I want to buy this engine, but I'm having a little trouble iding it. It's is supposed to be a 396 360 hp engine with a Holley and a 4-speed. Looking at pictures, the engine block id is 3855961 which seems fine. The head id is 3872702 which seems okay also. The id on the engine is TO425EF, space, small 6 elevated a bit, space, large F, space, then what appears to be 133667. The TO425EF seems to check out, but I don't get the rest of it. Can it be verified from this information that this engine was assembed on April 25, 1966 and is a 396 360 hp engine for a Holley and a 4-speed? Also, can it be determined what kind of car it came out of?
Thanks a lot guys,
Bob

You have done a very good job of identifying it. 396/360HP, 4-spd, Holley, assembled on April 25 is correct. The rest of the numbers, 6F133667, are a partial VIN that identifies the car it was originally installed in. 6 is for 1966 and the F Indicates that the car was assembled at the Flint assembly plant.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if the VIN usually appears right after the engine id like that. The numbers don't seem to match up with anything that I can find as far as vehicle id. Would it have to be out of an SS 396?
Thanks,
Bob

Any 66 Chevelle engine will always have another car's VIN Number on it, exactly in the same place like this one does as well as assembly plant suffix.

This engine is definitely a 66 SS Chevelle 396/360hp though. Just as long as Restamping isn't in the picture...you will have an era correct engine in your car. Of course no way to proove the car came with a 360hp without docs., I'm sure you know that though.

Good luck smile.gif

MC

If the engine has to be out of an SS 396, should there should be a VIN number somewhere on the engine that is either 13867 or 13817?
Thanks,
Bob

Originally posted by bobstarap:
If the engine has to be out of an SS 396, should there should be a VIN number somewhere on the engine that is either 13867 or 13817?
Thanks,
Bob No. If the numbers are as you described them, this is a genuine 66 SS Chevelle 360 hp engine.

The 138.... is only the MODEL # part of the VIN.

Thank you gentlemen. As always, I appreciate your help.
Bob

What you will find stamped on the engine is not the complete VIN but what is called the VIN Derivative.

If you are having trouble making them out, clean the area well and look at it closely, often they are filled in with dirt or paint and do not appear to be visible. These codes were hand stamped and it not uncommon to find the lightly stamped also. Sometimes upside down to the engine code which btw the engine plant stamped.

Example for a 1966 engine

6B123456
6 = 1966
B = Baltimore assembly
123456 = Last 6 digits of cars VIN (aka the plant production sequence number)

Later engines will have a revised format like this;
16B123456
1 - Chevrolet Division of GM
6 - Model year 1966
B - Baltimore Final assembly
123456 - Last 6 VIN digits

The EF suffix code was only used on Chevelle big blocks in 1966. There are three models of Chevelles that the engine could have been installed in; SS396 coupe, SS396 convertible, or the Custom El Camino. If you was going to do a title search to try to find the original vehicle that the engine came out of you would have to reconstruct three possible VINs for these three models. However, Flint did not build El Caminos in 1966, so the engine could have only come out of a coupe or convertible.

The 702 oval port heads are correct for the 1966 360HP engine, and the 325HP engine also in the Chevelle.

Edit: Also be aware that an EF coded engine probably would not have been installed in a Fremont built SS396 or El Camino. A 360HP 396 in a Fremont built car would have most likely had a smog pump and then the engine would use an EJ suffix (4-spd, Holley, A.I.R.). I added this because I noted in another post of yours that you wanted to ship this engine to California.