VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 ID a GM engine ?

A friend of mine has a 1936 Chev 1/2 ton pickup. The motor doesn't look right compared to similar year vehicles. We were at an event this last weekend an compared his motor to a '35, a'36, and a '39 and it looks a lot different. Here are the numbers:
BLOCK GM A-5-9 836010-3 conv-4
HEAD GM 1-4-5 837981 conv-12 (it has angled spark plugs)

Could this be a GM variant?

The block shows to be a 1936 all and also a replacement for 35
The head shows to be for 1936 all and a replacement for 1935


to look up block and cylinder head information yourself go to:
Head & Block casting numbers

836010 is the casting number for a 1936 engine...head number is correct also.All 1936 engines looked the same -EXCEPT-the early engines had a smooth valve cover,just the little vents on top.The late engines had the ribbbed cover that looked like a 1937 and up cover (was a different size).The 1936 and prior engines had the oil filler on the left side.The 1936 engine had full length water jackets so the left side of the block was smooth.The 1935 and prior had only the top part of the cylinders water cooled so the lower part of the cylinder barrels can be seen on the side of the block (exterior of cylinder shape).
The 1937- and up newer, more modern 216 engine has the oil filler on the right side would be the first major clue.Also the lower thermostat housing is cast into the head on 1936 back and bolted to the head 1937 and up.1934 and up has angled spark plugs.

Glad people look at my site!

BLOCK GM A-5-9 836010-3 conv-4 JANUARY 5TH 1939 .. I m still not sure what exactly "CONV" means: it was first used in 1929 and ran for mamy years in the US and Canadian castings. "CONVentional"? and "-4" possibly means the casting level?
HEAD GM 1-4-5 837981 conv-12 (it has angled spark plugs)
I-4-5 SEPTEMBER 4TH 1935 so still could be a '35 Head although in Canada this casting was also used in 1936 Models. In Canada the same US Block number was used as well as # 1765434, as that was the year that McKinnon Industries Ltd finally started casting engine components, although Walker Metal Products in Windsor also produced castings. It was a change-over perod in 1935-6 in Canada!

Your welcome Mr Haywood!, Thanks for the work you did.
I have wondered myself about the CONV cast in the blocks

Don't be mislead by the 1939 date on the block though.Its a 1936 block that was cast in 1939-in other words it was replaced at one time but would look the same as the original.
The head is a 1936 casting number and was also sold later to replace the simular 1935 head.
1936 production began at the end of Oct 1935 so the head could very well have been cast on an earlier date....wouldn't 1-4-35 indicate Jan 4,1935?I would suspect that that number is incorrect as the head with that casting number wasn't made that early in 1935.

I found my head casting numbers.
The early 1935 head was 837230
The late 1935 head was 837682.
The late head eventually replaced the early head for parts replacement.Then in 6-1=39 the late head was discontinued and replace by the 837981 1936 head.

Thank-you everyone for your replies. My buddy will breathe a sigh of relief in that he has a '36 motor after all. So, to re-cap... regardless of the casting dates on his motor, the production numbers indicate that it is a replacement (late)'36 engine. YIPPIE!

I have come across 4-cylinder reaplacement blocks cast in 1932, which may have been the last time that this was done by Flint Motor Plant, and also other '35-36 blocks cast in 1939. I suspect that the September '35 casting could have been used either as a '35 or '36 replacement as has been suggested. We know that castings sometimes sat around for months before being used in engines. I suppose it all depends on motor production at Flint at the time relative to car assembly.

Oh I should add that Canadian assembly started on October 8th 1935 for 1936 Model Year, so would suggest that the US plants must have started virtually the same day?