VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1955-1957 No ID number stamped on 1955 265 V-8

I have an a 1955 265 V-8 in my '55 Chevy truck. All the numbers match except that there is no number stamped on the engine boss on the passanger side front next to the water pump. An expert told me that truck engines were not stamped with an ID. Is this true?
Charlie

The engine number will be stamped into the block, right side , just forward of the cylinder head, at same level as the head gasket. An an example a 1955 3100 truck with a 265 an E incorperated into the number. All were stamped from the factory. If the block was replaced with a new one from Chevrolet it will not have a number. The "installer" was supposed to stamp in the old number. If a complete engine was installed it would have a number and it would be from what ever year the engine was. As an example a new complete engine purchased in 1957 would be a 1957 engine. They used the newer complete engines for replacement.No so with just a block.
Can you find a casting date on the side of the block? Does it have a full flow oil filter ?

HI Gene and thanks again for your info. The engine has a casting date of November 1954 and it does not have a oil filter such as the 56 or later engines. I thought it was strange not to have a stamped number. One other thing, I am missing the crankcase breather tube which is inserted into the rear of the block and exits at the bottom of the block. It is not the type which is attached to a breather hole and hangs off the side of the engine. Would you know where to find one of these tubes. I have been talking to Chevy parts yards and no one seems to have one. If I did not describe the tube good enough, I could email you a photo which I have. Oh, and by the way the info you emailed me for the radio antena worked out great. I joined the Chevy club and put your name as the one who introduced me to the club.
Many thanks,
Chalie

Try this number on eBay for your draft tube:280229961375

DD

New replacent road draft tubes are available. They are available for the passenger cars.....The Power Glide car uses a longer one than the stick shift car. The truck uses the same one as a stick shift car.Price is $29.99 from Eckler's and includes the bracket.
....www.classicchevy.com......
The block....I would suspect that it is a replacement block, reason, the V8 and second design trucks were not introduced until late March of 1955 so they would have a Feb '55 block date for the first models. The block you have may have been installed under warranty early in the vehicles life. The block would have been the same as one for a stick shift car and would have been sitting in parts stock for months. Other posibilty is that a used engine from a car was installed at one time and the block from that engine was a replacement. What is the casting number on the block and the date on the intake manifold and heads. The truck had a lower compression ratio than the cars (and lower horse power) The truck heads had a different casting number.
Some food for thought :)

Through the years the engine could have been repainted most any color but the car engines were orange and the truck engines were gray. A new block would have been unpainted but if a complete new engine was installed it would be the color of the year of the engine as it was pulled off the current year engine line.

DD, thanks for the heads up. I looked at that item on Ebay but it is not the correct one. The one I am hunting for is called a road draft tube, it is straight and runs through the rear of the engine block.
Many thanks,
Charlie

Gene, I will get all the numbers and post them for you.
thanks a lot,
Charlie

Gene, here are the casting numbers and date codes:

engine casting # 3703524
engine date code K114
Intake casting # 3704790
Exhaust casting # 3704791 and 3704792
Head #'s both are 3703523 date codes are K14 and K64
Water pump 3704791

Thanks
Charlie

Charlie,
I haven't forgoten about you, I ran into a dead end. I do not have a 1955 parts book and the 1957 book I have has up-dated casting numbers/engine application for the heads etc. Will continue to search.
Note that the truck will have a hand choke and the right exhaust manifold will not have the tin cover for choke heat or a hole for the choke heat tube.
I still doubt the Dec. engine for a truck. Do you have the assembly date for the truck?

All parts appear to be original except for the water pump which should have casting number 3704911 according to the 1955 parts book. Looks like you inadvertinly typed the exhaust manifold casting number instead of the correct number in your post.

Chipper, I know that the numbers would be correct for a 1955 car but would they be correct for a 1955 truck?

Gene,
The only parts that show to be different are the right exhaust manifold for the forward control trucks.

Gene, I know you have not forgotten. Correction, the water pump number is 3704911, thanks Chipper for the heads up.

Gene, the only numbers I have for the truck are off of the id tag on the door post and they are: H255L and 012314. From these numbers can one get an assembly date?

Thanks
Charlie

H = 3100 series
2 + 2nd series
55 = year
L = assembled in L.A
12314 = production sequence number. began with 00001

Number stamped into block would have began with F or T.
A L.A. truck would have had an F for Flint number
Next an E = 265 truck comercial engine
Production numbers for 3100 engines would have gone from 01001X55 to 0905907

The passenger car fan would have been 17" and the 1/2 ton truck 19".
From the productio sequence number your truck would have been the 11313 one off the line. This probably would have been about August at least.

Gene, assuming that this is an August 55 truck, should the engine casting date have be within 60 to 90 days of the production date of the cab? Can I assume because of the early casting date of the engine, K114, that it was a replacement engine? If this engine had a later casting date, how would you figure out the approximate stamped number on the engine. The reason I ask this is that if I ever come across a engine which has a close Id number I might beable to purchase it. I don't believe in re-stamping engines, what they are they are. I have restored and still own a 1930 Model A Fordor Sedan which has been in my family since 1930 and a 1943 Ford Jeep, designated GPW, which I restored to full WW11 military specs. I was able to find an original Ford engine for the jeep which was only 13 numbers less in sequence from the one which would have been in mine. I could have restamped it but by doing so would have destroyed the history and authenticity of the vehicle. I am real finicky about originality of antique vehicles.
What type of vehicles do you have?

Thank you for all of your help
Charlie

Charlie,
After giving your "problem" some tought this would be my guess. Someone at one time put an engine from a passenger car into your truck. Then they "resurfaced" the area where the number was.
The engines were usually one or two months ahead of the assembly time. Is it possible that it was a 6 cylinder at birth?
I have a 1939,1950,1957 and a 1963 Corvair.

That's what I think to. It most likely had a 6 in it because I have not found any holes where the V-8 insignia would have been on the fenders. The truck was played with at one time so who knows. It was originaly from Arizona, no rust out.

Nice collection. My mother had a 64 Corvair Monza, it was really fun to drive.

Have a great week end.
Charlie

Gene, I meant to ask you, how did you estimate that my trucks serial number indicates it's birth about August 55? I hope that you don't mind me asking these questions I am trying to get as much info about my truck as possible.

Thank you
Charlie

At best I would consider it an educated quess. I have the month/serial number dates for car production but not for trucks. I was more or less going by months produced, number of assembly plants, number produced.
At best would have been assembled in the summer of 1955.
1955 2nd design truck production went from March of 1955-Oct. 1955.

The code numbers on the transmission case and differential case would help (if they are original). There was also a date stamped (in ink) on the back of the speedometer. If you can get under the back of the dash with a light you may be able to see it.

Hi Gene, the date code on the transmission is J284 and what I think is the date on the rear end located the drivers side is I88 or 188 I can't tell. It is next to the embossed time clock. According to Sessler's book which I just found on the internet, Cheverolet Pickup Red Book, he states that in 1955 there were 393,312 trucks of all types built. If GM only built the second series from March through October '55 that would equate to about 49,164 of all trucks built per month. My body serial number is 12,314 which would mean that the truck could have been assembled in March 1955 and would have a early V-8 engine. Please let me know what your thoughts about this are. Again,

Thank you very much
Charlie

Those numbers don't match anything that I have. (trans and diff)
My numbers show 328,000 trucks produced during the 1955 calendar year.
That would be about 28,000 a month divided bt 10 plants would be about an April assembly. With the shut-down period for the March change over could be closer to a May assembly date.

Gene, you are a wealth of info. Where can I get information for the dates codes and casting numbers for the drive train. I have Car & Parts Catalog of Chevy V-8 Engine Casting numbers 1955-93. It has very little info on stamped numbers and no info on the bellhousing, transmission and differencial. Mor Tec did help me on info for stamped numbers.

Charlie

The location and codes are in the material available in the restoration pack available from Chevrolet. I do not have the 1955 truck pack but they are free and you can send for one. All they need is the serial number an year of your vehicle.
You can write to
GM Customer Service
Chevrolet
PO Box 33170
Detroit, Mi. 48232-5170

or try calling 1-800-222-1020

Thanks Gene.
Charlie