Hi I am new on here. My name is Ray and live in Fl . I am buying a 1967 442 and I am having trouble checking to make sure the engine is numbers matching like the guy says .

 

can anyone please Help

 

Look on the shelf above
the water pump for this number.
It should read 390925E.
The heads should also be marked B.
Welcome and good luck with it!

 

Ray the engine # will not match the VIN in '67. They started that in '68 with the VIN derivative on the machined surface above the #1 cylinder. Now if you have the protect-o-plate, then you should be in business.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Thank you very much. I do not think her has the protect-o-plate. he does have some sort of build sheet that came from the back seat that has the vin# and says it is a true 442 .

 

Actually for 1967 the heads should be C's and Not B's unless an early build? The E block was used in 66 and 67.

 

To make this absolutely clear:

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "NUMBERS-MATCHING" 1967 OLDSMOBILE.

There are NO numbers that match between the engine, transmission, and body.

Numbers may be "correct," but they WILL NOT MATCH.

IF the seller has a build sheet, and IF the build sheet is real (they are not hard to forge well enough to fool the casual buyer), then the build sheet will show the vehicle's VIN and Fisher Body number, and the fact that the options that the seller is telling you are original, actually are original.

IF there is a Protect-O-Plate, it will show the VIN, engine number, and transmission number.

- Eric

 

Also if the engine is original it will have a prefix of V and the first engine unit number began at 200001 and will have a suffix code of G. This number can be found on a machined pad at the front of the right cylinder head.

 

As others have stated, the term "numbers matching" is grossly misused in the hobby. The strictest definition is that factory-stamped VIN derivative numbers on major components MATCH the VIN of the car they are installed in. Many people use "numbers matching" to mean "correct casting numbers and date codes". The difference is that for the years that the VIN derivative stamp was used, there is only ONE "numbers matching" block, trans, and frame that the car was born with. Unfortunately, as noted above, Oldsmobile didn't start using a VIN derivative stamp on the block and trans until the 1968 model year.

For 1967 and earlier, you can have a car with the CORRECT casting numbers and CORRECT(ish) date codes, but these parts cannot be "numbers matching" because there were typically hundreds if not thousands of parts made with "correct" casting numbers and date codes for a particular car, so it is not possible to use these numbers to prove that those parts are original to the car.

Now, for the 1967 and earlier model years, Olds issued a Protect-O-Plate to the original buyer. Among the information on this plate was the unit numbers for the engine and trans as well as the car's VIN. The engine unit number was stamped on the passenger side head. The trans unit number was stamped on the case. If you have the P-O-P, you can prove that the trans case and one head are original to the car. (note that if the heads have been off the car for a valve job, they might have been swapped, so instead of being on the front of the passenger side head, the unit number might now be on the rear of the driver's side head).

Bottom line is that anytime someone advertises a 1967-earlier Olds a "numbers matching", my first question is, "can you show me the numbers that 'match"?"