do the one where I am slapping myself in the forehead. My car is apparently missing a skid plate. There is a bolt in that top hole but no plate. I will check the actual area for numbers. Thanks.

 

[MarkLevi]

Only Hemi's and 440HP's got skid plates, I believe - and I'm not sure if even THAT's true in '68. Bolt is likely for the brace that goes from K-member to bottom of core support - maybe that is MIA on your car? I'd have to go look at the parts manual to know there's supposed to be one in the first place. Me working "from memory" is always sketchy! (Image below is a guide to the emoji's)

 

[fesser]

Only Hemi's and 440HP's got skid plates, I believe - and I'm not sure if even THAT's true in '68. Bolt is likely for the brace that goes from K-member to bottom of core support - maybe that is MIA on your car? I'd have to go look at the parts manual to know there's supposed to be one in the first place. Me working "from memory" is always sketchy! (Image below is a guide to the emoji's)

View attachment 1364672

Thanks for the tutorial, Mark. There is a brace there. They put it there to keep people from being easily able to scrub gunk off the area where the K member is stamped. I found numbers...

72 681 Now to figure that out.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

68 & 69 Skid Plate is Hemi only.. Waiting to see what Doug has to say about that stamping.. @69Coronetrt

 

[fesser]

68 & 69 Skid Plate is Hemi only.. Waiting to see what Doug has to say about that stamping.. @69Coronetrt

I googled the crap out of it and every time I found a picture of the stamped numbers that someone decoded the configuration didn't carry over to my numbers.

 

[69Coronetrt]

68 & 69 Skid Plate is Hemi only.. Waiting to see what Doug has to say about that stamping.. @69Coronetrt

The format looks more like a vendor code than a date code.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

The format looks more like a vendor code than a date code.

So clean a bigger area & see if theres more numbers....

 

[69 Sleeper Bee]

Here are some K-frame part #'s

If you find a Coin with 2 numbers it is usually the last 2 numbers of the part #

 

[MarkLevi]

...looks more like a vendor code...

Would concur. Even IF that 1st digit was a crazy-stamped "1", that's May 5 '68...probably later than the current speculation of SPD.

So clean a bigger area...

Yup - to the left and the right ...and - @fesser ; while you're rolling around on the ground, you might as well get the transmission numbers, too. Might be more clues there. Reference image attached if you're unfamiliar with those - the format is much like the engine numbers on the pan-rail ear by starter.