JpMotorsports

I was wondering how do I find out what engine code I have on my 72 Cutlass 350 4bbl? The decal on the oil fill is to gunk up and faded to read.

61reoldsman

Well from my INLINE TUBE catalog it could be one of four depending on what transmission is in it and if it has AC or not ;
QD-350/4bbl M/T 3 spd
QE-350/4bbl M/T 4spd
QJ-350/4bbl Automatic no AC
QK-350/4bbl Automatic with AC
you can order from them it's $5 ,but I would see what other stickers you need and place a bigger order as the shipping would be $$ for a small pkg

JpMotorsports

Thank you!

BlackGold

[Edited -- sorry, I misread and thought you were talking about 1970.]

I find it amazing that your oil fill tube still has any sticker at all!

Allan R

Not sure why you wouldn't just check the 72 Oldsmobile Chassis Service Manual. No guesswork involved, it's all there in black and white.

61reoldsman

Well there thats's nice eh? Too bad I don't have a Chassis Manual (yet),makes it a bit easier to look it up I'd say .

JpMotorsports

Thanks for the info. The more I try to clean it the more it falls apart.

Allan R

When you find which one you need, there are repops and there are repops. There's a guy who makes the original style decals (black/white) with the coding/numbers that are period correct. I have his contact info if you're interested.

ROCKET VAPOR

Here is a example of his handy work

007.jpg

JpMotorsports

Wow those look great I will def want to get that info from you. Thank you

jdana24

I'm interested in having you share with me the contact info of this person who makes these decals.

Allan R

Jeff,
Sorry I forgot to look that up and I just saw you posted the question again. Here is his email contact: tjk6277@me.com I have all his info on a .pdf file if you want to shoot me your home email via PM I'll attach it to the reply. I bought my stuff from him back on 6/25/2009 (looking at the letter he sent me as I type this). He was in the process of developing even more decals at the time and asked that I mention his product to anyone who was interested. BTW, he also sent me an 'extra' decal just in case I fluffed up the installation first time round... Good thing he did that as I'm planning to pull the engine and rebuild it. I think you'll be very impressed with the quality of the decal. Apparently originals were Black, NOT Red and they also had extra coding.

Not the best pic, but you get the idea




His name is:
Thomas J. Krause - lives in Strongsville OH.

tommyd

Hello All. I have found some sites that sell a "QP" engine code advising that the "QP" is for a 1965-67 330 cid w/ 4bbl and A/C. Others say there was no code on a 1967 Olds (my year), where as still others say the "QP" code was 68 and later. So confused. I've checked with Fusick, Dr Decal, OPGI and Year One with different results. Please help.

tommyd

...and Jim Osborn.

MDchanic

The Others were right.

This is pretty easy and straightforward. Just look in your Chassis Service Manual.
Olds did not use the 2-letter broadcast codes for engines in 1967.
They used the prefix-suffix codes on the engine unit number stamped into the right side head.

So, yes, there is no code for a 1967 Olds, and yes, the QP code was used in '68 and later.

Your engine is a W______G code, but there is no sticker that says this.

I am amazed that the high-quality decal makers, whose job is is to know what decal went where, didn't know this.

- Eric

tommyd

Thank you MDchanic. I'll assume its a money thing, as in they want it! Thank you very much you saved me money, time and sanity! Greatly appreciated.

Allan R

I'd be willing to bet Marc Cornea gave right information. The others like Year One and OPGI? meh...

A further point on the engine coding. IIRC the W_____G code is stamped on the heads, not the block.

joe_padavano

Olds didn't start using the paper engine code tags until the 1968 model year. Anyone selling such tags for 1967-older engines is full of it. These older motors used an engine unit code stamped on the front face of the passenger side cylinder head. The prefix and suffix on these unit numbers will decode to what the engine is.

jeffsims

I am in the same situation w my 1967 442 4bbl w400ci wAT wA/C. I have the assembly manual that shows the engine code label to be placed on the oil filler neck.

My mom is the original owner. My dad told me that there was a label, but peeled off over time. He does not remember what the code was though. So I think you might be mistaken.

According to the assembly manual the closest is QR. All the labels I find state that QR is wo A/C. Nothing in the manual states w or wo A/C. Just SM and AT, 2bbl and 4 bbl options.

Allan R

Well that's really interesting because that's not what the 1967 Oldsmobile Chassis Service Manual says.

Here's the codes they provide for 1967

jeffsims

Here is a snap shot from my 1967 Assembly Manual...

jeffsims

Here is the entire page.

jeffsims

I do not dispute the stamping codes. I have the same service manual. I also have the assembly manual that states otherwise. If Olds did not start the oil filler labels until 1968, then why did they print this assembly manual in 1967?

The value cover decal remains original. I will see if I can dig up some pictures of the engine during tear down. There were lines around the filler neck as if something had been there before.

Koda

This is getting interesting.

MDchanic

+1.

- Eric

Allan R

Very interesting indeed. The AM pics you posted show a revision date of 66, so it's obviously going to affect the 67 model production year. I don't have a 67 AM but the post showing the oil filler decal is an Oldsmobile certificate so I have to believe that the letter codes were in effect for the 67 model year. By any chance does anyone have that info to compare to the 66 model year?

@jeffsims - My apologies. I went back and modified my previous post.

jeffsims

Guys - I was not out to prove anyone wrong. I am looking for the correct information and I just ran across something that did not jive with the information that I had.

Attached is the picture of the filler neck that I was referring to. I can see a distinct line around the neck just below the cap. I remember this being like left over paper as I was blasting it. This was about the time my dad told me what was there before. Too bad his memory could not remember the letters because this leads me to my next problem.

The AM is clear on UPC code, SM/AT transmission and carburetor. The closest match to mine is UPC code M32, which is engine id QR. I cannot settle for closest match because there is no M32 that I can find in the same AM manual's accessories/options page. The "M"s are the transmission type, but skips M32. The other Ms listed on the engine code sheet do not match my transmission. Based on the accessory sheet my transmission is a M40, but M40 is not listed on the engine ID sheet. Holy crap! I attached a screen grab of the accessory sheet. I wish I could just attach the entire PDF.

So I have found some places that carry reproduction labels. They all show QR code as non a/c. What? The AM does not even show a/c as a variable. Another holy crap!

MDchanic

I do not know the answer to your question (but was also under the impression that the two-letter paper engine code labels began in 1968, as those codes are laid out in the '68-forward CSMs, but not mentioned at all in the '67 and earlier), but you are barking up the wrong tree with the option code listing.

The option codes, which usually began with an "L," and sometimes with a "W," specified a particular engine package that you could order, generally described as a certain compression ratio, torque, horsepower, carburetor, and sometimes also as single or dual exhaust.

The actual engine, however, had more variations than the option code alone conveyed.
For instance, as you note, different engines were specified for A/C and non-A/C, and for standard and manual transmission cars.
In general, these distinctions were due to variations in the carburetors and distributors (jetting and timing), occasionally cams were different as well. The factory needed a way to make sure that the right engine ended up on the right car, so they used a two-letter code system so that the guys on the line would be most likely to put the right parts in the right places, just like they did for springs, shocks, transmissions, instrument panel components, etc. This is why the code was in BIG letters at the top of the engine, and why it was on a paper tag: Once the car had rolled off the line, the factory didn't care about that tag anymore.

Take a look at the '68 CSM to see what the engine code numbers were, and it will give you an idea of what to expect.

- Eric

Koda

Eric has a point. Usually the tray the engine was on had a clip with a printout of what it all got, and it probably called for an engine code, which you could then confirm you had what you needed. Plus, a 67 442 engine had a code, but it could be a manual engine, an AIR engine, a w-30 engine, or all 3, plus a bunch of other stuff, and that's all done at the engine plant. Then you have the carb and accessories and everything else too.

Koda

Jeff, a 442 is L78. I don't have my assembly manual handy and can't read your picture, but the UPC code is not the transmission option number, I don't think. Can we get a bigger resolution picture of that sheet?