VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1961-1964 1963 Impala SS ID Numbers

Hello to all,

I am helping a friend with a few items on his 1963 Impala SS hardtop. Yesterday we were trying to confirm which engine and rear axle are in the car. I am not very familiar with this generation of Chevy so I might not be looking correctly.

I looked for an engine ID at the front of the right (passenger side) cylinder head. I could not even see a pad where it would have been stamped. I was looking for a horizontal machined surface. The valve covers have 327 stickers on them and it is a 4 barrel carburetor. Where should we see the engine code?

I also spent at least 15 minutes looking all over the rear axle housing for any type of stamped ID numbers and could never find them. The rear axle has no inspection cover and the fill plug is on the rear face of the housing. There is no drain plug. The differential carrier mounts to the housing on 10 studs. Based on turning one rear wheel and counting the drive shaft revolutions divided by 2 we think it is a 3.36 rear.

Any help locating the numbers will be appreciated!

The engine ID numbers are stamped into the block just forword of the right cylinder head. This is not horizontal but would be just forword of the head gasket surface.
The differential ID number and date is stamped into the front of the center housing,right side. Will be between the carrier to banjo housing bolts in line with the axle tube ...9:00 O.clock position.

Thanks Gene!

Your descriptions make sense based on what we have found (or not found) so far.

This car has an aftermarket air conditioning compressor mounted to the block at the front of the right head.

We have been looking on the axle housing, not the differential housing.

I will be home later next week so we will check then.