jeffs396

Wow, nice job!

That -7 is looking mighty fine Darrin! Love yellow Jeeps

Those are the COOLEST pavers I've ever seen!

Kewl!!!

Very cool Chris! That sleeper is bigger than some studio apartments!

Very nice!

Nice!

Neat build Chuck! Now I see what you needed the MPC Dodge 8-lugs for

Funny how a bit of sectioning suddenly makes the Hudson roof look tall Very cool, looking forward to more!

Very nice!

Turned out great!

Neat!

That is one WILD build Virgil! Very well done!

Looks awesome Joe!

One of my LHS offers layaway, which helps! I also save a dollar here, two there, and eventually have enough to buy a kit without my bride knowing...is this wrong?

Thanks for putting the info back up Sully! Looking forward to the show! Who else is going?

Looks GREAT! If that's a terrible kit, I wanna see what you do with a good one!

Very nice compliment to your uber-cool '36 Chevy pickup! We need more 30s Bowties!

Kewl!

Casey & Jose, this baby is in the box just as it looks here got started on something else and here we are over a year later with no progress I have had the itch to get it going again, why do I have this "non-finish-itis"??? Am I the only one? Oh, and thanks Virgil for the positive comment!

Git-r-dun Mike! Look who's talking These are neat old trucks!

Very cool project Walt!

Realize that ALL of the numbers are important, including the casting #s, that's why I said this below...if someone is really wanting to spend BIG $$$ on an all-original car, the first thing you want to be sure of is that the originally installed engine is still there. Full owner history & documentation is important too. I myself would rather build a beast from a rust-free base car, then you can drive it without worrying about destroying an original car...they're only original once!

The engine ID number is stamped on this machined pad at the front (passenger side) of the engine. This code was stamped by the engine assembly plant. This particular stamping decodes as follows: V = Flint Engine Plant; 05 = May; 25 = 25th day of the month; C = Car; NR = 350 cid/300 hp (w/TH-350 tranny) for use in a '70 full-size passenger car. Note the lack of an engine V.I.N. number on this block – which means this particular engine was not installed in a chassis on the assembly line. WHAT DO THEY MEAN? Simply put, the proper numbers can mean the difference between a solid investment and losing your shirt! Actually, in the present-day restoration marketplace a premium is placed on muscle cars equipped with their original drivetrains. This doesn't mean a 396 Nova missing the original engine is worthless – far from it – but all else being equal the car with the original engine will be worth more. If you plan on entering your car in concours classes at shows, the correct components are necessary if you hope to place well. Notice there's a difference in the meaning of original and correct. Original means the car has the engine or drivetrain parts installed by the factory when the car was built. Correct means the various components (i.e. engine code, head castings, etc.) are the proper type for that particular model. It's not usually possible to determine if the heads or intake installed on a particular engine are the originals simply because they weren't serialized by Chevrolet. However, the date codes of these parts should precede the build date of the car by 1-3 months. This isn't an exact science, however, and some exceptions do exist. Since the cylinder block is serialized it's possible to determine whether the engine (or the block, anyway) was installed on the assembly line. The engine code should match the codes used in a particular application, and the sequence number should match the last six digits of the car's V.I.N. Should is the key word in the above statement however, since there are rare cases where an engine can be considered original and not have a matching sequence number. There have been instances where engines were replaced under warranty, and although the technicians were instructed to stamp the sequence number into the replacement block, this did not always happen. Engines with complete assembly plant and ID codes, but no sequence numbers, are the result. If the engine in your car has a sequence number that doesn't match the last six digits of the V.I.N., it is almost certainly not original. These cars were mass produced, however, and mistakes did happen on rare occasions. This big block does have the engine V.I.N. code stamped to the right of the engine ID number. This code was added at the final vehicle assembly plant. Since the engine codes were stamped on a pad that is an extension of the deck surface, it is possible to remove the codes and identification numbers. This may happen during a normal rebuilding procedure (if a block is decked), or it can be purposely done by unscrupulous persons trying to pass off an unoriginal or incorrect block/engine to an unsuspecting buyer. That's why it's extremely important that all the pieces of the identification puzzle match. The engine codes and sequence numbers should match, the various casting numbers should be correct and the component date codes must precede the build date of the car (but not by more than a few months). If all these match, it's a pretty safe bet the engine is original. If any one of these is incorrect, the authenticity of the car can be seriously challenged. NOT casting numbers Tom, STAMPED numbers, I know the difference

Tom, I'm not sure how the other OEMs did their numbering, but I do know how GM did it in the late sixties, see here: http://www.yearone.com/yodnn/tech/VehicleInfoDecoding/ChevroletDecoding/ChevroletEngineCodes/tabid/322/Default.aspx Here's an excerpt: If the engine in your car has a sequence number that doesn't match the last six digits of the V.I.N., it is almost certainly not original. These cars were mass produced, however, and mistakes did happen on rare occasions. This at least tells you if the engine is original to the car...then the decoding continues...