I just bought a 455 block and wanted to know is there a way that I can tell what year that block is?

 

For the most part "NO". If you have just a block and nothing else, you should be good to go. If the block has the "Fa" on it it, it is '73 and newer. All the blocks are the same, except for some of the very late ones, that do not have the boss for the "Z" bar, when you use it in a stick shift car. The year of the block should not make any difference. When buying parts just reference it as a 1970.

Gene

 

hey 64 rocket,

You're only 30 minutes from me.How often do you go to the race track and do you go up to Sonoma?

 

Actually, for 68-up blocks you can tell what year it is. Just locate the VIN derivative stamping. It is located on the passenger side of the block, at the front just below the deck. The VIN derivative has nine characters. The first character will be a 3 for Oldsmobile division, the second character will indicate the model year of manufacture (8 = 1968, 0 = 1970, 2 = 1972, etc). The third character indicates the assembly plant and the final six match the last six characters of the VIN for the car it was originally installed in.

 

I go to Infineon (Sears Point) every chance there is. Also Sacramento alot.


Gene

 

The later Fa blocks have bigger water jackets around the cylinders. The there is less material around the bores but the casting is more uniform.

The older F blocks are thicker on the top and bottom thrust area but they are thinner between the cylinders. picture an oval...

The late blocks with less material have a rounder casting so there is actually more material in between cylinders and less on the top and bottom...

I have seen this first hand with a sonic checker...