Rustbucket2

Please don't think I'm stupid , I seen a Elgin cam that said for 350R , it didn't have 350 listed , just 350R. What is the R for? Thanks for not laughing to hard.

don71

In the parts books at stores the R often means what 350 is in the car. No, you're not stupid.

I understand the R to mean Olds. You can call that a rocket if you like.

Did you know that GM often put other make engines in cars that didn't bear the same name...right?

That is why there is an R in the notes.

Some Oldsmobile models came with buick engines and chevy engines.

Some Pontiacs came with Oldsmobile engines. Others too.

This subject got a lot of people upset back in the day. I'm sure law suits and lawyers were part of that. That was a long time ago, if you want to admit to it.

svnt442

Between 1972 and 1980 GM used the 5th digit to denote the engine that the vehicle came equipped with. An R in the VIN denoted an Oldsmobile 350. If you have an L it would be a Chevy 350...and so on.

Rustbucket2

Thanks, I get it! I had a 80 T/A pace car, with a olds 301.

svnt442

The 301 was a Pontiac engine.

1970cs

Are you sure about that?




Pat

Rustbucket2

Sorry 403. I'm 54 years old, and have owned 175 cars, of all makes and models, my mind maybe going a little.

joe_padavano

Let's clarify this, because the letter "R" in the fifth position of the VIN for engine designation meant different things over the years. Here are the "R" engine codes by year:

1972 - Not used by Olds (350 motors were designated by H, J, K, or M)
1973 - Not used by Olds (H,K, or M only)
1974 - Not used by Olds (K or M only)
1975 - R = 400 Pontiac motor in the D88 and 98 (Olds 350s were H, J, or K)
1976 - R = Olds 350 (H and J also used for Olds 350)
1977 - R = Olds 350
1978 - R = Olds 350
1979 - R = Olds 350
1980 - R = Olds 350 (last year of production for Olds 350 gas engines)

Note that starting with the 1981 model year, the VIN expanded from 13 to 17 characters and the engine code moved to the eighth position of the VIN.

svnt442

The man with the info....gotta love it.
I remember the R in the VIN from the late 70's for sure. I was off a bit before that.....I can take it.

joe_padavano

Well, not from the factory, you didn't. 1979 was the last year of production for the 403 and the last model year that it was offered in the T/A.

Rustbucket2

Maybe was 79, I had 14 firebirds, or trans am's, 301,350,400.403,455, there all the same to me, Pontiac's.

Redog

Hmmm I always thought the R meant smog motor

VC455

R stands for race. When the GM engineers talked smack amongst themselves at company barbecues and such, usually the result was a drag race to decide which one made the most horsepower. The Olds, Buick, and Chevy guys would always show up with 350-powered cars and of course the Olds always won. So, the guys at Chevy figured that Olds engineers were secretly doing racing upgrades to be able to beat them so badly. So, they snuck in to the casting number department and added the R to the Olds 350 to get them back for cheating. When the Olds guys found out what the Chevy guys had done, they called the material suppliers for Chevy's casting department and had them take most of the nickel out of their iron.

Rustbucket2

That's good. I don't feel stupid now for asking!

Octania

That was good
You MUST do something for 01APR this year.

I was going to opine that the 350R motor was used mainly in land yachts, which of course likely has a pirate for a captain:

"The engine? Why it's a 350, matey, a 350, AAAAAARGH! "

:-)

joe_padavano

Talk Like a Pirate Day is Sept 19. Might want to save it for that...