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Is my motor original to my K5?

tangouniform

tangouniform

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I bought an '88 K5 this summer. I'm slowly restoring it, and just started thinking about options for the engine. Before I do anything, I'd like to figure out if this motor is the original one. I found 3 different casting numbers on the block. The first is the "GM 5.7L" stamp behind the driver side head, near the bell housing. The second is a "267" on the back of the block, behind the distributor. This matches up with a GM 350. The last and most interesting is a "V0701SFA" behind the alternator. According to a search, the SFA block was included with the Police package. There are no police RPO codes in my glove box.

So my questions are:
1. Is it possible they could have just randomly put a police package block in my truck because they had extras, it was Friday, they were drunk, etc?
2. The easiest way to answer the original question would be to find the VIN stamping on my block, but I can't find it. From my reading there are a few places it could be, but GM changed it up several times. Does anyone know where it might be on an '87+ TBI block?
 
How many miles on the truck? I would wonder if it's a random draw from a rebuild motor supplier. Used to be a lot more common for people to throw rebuilds in their trucks.
 
mrk5 said:
How many miles on the truck? I would wonder if it's a random draw from a rebuild motor supplier. Used to be a lot more common for people to throw rebuilds in their trucks.
Click to expand...

230K but it's leaking from every orifice and feels like it's down 50% of it's power. That's why I was leaning towards it being original but not sure.
 
No. SFA is a police car engine. It's been swapped. Good thing is, if I remember right, being a car engine, roller cam?

Sucks it's leaking badly, really shouldn't.

It could be "down on power" as the stock tune is wrong for that engine, but it could very well be other issues. May need new plugs, wires, etc. Good visual inspection to make sure everything is hooked up properly, and in good shape. The basics, start there. POs are as notorious as florida man for a reason.

IIRC the partial vin should be underneath where you see SFA. But a hunch tells me that's not a new engine, but a junkyard pull. Most rebuilt engines I've seen, the codes are wiped clean from the build process. Not all Im guessing, so who knows. But one piece rear main, centerbolt valve covers, they really shouldn't leak on any halfway modern rebuild.
 
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Many 305's in the late 80's had a S** code behind the alternator..
I couldn't find SFA at all on any other online listings I tried,but some that were close were 305's..
You'll have to get the block casting number on the drivers side behind the head ,its on the flange where the transmissions bolts to the engine.

That will tell you the bore size..lots of 305's and 307's,even 267's get pawned off as 350's,they are all the same externally so its hard to tell what you really have till you find all the casting numbers and engine/vin codes..
 
I found a 5.7L casting so it's definitely a 350. This is where I found the SFA casting info...

20201224_183546.jpg
 
I found a thread on a message board where someone had an "SFA" suffix they had tracked down, and it had come from a 9C1 (police) Caprice.
 
Then I'd say its safe to assume its either the original 350,or one pulled from an '87 or '88 police cruiser..

I ran across one thread on another forum searching online (maybe the same one Dyeager just posted about ?) that someone who had an '88 C-10 had the same engine code and was curious if it was original,but he couldn't find any listing for "SFA"...I didn't pursue it any further,maybe that was the conclusion ?..

I wouldn't be all that surprised if GM did put a few police option 350's in trucks...whatever they have sitting on the assembly lines often get used !..
 
On one hand I think it's totally possible they just threw in whatever engine they had available, so it could be original. On the other hand, the fact that I can't find the VIN in the places it should be, leads me to believe it's not original.
 
The "VO7O1" is the partial VIN # of the vehicle the engine should have gone in--or came from...
 
diesel4me said:
The "VO7O1" is the partial VIN # of the vehicle the engine should have gone in--or came from...
Click to expand...

According to my research, the "V0701" means the block was made in Flint, MI on July 1st. The VIN should be under it but isn't.
 
It would be a violation of emissions rules for GM to substitute another engine in there. I have NEVER heard of a suffix code being "wrong". I'm sure it happened, GMs quality control was not particularly robust, but willingly doing so would eliminate the reason to even have suffix codes, not to mention again, being illegal to use a different engine than what was certified for that vehicle build.

No way it was originally put in a truck if SFA is the 9C1 suffix code.

https://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/67061/
 
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