1968 383 Engine Stamping

[1970Moparmann]

Need some help.   I know my Coronet doesn't have the original engine, and when I got my 68 Charger the owner told me that the engine that was in the Charger was now in a Duster.  Anyway, long story short, I've been in contact with the owner of the Duster, and I asked him to send me pictures of the stamping of the block.  He sent the casting number but said he didn't see any other numbers except the year.   

Question - for 68, was the VIN or Sequence number on the top area where the trans get's installed?

I did find a thread about this, but people were talking about 69's, 70's and small blocks.

Thanks for the reply.

[maxwellwedge]

I just copy and paste this now.

There should be a "D" on the top pad - near the distributor for 68.

ENGINE BLOCK

V.I.N.:  Last 8 digits of V.I.N. found at top rear of engine on 1968 engines up until about May 1968.  I have seen some instances where there was no V.I.N. found after that date in 1968.

The complete 13 digit V.I.N. is found on the right (passenger) lower side of block on all 1969 engines up until around January of 1969.  Last 8 digits of V.I.N. found on all later engines.

The Assembly Date is found in different locations, be it a 6-cylinder, A-engine or B/RB engine.  Even the HEMI has different locations from 1964-1967 and 1968-1971.

The Casting Date is found on either side of the engine on most all engine blocks except the HEMI.  It is always found behind the starter on a HEMI.

TRANSMISSION CASE:

V.I.N.:  Last 8 digits of V.I.N. found at top of Automatic in 1968 up until about May 1968. This is the same situation with the digits as the engine block.
The 1969 and newer location is on the passenger side of the transmission case.

The Assembly Date for a Manual transmission is stamped on the passenger of the case on the same pad as the V.I.N.
The Assembly Date for an Automatic transmission is stamped on the driver's side pan rail above the trans pan behind the 7-digit part number.

The last 3 digits of the Manual Transmission Assembly Number is ink-stamped on the passenger side of the case (above the V.I.N. pad)
The Part Number is found on the driver's side of the Automatic Transmission case pan rail above the pan.

The Casting Date for a manual transmission is on the drivers side forward of the side cover.
The Casting Date for an automatic transmission is on the driver's side about half way up the side of the case.

[Troy]

For a 68 specifically, early on there may not be a VIN on any engine other than a 440. Any idea what the production date of your car is? I think the stampings for every engine started later on in the model year but I don't know that there's a definite date that this happened. The stamped pad by the distributor should say "D383" and the stamped (assembly) date should be earlier than your car. The casting number should be correct and the casting date will be several weeks to several months before the assembly date.

Troy

[69CoronetRT]

For a 68 specifically, early on there may not be a VIN on any engine other than a 440.

VIN stamping seem to vary by plant. I have seen low VINs on 68 STL cars while they do not appear on cars from other plants.

The theory that some displacements recieved a stamp while others did not does not make sense in a massed production environment. There would be no logical reason to stamp only 383 or 440 CID cars and not others. It would slow down the process.

I have yet to see any credible research on 68 VIN stampings. Most of what is posted is based on anecdotal stories.

[John_Kunkel]

The point of conjecture is the difference between the model year and the calendar year; since the feds didn't actually require VIN stamping until January 1, 1968 and the '68 model year started in September of '67 there was no requirement to stamp anything at the beginning of the model year...this might explain anecdotal examples of no (or inconsistent) VIN stamping being found on some blocks.

[1970Moparmann]

Man oh man, I feel like a retard.  

I knew where to look years ago for some of these questions being asked, and now I'm stumped.

I just looked at the build sheet and I believe the sequence number is - 250454.

The VIN is XP29H8G23XXXX.

Does this help?

I need to get some information to the owner of the Duster on where to look, but I don't want to piss him off either to keep looking.

I appreciate the responses guys!

[bakerhillpins]

http://andy440.com/other.htm

So far so good, but now we will look for the VIN! On 1968 big block engines, the VIN is located on the back curved part of the block where the transmission bolts on. Looking at this one, we find an "8" for the 1968 model year, then a "C" for the assembly plant,

[bakerhillpins]

Also some info in here:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,38316.0/all.html

That is correct. My 68 rt had the numbers matching block, the numbers were on the back of the block just left of the oil pressure sender where the transmission bolts to the block. Like this number on a hemi block from a 68 charger(so i was told)

Hope that helps!!! 

[1970Moparmann]

Awesome - thanks!

[1970Moparmann]

Just got some awesome news..... Received some pictures of the stamping and it matches my VIN.    Only problem is the block is 1,000 miles away....

My weekend is starting on a good note.

[tan top]

Just got some awesome news..... Received some pictures of the stamping and it matches my VIN.    Only problem is the block is 1,000 miles away....

My weekend is starting on a good note.

   wow whats great news     yeah long way away , but least you found the motor 

[bakerhillpins]

 

Road trip!  Keep us informed on how it all turns out. So cool to get them back together. 

[maxwellwedge]

Just got some awesome news..... Received some pictures of the stamping and it matches my VIN.    Only problem is the block is 1,000 miles away....

My weekend is starting on a good note.

Cool - Do you have the original trans and is it stamped?

[1970Moparmann]

Just got some awesome news..... Received some pictures of the stamping and it matches my VIN.    Only problem is the block is 1,000 miles away....

My weekend is starting on a good note.

Cool - Do you have the original trans and is it stamped?

I do..... 

What sucks is I even have to go through this trouble.   When this ex friend and I traded cars, the agreement was that I would get the 383 at a later date.  Well, Tom turned into a PMSing douche bag within a week and we went our separate ways.  I mentioned to him about the engine, and he said " don't worry".    Next thing I know a few months later is sold the damn Duster with my engine.   

Luckily, the owner of the Duster is a very cool guy and is willing to get me the engine back. 

[Bob T]

Lucky break Moparmann, for w.i.w. my 68 440 block has HP2 and  date stamp on the flat by the distrubutor 2 days before the fender tag date