semper-fi

ok i have a 1969 oldsmobile 442 now the engine is a w-455 what car does it go to the casting number is 396021f

2blu442

Hey Marine
Sounds like your making progress on your car! We'll need more information to help you identify the engine. You said W-455, is that cast into the intake manifold?

Here's a link to a thread showing where to find the motor block casting number and where the vin number would be stamped in a 1968 and newer engine. Check out the photos and if anything isn't clear reply with your question. There's enough people here with the knowledge to help you key it out. John

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...s-engines.html

joe_padavano

The casting number was used on all 455 Olds blocks, so it won't tell you anything. Is the intake aluminum with the W-455 logo? What is the casting number and letter on the heads?

77CUTLASS455

Hey, Wilson, I will be reading the replies to your posting, because that is the exact number on my block (396021F) that is in the 77 cutlass that I just bought, and the motor is a big mystery... trying to decode it myself!!
GOOD LUCK!
KEV

2blu442

Joe is right, the engine casting number shows that it's a 455 from 1968 to I believe 1972 when they added a small A just to the right and lower than the letter F. The vin number can help identify what year the block was from, the heads will have the large letter casting to the left of the #1 and #8 sparkplugs. But if this car was put together years ago it could have been built of parts from several different years/models. The factory aluminum intake with W-455 cast into it would be from a W30 engine. The heads used on W30 cars are specific to those cars so if you would post that large letter we can tell you if those heads are also from a W30. There are also application numbers stamped in the carburator, distributor and alternator that can help show what they originally came on. I don't believe its possible to say for sure if it's a W30 engine, but if the bolt on parts are from a W30 and are the same year its a possibility.

So all that to say please take a pen and paper out to the car and write down as many of these numbers as you can. Let us know if you have trouble finding any of them and we'll try to help you key it out. John

rtpassini

from what it sounds, its impossible to narrow down the year on these blocks. they will only tell you its 68-72.

any of those parts could have been changed. (heads, intake, etc)

2blu442

The vin stamped in the block will actually tell the year of application. But that isn't significant as they're all about the same quality of castings.

joe_padavano

The only fundamental difference among and of the 1968-1976 455 blocks is that some of the later castings don't have the boss for the clutch linkage Z-bar drilled and tapped. The nickel content myth is just that, a myth.

J-(Chicago)

YES.

F blocks have the z bar provision in the back and Fa blocks don't.
RTpasini, you CAN tell what year every block is. On a pad under the alternator bracket on the driver's side, there is a stamped vin #.

Usually 3M*******

Also, you can tell when the heads were cast by the date code placards on them.

joe_padavano

I think SOME of the Fa blocks have the Z-bar provision and some don't.

Actually, the nine-character VIN derivative will have the form 31M987654 where 3 (first character) = Oldsmobile division, second character = model year (8 = 1968, 1 = 1971, 5 = 1975, etc.), third character = manufacturing plant, and last six characters match the last six of the VIN of the car that engine came in.

But that just tells you the calendar day, not the year. On multi-year heads (C, D, J, K) it won't help determine the year.