Telling what year your engine actually is

[Tennesseestorm]

I do not think the engine in my 69 Pontiac is the original. I went to change the oil and the size of the filter was different. The one listed would not fit. My dad thinks it may be a later model Pontiac 350 engine. Is there some type of code on the engine? Thanks.

[Tennesseestorm]

I do not think the engine in my 69 Pontiac is the original. I went to change the oil and the size of the filter was different. The one listed would not fit. My dad thinks it may be a later model Pontiac 350 engine. Is there some type of code on the engine? Thanks.

[Robert Williams]

Check this site. http://www.wallaceracing.com/engine.htm

[WDCreech]

Shaffer, At the back of the engine, near the distributer, there will be a three or four digit code, a letter and two or three numbers. The letter is for the month it was manufactured (A-Jan, B-Feb etc.), the last number is the last number in the year of manufacture. If the starting letter is a G or later, the engine was manufactured for the following year. The number or numbers in the middle are for the date of the month.

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks!!!!

[Tennesseestorm]

I have not checked the code myself, but a friend of my dads who is very familiar with the GM cars of the 60s and 70s, said it was a late 70s model Pontiac 301 V8. What a good motor. Can you tell I am being sarcastic? Not only is the oil pump out, it had water in the oil as well, but I am not sure of the extent of the engine damage.

[WDCreech]

Shaffer, I'm not a Firebird person, but if I were to get one, it would have to be a '69. Now a 301 is a POS engine to have in a car like that. 455s are sometimes hard to find, but there are a lot of 400s still out there. The '74 and earlier seem to be heavier in the main webbing area, so that's what I would look for. If you're dead set on a big inch engine, you could put four bolt steel caps on a 400 and use the 3" main stroker crank. Keep us posted and good luck!

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks for the info, but the car is not a Firebird. It is a Pontiac Executive Safari wagon. It is full-size model between the Catalina and Bonneville. I forgot to post what car. The car originally had a 400 in it. They was available with a 428, but it does not have the "428" emblem on the fender. My cousins old 69 Catalina Safari had the 428.

1969 Pontiac Executive Safari wagon
1994 Chevrolet Lumina 4dr sedan
1995 Chrysler Concorde 4dr sedan (no, I generally do not like Chryslers, but I got a great deal on this one) /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[engineer]

all model Pontiac V8 motors took a PF24 filter except for the 301 which took a PF47.