Cutlass Owner

I have a 396021F Block, And i found this VIN 38m110946 I tried looking this up on VIN Decoders but i could not find anything. All i am curious about is what car it came out of I know its a oldsmobile big block from lansing MI, and its a 1968 block

don71

Welcome to the site.

You will likely never gain this answer. At best it will be a guess as the engine VIN is a partial and incomplete. It doesn't contain the body number. That is what you need.

If you were to research what bodies and what models were built in Lansing in 1968, you could narrow it down to untold million cars or about 12 models across three body lines.

You'll have better luck buying a lottery ticket.

Cutlass Owner

thanks for the response don71, I'm just now learning about cars and getting into them. This way seem like a stupid question but would the body number be on the engine somewhere. I'm asking because you said the VIN is a partial and incomplete, are you meaning that I didn't write down all the numbers etc. Or that the engine wont have everything I need on it. Thanks again for the response. Hopefully you replay back to this one.

MDchanic

Okay, first of all, you need to go out and buy an original paper copy of the Chassis Service Manual, and also the Fisher Body Manual, for your car. They're on eBay all the time.
If you wish, you can also download electronic copies for free after joining the Automotive History Preservation Society for about $25.
Almost all questions are answered within.

Next, as of the 1968 model year, in accordance with Federal regulations, a VIN derivative was stamped on a number of places on the car, including the engine and transmission.
The VIN derivative consists of what you have provided above: Division, Model Year, Manufacturing Plant, and Sequential Number. All of the body and series identifying information is left out. That's all there is, and there ain't no more.

Welcome to ClassicOlds.

- Eric

Cutlass Owner

Ok MDchanic, thank you for the help. Is there anything I can do with the Sequential Numbers to narrow down what car the engine came out of at all?

Edit: was confused after reading at first now it makes more sense. Thank you.
P.S. is there anything I can do with the Sequential number? Yes or No would Suffice. Thanks for the great help by the way guys.

Cutlass Owner

I'm reading around on forums and other sites, people are saying the last 6 numbers after the M would tell me what the engine is out of. So i'm just a little confused.

MDchanic

The other forums are wrong.

Other than the fact that sometimes the sequential numbers have different starting points for different series (midsize, fullsize, and Toronado), they have no meaning, and I could find no information about different starting points in the '68 CSM - maybe someone else has a different information source on that, but I am not aware of one myself.

There is very little information attached to the engine itself. That's life.

- Eric

rcorrigan5

We know it is a 455 block that was in a car made in Lansing. The question is, what model of car was it in? For model year 1968, 455 engines came standard in the Toronado, 98, Delta 88 Custom and the Delta 88, as well as the Hurst Olds. The 455 engine was optional for the Delmont 88.


It is probably impossible to tell which model series your block came from. One place you might investigate is the first number after the "M" in the VIN derivative. I know that the numbers 1, 2 and 3 were used for A body cars in model year 1968. I don't know if the other model series used the same numbers or not.


Does your block still have its oil fill tube? If it does and it has the white sticker on it with a two-letter code, it could tell a story as well.


Some folks might know the sequential numbers used for the Hurst Olds but that search might just end up being fruitless.


Unfortunately, I'm thinking the answer to your question will be as detailed as my first paragraph!

Randy C.

joe_padavano

^^^^THIS!

The last six digits are simply the sequential build number of the car that motor was born in. They can tell you what type of car it DIDN'T come out of, namely it did NOT come out of a Toro, since Toros started at 500001. That leaves A-body, B-body, or C-body.

cjsdad

What everyone is skirting around is that the vehicle VIN will tell you what engine option you have, but the VIN digits on the engine will not tell you what kind of car it came out of. You can narrow it down to the type of cars that were built in that plant in that particular year or years, but that is about it. Makes it kinda fun though, you can imagine it came out of just about anything you want. If you are going to rebuild it the only thing that matters is what you put back into it.

Octania

"the only thing that matters is what you put back into it."

x2

"Not a Toro" is the best we can do otherwise.
Not an A-body unless it was an H/O

That leaves B or C

Dist'r # might help, Exhaust manifolds if still present. Carb number, sort of.

MDchanic

Not in 1968.

- Eric