OK- - - - -the stamped number beside the distributor is LAQ37I68 - - - - -which indicates it's from a 1953 passenger car with a Powerglide transmission. Probably a hydraulic cam engine, but I'll need to do some disassembly to confirm that assumption. With a truck bell housing, foot starter, and torque tube SM 420 transmission, it's obviously been transplanted into an early 1950s 3100 pickup sometime in the past.
Chevrolet Engine Serial Number Prefix “LAQ” — Meaning and Context
The “LAQ” prefix on a Chevrolet engine serial number identifies a 1953 235 cubic inch inline‑6 engine that was equipped with a Powerglide automatic transmission Classic Parts Talk.
Key details
Year: 1953
Displacement: 235 cu in (inline‑6)
Transmission: Powerglide (automatic)
Plant: Tonawanda, New York
The block casting number is 3701481
The engine is a high water pump type (oops on my above "low pump" description) with a big harmonic balancer ring and a 3/8" wide fan belt and pulleys on the water pump and generator. Overall, I seem to have stumbled upon a relatively scarce engine. A tag from an engine rebuilder in Memphis Tennessee says the cylinders are .030" oversize and the crankshaft has been reground .010" on rods and mains.
Jerry
