Rosco
Active Member
see my photos above. "1283" is cast on Both sides of the block.
Timing chain cover question
- Thread starter Rosco
- Start date
Rosco
Active Member
just a reminder, the imprint on the front of my motor is
"M318R 06 131947"
"M318R 06 131947"
Yes, but most will also show a day of the month.
Rosco
Active Member
wow, I find that incredible. I bought that motor from a junk yard and I thought the guy told me it was from a wrecked '73. It's been so long I can't remember for sure. Maybe he told me it was from an '83.
I do remember something with the intake manifold not working with my '68 linkage and carb and I think I swapped the intake over.
The crazy thing is that my timing cover appears to be from the '68-'69 group and I know I never swapped the cover. Too, my new water pump will fit my existing cover and it was specifically for a '68 318.
I wonder if the bone yard guys did some reassembling of the motor before they sold it? the 1283 for Dec. 1983 jibes with your alphabetic system for the front imprint...
Rosco
Active Member
Maybe it is a January 2, 1983 motor?
PH27L7
Well-Known Member
Had a 68 318 and it had the same date code location as the 72 340 in post 50. Every 60's block I've ever seen had a casting date on the side but granted that's a small percentage of the 30 million or so they made so probably some slipped through. The info on the driver side front can be very lightly stamped & hard to see, especially with paint & other crud. Here's another pic of a 68 318 I found. Please don't believe everything you see on youtube videos
Rosco
Active Member
or "block" with a '68 timing cover and water pump, etc.???
Rosco
Active Member
well, there you go. A '68 with a date stamp. So much for the youtube guy.Had a 68 318 and it had the same date code location as the 72 340 in post 50. Every 60's block I've ever seen had a casting date on the side but granted that's a small percentage of the 30 million or so they made so probably some slipped through. The info on the driver side front can be very lightly stamped & hard to see, especially with paint & other crud. Here's another pic of a 68 318 I found. Please don't believe everything you see on youtube videos
View attachment 374131
I believe you thought the 1283 on my block was just a casting number. Maybe it is indeed a '68 without a stamp.
As I clean the block the mopar blue color is starting to show through. Wonder if the '68 blocks had blue?
'68 blocks are turquoise, not mopar blue. Sometimes hard to tell as the pigments age. If it is mopar blue, it is a '70 or later block.
Dave
Rosco
Active Member
I feel pretty good about the stamp on the driver side front (if you're referring to the one behind the power steering pump) especially since it was on a smooth, surfaced area:Had a 68 318 and it had the same date code location as the 72 340 in post 50. Every 60's block I've ever seen had a casting date on the side but granted that's a small percentage of the 30 million or so they made so probably some slipped through. The info on the driver side front can be very lightly stamped & hard to see, especially with paint & other crud. Here's another pic of a 68 318 I found. Please don't believe everything you see on youtube videos
View attachment 374131
"M318R 06 131947"
What it means I don't know.
Dave Lux mentioned the alphabetic system starting in '65. If that is correct that would make mine an '83. That would jibe with the 1283 on the sides of the block but the date casting in your image is way different with a dot between the numbers.
Maybe mine is one of the 30 million that didn't get a date?
There doesn't appear to be any other numbers on the block (either side).
Rosco
Active Member
the color does appear to be lighter blue- maybe turquoise. I'm glad you have already spelled "turquoise" there above for me to copy!
PH27L7
Well-Known Member
68 318's were red, they changed over to blue in 70 or so. All the casting dates I've seen followed the format shown, I don't recognize the 1283 number. That can't be an 83 block, they stopped making those 318 castings well before then. Maybe it's a 73 block cast on the 128th day of year, mopar used that format sometimes, just a wild guess on my part. The 68 parts are just a bolt-on.
You are correct, 69 and older should be red, not turquoise. Big blocks were turquoise (mostly).
Dave
PH27L7
Well-Known Member
A 74 318-
PH27L7
Well-Known Member
Some late 60's 340's were turquoise so you're right too!
Rosco
Active Member
yea I don't think the 1283 is a date stamp based on what you've been able to pull up here. Too, my intake is red- which I couldn't remember for sure whether or not I swapped out of my original '68 but now am convinced I did.
Too, the '73 quote was just what I can remember but it's been a long time. He could've said anything.
So we know the block is blue- I'm not sure which blue (turquoise or mopar blue) but the timing cover that came with that engine is from the '68-'69 series.
A '69? I'm just interested now. I know it doesn't really matter but I'd be nice to know.
Rosco
Active Member
you can kind of see the blue in these photos
PH27L7
Well-Known Member
There's one last way to find out the year. If it's a 73 it should have a partial VIN on the flat rectangular portion on the front drivers side immediately below the cyl head. It should start with a letter (I if a 73?) followed by a letter (plant) & then the rest of the other info. If it's some kind of a replacement or warranty block I believe it may be blank.
Looked at my 340 & it's virtually unreadable. Believe there's a lot of variation in how or how well they are stamped there.
This is what the 73 service manual says about the #'s FWIW-
On 318, 340 and 360 cubic inch engines the first letter will designate series (model year), the next letter will designate manufacturing plant, the next three numerals will indicate cubic inch displacement, the next one or two letters (depending on type of engine) will designate model, the following four numerals designate build date, and the last four numerals designate the engine sequence number.
Based on the above you are missing the 1st digit which is the model year.
Looked at my 340 & it's virtually unreadable. Believe there's a lot of variation in how or how well they are stamped there.
This is what the 73 service manual says about the #'s FWIW-
On 318, 340 and 360 cubic inch engines the first letter will designate series (model year), the next letter will designate manufacturing plant, the next three numerals will indicate cubic inch displacement, the next one or two letters (depending on type of engine) will designate model, the following four numerals designate build date, and the last four numerals designate the engine sequence number.
Based on the above you are missing the 1st digit which is the model year.
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Rosco
Active Member
well then, maybe not a '73. I will look again at the imprint but am pretty sure there was nothing before the "M".
Too, according to the manual you quoted it looks like my build date would be 06 13 (doesn't make sense? Here's the number: M318R 06 13 1947.
I'll get a photo. Too, the "13" is offset (slightly higher) from the rest of the numbers...
I might even repost this as a query in the slab year forum.
PH27L7
Well-Known Member
The build date is another special code based on a 10,000 day calendar starting in early 1960's. 0613 makes no sense in the case of your 318. The M means it was assembled in the Mound Rd engine plant.
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