The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop What engine do I have in my 1934 Woodie?

Hi:

I am new to the forum.

I have a 1934 Chevrolet woodie, commercial chassis, with what I believe is the correct original engine. I need the rocker shaft and bushing set (for the rockers, which have a little play right now), but I'd like to make sure I order the correct part as I don't really know what engine it has, and if it is the correct one or not.

How can I check what engine I have?

Thanks,
Victor

Victor,

If you have an original 1934 engine, you have a first-generation stove-bolt engine: a 194 cu.in. or a 207 cu.in. engine. The 207 was only used in passenger cars, and the 194 was used in trucks and cars. If the Woodie is a truck chassis, the engine/chassis that went to the Woodie-builder most likely had a 194 in it.

Let's see if someone has suggestions about distinguishing a 207 from a 194. I have seen 194 block and head casting codes but have never seen 207 codes.

Victor this is what I found doing a google search and this was on the Hemmings site. It will show you what engine it was by the prefix, but as far as cubic inch or displacement I didn't see anything as far as I dug. Good Luck, John

1934 U.S. CHEVROLET MOTOR SERIAL NUMBERS BY MONTHS

11 September 2001

Prefixes: "M" FOR "STANDARD"; "MR" for Right-hand drive "Standard" although Canadian Walkerville-assembled r.h.d. Standard motors were evidently prefixed “RM” which should be the case for Flint-assembled units; "K" for "Master Series C[K]OMMERCIAL"*; "T" for "Truck; "R" for Right-hand drive Master Series"; "RT" for "Right hand drive Truck". Trucks used Master series motors although export vehicles may have used either series and there may have been "RK" for "Right-hand drive C[K]ommercial"*

"MASTER" = "MASTER SERIES DA" and "STANDARD" = "STANDARD SERIES DC"

Very usefull information, thanks! Where can I find the engine number? I did not notice it in my initial inspection.

Thanks,
Victor

Victor,

If no one posts information about the location of codes on your engine, you might want to go the gallery and send a Private Message to a few owners of pre-1937 trucks.

Tim:

Thanks! The engine is kind of messy. It was broken over 20 years ago and then left sitting till I got it. Only thing that I could see are the cast numbers on the right side of the engine, which are:
GM
J18-4
831231-6

From my paperwork, engine number is/was: K4706976 (I need to verify it physically, if I find out where to look for that number). According to this number and using the info posted by 53John3100, it is a Master, as " "K" for "Master Series C[K]OMMERCIAL"*; ".

So, question now is, what engines did the Master series, commercial, used?: a 194 cu.in. or a 207 cu.in. engine?

Thanks,
Victor
It has a serial number plate: 3DB11 58720

Could your choice be between the 181 cu in or the 207 cu in. as the "1934 Chevrolet
Repair Manual" suggests in the "Engine Assembly" chapter? (Thanks again Keith Hardy
for your site).

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1934/index.htm

The Manual states that the Master model would be the 207. Thanks for sharing and we would love to see pictures.

Thanks, Randy (and Keith).

The information that I have shows the 207 coming out in 1935 - clearly that is wrong.

I believe that the page that 53John3100 quoted from has the answer to your question,
Victor.
http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/chevytalk/GMhistory/1934motors.html
You thought your casting number was 831231 but I bet it is 837231 which decodes to a 1933-34 engine.

"Master Series DA, DB and P Series trucks have block casting # 837231 and cylinder
head casting # 837230. Standard series DC block casting # is 473741 and cylinder
head casting # 473740."

Two other points concerning the "K4706976" number that you said was on your paperwork.
First, the line in red in above referenced page says "There is no evidence yet
as to whether there was in fact a Master Commercial Series DB "K" prefix "Commercial" motor". My point being that on comfirmation of your inspection, you may indeed have one.

Second, the number 4,706,976 after the "K" on your paperwork fits with the production numbers that are shown on the webpage. Do you see how your number fits between the Nov 1934 Master number of 4,690,665 and the Last 1934 number 4,708,994?

I would also like to add a link to a photo of a 1935 207 (206.8) engine from one of Tom Brownell's books that I found online so you can compare your
engine.

http://books.google.com/books?id=WL...B4Q6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Again, pictures of your project would interest a number of people.

A 1934 truck motor is a 207.

Randy et al:

Thanks for the info! You were right and I was wrong with my number. I cleaned it and it is really a 7, not a 1, so the correct number is: 837231.

I also took the valve cover off and the rocker arms and checked on the head number, which as you mention is: 837230

I still need to verify the stamped number, and see if it has the K or not, if I find it, but at least now I know I have a correct 1934 engine and can get the correct parts for it.

Thanks for the link to the book. Great pics and interesting information. I will get it!

Thanks again!
Victor

Glad we could help. Please remember the 1934 Repair Manual from the Keith Hardy site.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1934/index.htm

And also remember, we love pictures.

Should be right above the fuel pump on a flat area--stamped. If i read your question right. I always thought mine was a 207 but nice to see the talk about it. If the head is off you should check for cracks--they say they cracked alot--mine had 20 inches of crack so I got another head nos on ebay. hard to believe but Isee them there now and then.

Oh, yes, I forgot to add pics... I can't make it work; I need advice here. I guess I have to confess that I am computer illiterate. You are not loosing much, as I haven't even dusted it after 25 years of storage. I have most of the parts (and will post my needs one of these days) but I need to do the wood correctly, as the original pattern was not kept.

I will look for the enigne nr. in the fuel pump area, and thanks for the tip on checking the head.

Victor

Thanks everybody for your help! So, yes, it is a 207 engine, and it does have the K code stamped before the rest of the number, just behind and a little over the gas pump.

After I found out what engine it was, I ordered a few parts from EGGE, which I got already. Just today I started the engine again, after cleaning carb and a few more things. We adjusted valves and the engine works beautifully, but I haven't moved the truck yet.

Again, thanks everybody for your help!

Victor