I'm looking at a 455 with C heads, a J ( I think ) Intake and a block number
396021 F . Vin is 384399M178977

Motor is painted red and looks factory. I thought that 69 455 were supposed to be painted blue. Owner claims car is original ( aren't they all )

So, what have I got, what color should the motor be painted and who sells the best match for paint.

Any help much appreciated.

 

Don't know about the engine details, but red is correct for the 69 455.
stetzie

 

Are you sure about the VIN?
364399M178977 would be a 1969 Delta 88 Holiday Sedan built at Lansing.
396021F is correct for a 455 and red was the color of the engine back then.
The C heads should also be cast with 394548 beside the plug wire webs

 

It is a 69 Delta 88. I am buying it for the 455 to put into my 69 Cutlass Convertible. I did not see the cast numbers on the head but did find the C.

Would this car have come stock with dual exhaust and if so would the dual exhaust also have a crossover pipe. I'm asking because the car runs fine but I noticed that the P side exhaust flows out hot while the D side exhaust flows out cool and with slightly less pressure even after warm up.

I was just wondering if this is normal or indicates a possible motor problem.

Thanks

 

Well it's a 69 to 69 swap so it will look great and put some real life into your vert, that's for sure. If it's a 2bbl engine that's what the 69 Holiday Sedan would have been born with as standard equipment, but not with dual exhaust. The standard 455 2bbl put out 310 hp and was low compression. If you have an original 4bbl engine in there, it's the L32 that puts out 390hp and is high compression - it required the TH400, HD cooling and dual exhausts. According to the Assembly Manual there was no crossover pipe on the dual exhaust system.

The cast numbers I mentioned are on the side of the head in small blocks of 3 above the spark plugs.

As far as how it's running with hot/cold? Doesn't sound right to me either. My best suggestion would be to tune it to factory specs and do a compression test. You might also have an exhaust leak between the exhaust manifold/muffler and outlet?

 

It is a 69 Delta 88. I am buying it for the 455 to put into my 69 Cutlass Convertible. I did not see the cast numbers on the head but did find the C.
===================
If it's a '69 with C heads there is no doubt about the heads' casting ID- it'll be 394548. Adjacent to the lower center rocker cover bolt, teensy characters about 1/4" in size.


Would this car have come stock with dual exhaust and if so would the dual exhaust also have a crossover pipe.
============
DE pretty rare on this model. No x-over pipe on DE models. Single-xst models have LH "A" xst manifold with center dump thru crossover to inlet port on "R" or "T" RH manifold. The main casting ID's are HUGE and hard to miss unless under the heat stove. The DE LH manifold casting ID is "S" and the whole manifold indeed looks like a big "S" as it exits down and back after going up and over the, uhm, steering?



I'm asking because the car runs fine but I noticed that the P side exhaust flows out hot while the D side exhaust flows out cool and with slightly less pressure even after warm up. I was just wondering if this is normal or indicates a possible motor problem.
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If it runs OK and draws good vacuum, no worries. Otherwise, do the compression test. There's probably a fair market for the rest of the car's parts. One valuable option is DISK BRAKES on the front. Another is 15" wheels- the base offering was 14" wheels. Rear sway bar would be a superb score.

 

Allan, thanks for the great response.

It is a 4bl and the idea of possibly having an L32 with a 390HP high compression motor is making my day. The seller/ second owner claims that the car is original. Looking under the hood and at the gas and brake pedal rubber ( Odometer shows 98XXX) the car appears to have seen little use.

So now, how do I confirm this motor is an L32. Do the VIN numbers either confirm or rule out the L32?I can't quite get under the car to confirm TH400
or 350 trans. Will the lower tab numbers on the P side (I think) of the block
tell me ?

The seller claimed a bad donut gasket so that could account for the cold side exhaust.

The car started hard but once even slightly warmed up ran just fine.

 

Thanks much for that response.

When I peaked underneath the front as best I could see it has front drums not discs, so bummer there. It does have 15"s on it and hopefully the rear sway bar is still attached.

 

That sway bar isn't going to help you any on an A Body. The B body frames are different widths than A bodies. If it has a rear sway bar, I think that was part of a police package? I doubt you'll find a rear sway bar on that Delta.

re: HC or not. If the engine hasn't been apart and you're sure the parts are all original, check the intake manifold. If it has part number 398662 cast on it just behind the carb (by the bungs on the rear plane crossover), you likely have the HC 455. There should also be a letter in the valley behind the thermostat housing. I don't know off hand what that letter will be though.

 

Ok, I'll look for those numbers and letter. There is a J cast on the intake but I can't recall if it was behind the thermostat housing or elsewhere. It was on the front part of the intake though. Looking at it I would bet that the motor has not been torn down.

 

Turns out that what I thought was a Delta 88 is actually a 98 model. Vin is
38499M178977. Just got it home and now the fun begins.

 

My bad, yes the 38400 series is 98 Holiday Sedan (also known as a 4 dr hardtop). Should have looked further down the page... Sorry about that. Either way you've got a nice engine for your Cutlass.

 

Allan, I was concentrating solely on the motor and walked around the car several times but didn't notice that it was a 98.

BTW the intake manifold numbers checked out 398662 and it appears that I lucked into the 390 HP motor. directly below those numbers is 01 S
Any idea what that means ?

Thanks again for your help

 

It's likely a date from when the manifold was cast. I wouldn't take it at face value as an accurate time frame of when the engine was built though. Lots of manifolds were cast and used as required. So it could be cast in January and not put onto an engine until Feb or Mar. Any chance you could post a pic of that casting? It might help with figuring it out, but in all reality I don't think it's that important.

Also *sorry to disappoint you* I revisited the 98 SPECS and it would have been born with a 455 4bbl High Compression engine, but only rated at 365hp. That's still plenty, right? Either way you did get a HC engine.

 

Also *sorry to disappoint you* I revisited the 98 SPECS and it would have been born with a 455 4bbl High Compression engine, but only rated at 365hp. That's still plenty, right? Either way you did get a HC engine.[/QUOTE]

Well as much as I hate losing 25 HP I guess 365 HP will pull my Cutlass around the North Carolina low country. LOL

Now the big question is what do I do with all these 98 Parts. I'm guessing once I pull the drivetrain that the scrap value alone would be $600 or better. I'd rather part it out but the neighbors are getting restless
and I can't leave it in the yard for too long.

 

Bitburger: I have a question for you and the others following this posting... Will that rear sway bar from your '69 98 fit my '67 Delta 88?

 

Jay, if it has a sway bar (although unlikely) it would prolly fit your Delta.

 

Sorry, no sway bar on this one

 

Somehow I thought that would be the case. It may however have a posi rear end...the standard rear axle for the 98 was 2:56 and could be ordered with anti slip G80 option for any of the axle ratios available. Do you know if the car was Canadian Built? Oshawa production?

 

I thought based on the VIN that it was a Lansing car. In a way I'm hoping it does not have the posi because then I will have to remove it before the bone goes to scrap. If it is a posi what else will that rear end fit ?
I'm guessing it would be too wide for my Cutlass

 

My apologies- you're right. I should have looked back in the posts.
If the car has a posi it will/should have a posi tag attached to one of the pumpkin bolts. But, as you suspected a posi for the big cars will not fit the diff of an A body. It will only fit similar size models (Delta, 98).

 

Who has the best and closest red to factory ?

 

Hi All. Trying to identify a (supposed 1971) 455 i purchased in a '57 olds. Timing cover #396021F (Serif). Exhaust manifold #409-100. Block plate lft side below head #31M403157. Oil filler #1042577. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Hi Again. I mistook the Head casting number for the exhaust manifold. Thanks.

 

D1S -

It's likely a date from when the manifold was cast. I wouldn't take it at face value as an accurate time frame of when the engine was built though. Lots of manifolds were cast and used as required. So it could be cast in January and not put onto an engine until Feb or Mar. Any chance you could post a pic of that casting? It might help with figuring it out, but in all reality I don't think it's that important.
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No... the date is a Julian number 1 thru 366 on the top of the heat crossover, LH side, left of the carb. The D-thing varies only a little, I will *guess* that it's 1 or 2 for first or 2nd shift. Always a D I believe. Would have to ck photo records to know more. It's a std issue 68-69 W30 intake. Er, and every other 68-9 BB exc. Toro and '69 H/O also.


Hi All. Trying to identify a (supposed 1971) 455 i purchased in a '57 olds. Timing cover #396021F (Serif).
=============
68-76 455; serif'd F *probably* later half or so

Exhaust manifold #409-100.
============
No, that's the head
It's a 71-72 G or Ga casting.
Did the huge "G" escape notice? lower corner on your left as you view the head from aside the motor.


Block plate lft side below head #31M403157.
===============
3 Olds
_1 1971
__M Michingan built car
___403157 - the car's serial number


Oil filler #1042577. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
==============
1 = 1971
_042577 = The Engine Unit Number; fairly useless

 

Hi. Huge thanks. how do i identify HP ratings, torque. etc? Thanks again!!

 

And , is the G-Engine a good block? Thanks again, and again, and ...........

 

Has anyone tried the Hirsch 69 455 engine red? Fusick's ?

Any others match up better ?

 

Just to clarify, the "G" Chris was talking about is the cylinder head casting letter, not the block casting letter. Yes, G heads are fine. There is a "G" block casting that was used in the 1968-69 442s, but that's not what you have (nor was it a 455).