Mike, welcome to the "Darkside" ! You will catch some flack for having a SBC in there, but they were pretty damn dependable and parts are everywhere. I have a '75 350 in one of mine and was able to walk into the local parts store and walk out with a starter, alternator and other odds & ends. Look the numbers up: maybe be a 283 with the 2 barrel on there, but all small blocks look pretty much the same.

Good luck on your new project, and break out the check book !!

 

the casting numbers (rear left side of the block) and the date stamp (rear right side of the block below distributer). You'll need both to figure out what engine you have. also helps if you look at the casting numbers on the heads, with the dated stamps. Are your heads camel hump heads? Look around and see if you can borrow others gas cap key... It's not that great of a lock.

 

The engine is definitely a SBC. By the pictures it appears to be a '68 or newer due to the style of valve covers. The intake and carburetor is off an earlier engine, it has a plug where the oil fill tube should be on the center right front. '67 and earlier had a hole behind the distributor for a road draft vent tube. Later engines had no draft tube hole and vented out of the valve covers to the air cleaner and PVC valve to the carburetor base.
If you will provide the casting number off the back of the block I can identify your engine. Back on the opposite flange of the casting number, look for a casting date. It appears as a Letter followed by some numbers with spaces between them.......something like D 14 9. My example decodes to April 14 1969. Look on the right front block deck surface just ahead of the right head. Scrape that surface and you will find a stamped number. If you provide that number I can tell you what the engine size is and the type vehicle it came out of.

 

Thanks. I'll look again today. It's gonna take some scraping but at least now I know where to scrape for maximum effect.

 

Thanks for all the help. Here is where I stand as of this afternoon.

1) I changed all the rubber fuel lines and replaced the filter fore and aft of the electric fuel pump.


2) I changed the oil, oil filter, and air filter.


3) The top radiator hose was missing so we had to get one as close as possible and modify to fit. So far, pleased with the result but time will tell. Flushed the radiator and somewhat surprised to see the amount of acorns and slop I was able to bubble out of the top. It had a cap but since the hose was missing I guess the critters used the back door. I think I got that thing pretty clean.


4) Installed a new battery, found a key that would work, located the kill switch, hauled out the fire extinguisher. Ready to roll.


5) Motor turns over pretty good but I don't see any evidence of fuel moving thru the line. The filter between the pump and the carb is the see thru variety and I don't see any gas in the filter canister. When I turn the ignition key I can hear the electric fuel pump clicking (I think that means it's working) but am not sure if it's working properly.


6) Initially I dropped a fuel line into a gas can and tried it that way with no success. When that didn't work I put 2 gallons of gas in the tank, hooked up the rest of the line, and tried that as well. Same result - no luck.


7) After no luck on #6, I poured some fuel from the can directly into the carb thinking it might fire with some gas in the bowl. No luck. Not sure if I got enough in there or if I'm just not getting a spark.


Since the issue might be related to the electric fuel pump I started a new thread specifically mentioning that in the title. I just wanted to circle back and give you guys an update since you have been so helpful in getting me to this point.

The new thread is "Electric Fuel Pump - yada yada yada"

Thanks