im looking to buy a 69 chevelle ss. the car is a few states away. it is not the original engine and i dont have the engine id numbers as of yet. i wanted to know what yhe last year the 396 was made? did some come with two bolt mains? was the 325 horse power,the lowest h.p. made for that engine? what would be involved to make a 325h.p. intc a 375h.p.? the engine i.d.# will give all these info. and the car it came from? thanks for your help,rizzo

Welcome to Team Chevelle. What state are you in, and what state is the car in? The 396 went through '69 and then became a 402 in '70. Big blocks have very beefy mains, even their two bolt mains are strong - that is all I'm using in my 496 and it is more than double 325 hp. A 325 hp 396 has oval port heads, and the 375 hp 396 had rectangle heads (there are more differences than just the heads). Let me suggest that you leave the oval port heads in place, they are actually the better choice until you get to a more hard core race application. If this 396 is tired I would also suggest that you build it into something larger. You will need the head and block casting numbers, as well as the block stamp pad numbers and letters, to tell exactly what you have.

Thomas

Getting to 375 HP with a "396" is easy with just headwork (bigger valves), new intake, and a good modern cam on a rebuild.

im looking to buy a 69 chevelle ss. the car is a few states away. it is not the original engine and i dont have the engine id numbers as of yet. i wanted to know what yhe last year the 396 was made? did some come with two bolt mains? was the 325 horse power,the lowest h.p. made for that engine? what would be involved to make a 325h.p. intc a 375h.p.? the engine i.d.# will give all these info. and the car it came from? thanks for your help,rizzo
The 396 also came in a 265 hp rating for model year 69, this was a 2 barrel cast iron Quadrapuke, found in full size models. give us the serial number from the top back of the engine where the block meets the bellhousing, and the front pad information directly in front of the passenger side head, just above the water pump. with these numbers/letters some of the friendly folk here at Team Chevelle will tell you what youve got. Jason.