There's really no way to tell for sure, cause there is no vin number stamped on them. Paper work would be the best proof.
It sounds right though. The short block could have been replaced in the first 12 months, if it was a warrantee thing, and the heads were probably originals since the dates are good.

 

Thank you the dealer the car came from is no longer in buisness so I guess it will work all other dates and numbers are correct on the engine

 

A CE coded block could only come thru a warranty claim. Any other replacement would not carry the CE code. So, if 5 yrs later a owner had a new engine installed, it would not be a CE coded engine as you could not buy them.

Keep in mind I am talking about back then. With old cars, there is no telling what gone on with them over 36 yrs. CE engines turn up in smashed cars in the wrecking yards and get sold as replacement engines.

CE stands for Chevrolet Engine

 

I'm just trying to learn:CE engines were not sold across the counter?they were only warranty engines.is this correct?and if so what would an engine sold over the counter be stamped?
Van

 

I just sold my 68 SS & it had a CE block. I was told CE stood for counter exchange(replaced under warranty) The warranty only replaced what was wrong, so if it had a cracked block, they would use the original heads, cam, crank, etc. Hope this helps.

 

It would not have anything stamped on it, pads were blank. Those engine were just replacement parts and would id'd by part number.

66 SS boy

Forget about crate engine or counter exchange, that just slang people use when they don't know the real meaning. Here read it from Chevy if you think I am bs'ing you.

As for the CE being only warranty. Thats what my sources tell me. I know two fellas who were running a Chevy dealer parts dept back in the late 60's and 70's. Today they own the place and one still runs the parts dept. They told me that CE engines had to be ordered for the vehicle they were to go in under warranty and the defective parts returned to Chevy for evaluation.

Quoting from a Chevrolet Dealer Service Information Bulletin dated 14 April, 1969:

The first letter will designate the GM division which produced the engine. C-Chevrolet L-Oldsmobile K-Cadillac B-Buick P-Pontiac. The second letter will designate the type of unit "E" engine or "T" transmission. The number following the letter will designate the model year "9" for 1969. The last five digits specify the service replacement unit sequence number. The group of numbers to be used by Chevrolet manufacturing plants are as follows:

Flint motor plant (L-6 engines) 00001 to 19999
Flint V-8 engine plant 20000 to 49999
Tonowanda motor plant 50000 to 79999

Example: Number CE900175 designates Chevrolet engine - 1969 year, and the 175th unit produced for service at the Flint motor plant.
This numbering system applies to service engine assemblies, partial engines, fitted cylinder cases, cylinder cases, transmission assemblies and transmission cases.
​

All Hydra-Matic transmissions are coded "H" regardless of division produced for.

NOTE - CE was used from 1968 on.....

 

Why CE stand for Chevrolet Engine when the 396 engine, or the Big Block chevy V8 we all know is only made by Chevrolet devision? It would stand to reason that if an obvious engine is made by one GM devision, there is no need to stamp it with thier own devisions title on it.

I can undersand a BOP style engine, they are very similiar. Although I dont know the differences between say, a Buick 455 and a Pontiac 455. But there is no telling the difference that when your looking at a small or big block Chevy, it would make no sense to label it a Chevrolet Engine. Its already obvious its a Chevrolet engine.

 

Why CE stand for Chevrolet Engine when the 396 engine, or the Big Block chevy V8 we all know is only made by Chevrolet devision?

And just how would they know that in accounting when the are reconciling warranty work? How would the be able to track engines when the engine plants are building 5500 per day, one every 12 seconds.


I don't understand why everyone doubts CE stands for Chevrolet Engine when there are lots of internal doc's they say thats what it means?

Beleive what you want, you are the experts.

 

If the 396 block started being produced in 65 and in 66 and they were warranted for 5 yrs or 50,0000 miles for a number of yeas, wouldn't most 396 blocks be replaced under warranty? Then you wouldn't see many non stamped blocks. What about the CE code on other blocks like the 327 & 427, &454,Is the stamping consistant with what you find on 396 blocks? Why would they stamp all blocks with CE if they have a casting number to identifiy the block unless the CE meant complete short block?

Wasn't the purpose of the engine stamping to identify the assembly date, the year, the plant that produced the code, and the sequence number.

On a replacement or warranty short block, there would be no assembly date; but would they want to be able to know what replacement block when into a car under warranty, so hence the stamping. No need for this stamping if someone just buys block.

 

CE was the bare block. Dealers would use as many of the original engine parts as posible for cost. The blocks were stamped CE to denote replacement for inventory purposes, And to keep them separate from the production line motors. Its more efficient to stamp all replacement blocks CE than say CEA-396, CEB-454 etc.

 

CE = Chevrolet Engine
CT = Chevrolet Transmission

 

CE was the bare block.

What a weath of opinions....

Got to see it in black and white hey?

The term service is routinely used to indicate warranty service.

It says; The engine plants are to stamp all replacment engines with the source, production date and the same type designation as on the comparable production engine. The 1st character of the type designation (suffix) will always be "C" or "Z" for passenger, and "T" or "A" for truck.

 

Well thats what I was trying to say. Geeze.

Learned somethin new today.

 

yeah what he just said.

 

I confirmed my info with someone in the know who was in Chevrolet management at the time.

Here is the true meaning of the CE engine.

The "CE" coding was invented in 1969 for short blocks that were replacements under the 5/50 Powertrain Warranty program that was in effect from 1967-1970, so the finance guys could segregate those replacements from the normal out-of-warranty and over-the-counter replacement engines, so they could determine the true cost of the 5/50 program. Generally speaking, out-of-warranty replacement and over-the-counter short blocks (called "partial engines" in those days) had blank pads, and only complete engines had stamped pads.

When the liability for replacement of 5/50 warranty engines expired in 1975, I'm sure there were a lot of "CE" short blocks in inventory, and those went into the parts system as out-of-warranty and over-the-counter short blocks. "CE" blocks were only available as short blocks (block, crank, rods, pistons) or as "fitted blocks" (block with ringed pistons fitted, no crank or rods).

 

A friend has a short block the code is CE0A-,-,-,-,-. What does the A mean?

 

Beginning in 1970, upon completion of the regular CE serial numbers, a plant reused CE numbers preceded by the letter "A" to indicate late production.

Example: CE0A12345

Flint Plant used if need be:
A00001-A19999 & A80001-A89999 for L6 engines.
A20000-A49999 & A90000-A99999 for V8 engines.

Tonawanda Plant used if need be:
A50000-A79999 for their V8 engines.

They continued this practice throughout the 1970's,so when you find a block numbered like this, look at the number after the CE suffix to determine the year. i.e. CE3A12345 for 1973.


Tonawanda and Flint V-8 each made around 5500 engines per day (one every twelve seconds)

 

I'm beginning to think that CE stands for crazed enthusiast
seriously, where else can you get such a conversation over 2 letters ...lmao :beers:

 

Mike,
You and I agree on a lot of things. I agree with your definition of the CE letters as for Chevrolet Engine, and I agree these were used for warranty service, but I am sorry, I cannot agree on the non-useage in the parts system. Can anyone remember ever seeing a correctly broached non- numbered clean pad ? (Post 1967, as I have seen some previous to that year). I have seen a lot of engines and have never seen one. I have, however, seen many CE Engine blocks, including numerous NOS examples, some of them in crates. I cannot buy the usage of them only for warranty, although that was the real reason for the number to be there. This replacement CE was also still under warranty if used for a warranty purpose and a way needed to be devised to identify it. So the code was there for warranty, but many people who were racing, etc, still could buy a CE over the counter. With your theory, this would require them to make and stock two different engine block assemblies, one CE, and one without, even though they would essentially be the same. This makes no business sense. And keep it around 5 years, I'm sorry, that just did not happen, as you got the years block that available when it went bad. They would not stock warranty engines and then just put them in parts service years later. Can you imagine the room this would require? Also, if warranty count was the only reason to use a CE code, then the same would apply to completed engines which are coded with a suffix just like a production line engine. No attempt was ever made to seperate the warranty replacement engines from the ones purchaced over the counter. Why were they not specially coded so warranty could be tracked? These complete engine assemblies were available and would be used if the engine blew up so bad that none of it was useable. If the bottom end went, than only the CE was used. Now as for your guy in Chevrolet management, I too, love to get opinions from the people who were there. But I always take them in context. It may just be what they know about a particular subject, or what they remember after about 40 years of time has passed. But I have uncovered plenty of things they told me did not exist before, this would not be the first. And as I said before, that was the primary reason a CE code was there. But I have an engine that was not for warranty, and I have seen many others. I usually trust what I find and authenticate. Also, and I may be opening up a can of worms here, but just like you could buy a fitted block, you could buy a bare Muncie trans case. All of these, and I have seen quite a few more than motor blocks, are CC coded, not CT. The CT was probably reserved for a complete trans, and the CC for a bare case. These definately exist and were sold through parts service. The sheer number of them that are out there, no way they were all for warranty. Anyway, that is just the opinion of this "Crazed Enthusiest." Been called worse, by the way. But debate is good, that is how we all learn. That what TC is about, isn't it? And I would not expect us all to agree, but I will always be willing to keep an open mind if you guys will. Unfortunately, this stuff is old enough that the truth often gets lost in opinions, as there is not many factual ways to double check information. This is one of those cases. Sometimes we may have to respectfully agree to disagree. Hope you understand.

Jeff Dotterer
Dated Components
Diamond Restored Judge

 

Now I was told by a dealer that CE means Customer Exchange.

 

you were told wrong, see GM document above.