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I got a 235 motor out of a 1954 New Port Beach fire truck. The casting numbers are typical but the stamped numbers next to the distributor are unusual. S0405XH Can anyone help with this?

photobucket The donor

Can you post some of the typical casting numbers.

Or even some pic's of the engine.

the head number is 3836848
behind the starter number is 3733949
next to the fuel pump number is CON3C148

the head is a 56-62 235 head

these are bad guesses:

the block is a 1955 code?

C148 looks like a 1958 date code?

S0405XH

Here are 1958 engine codes.

S should be a plant - a T or an F
XH ?

Yea the numbers strange.
Thanks for the try

This truck also had an antifreeze filter with a glass tube in the hose as a sight glass.

S could be a Service replacement engine, I've seen the S code on later engines that were service replacements. Not sure about the XH code, though.
BTW, the donor truck you hav pictured is a '51, rather than a '54.

51 on the outside 54 on the inside. The guy I got it from said all the paper work and manuals were 54.

If the dash gauges glass is not recessed over an inch, the radio hole is on top of the dash, the speaker slots run horizontal not vertical, and it doesn't have a one piece windshield, it's a 51 on the inside also.

Your engine code is certainly a puzzle.

The date code on your 55' block seems to decode as March 14, 1958. Not a problem if you believe that GM periodically cast older style parts at later years. See this discussion about the same numbered block (3733949) with a date code of J129 (Oct 12,1959)ending with David Hayward, automotive historian, supporting that idea.

http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/printpost.php?tid/260623/

Back to your original question. First, the format of the engine code as engine assembly plant, month, day, series/designation, (S0405XH),didn't appear until 1957.

Next, the first letter "S" should stand for "Saginaw" or "Saginaw Service".
Several Nova/Camaro/Chevelle sites stated this but I could find
no other online references to this as an engine assembly plant. (Years this plant was operational?)

http://www.nastyz28.com/sbchevy/sblock.php

Next, the 04 and 05 are obviously month and day.

Finally the suffix XH. When limited to 235 truck engines, the suffix X appeared in only the 54-56 years I believe. In years 54 and 55 there was only X, XA, and XB noting regular production 3100, 3600, and 3800 models. In 56 we go from X to XGC but never quite to XH. So, rather inconclusive.

So we have a 55' block, cast in Mar 58' with the engine assembled later than that at a service engine assembly plant?

I hope someone else can add to the engine replacement process during this time.

Bill & Randy,

Thanks for the posts, and for the information on the S prefix.

I think that Greg Hill & Warren Foster (WD was his "handle") found a 261 block that had a lot of very odd characteristics. Warren (a GM parts professional/expert) mentioned something about it being a later replacement block.

I would like to see a pic of the stamping. A lot of times numbers are misread.

photobucket Here you go

It almost looks to me like there is a ghost stamping in the pic.
I wonder if your block has been restamped.

hey not to but in on some one else question but i am having casting issues to cant find what meas besides year and what z means trying find more my block number is 0840658F54Z and what kind fire truck you working on im doing a 43 chevy american lafrance

F54Z = 1954 235 Flint, MI engine in car equipped with standard transmission.

will a tranny from a 40s model 216 work with the 235 if i take off ones on there now?

What year/type 40s transmission?

What year/size truck do you want to put it into?

it is a 43 chevy fire truck and its 4 speed on floor and the 235 will be going into the truck but want to use tranny from the 40s but the tranny from the 235 is three on tree