Chev engine identification

[Nathan O'Malley]

Hi guys

I’m hoping someone might be able to help me out.

My C60L has had a heart transplant at some point in its life and the engine it has is certainly not a 216.

I suspect it may be a 235 I have the casting numbers but for the life of me I can’t find anything on the lists that matches it.

The number behind the starter reads 3831004
The one on the little shelf behind the distributor reads R239736

[Shaun Mastin]

Blue flame maybe ?

[Nathan O'Malley]

Definitely a blue flame but would like to know a date and how many horses it may be packing.

[Shaun Mastin]

Late 40’s early 50’s pretty sure
I think it’s the same size as a 235 but with bigger bores in it
I think ? ,
Couldn’t tell you the hp

[Lang]

This engine is a a replacement hence the R prefix and ratty hand stamped numbers. Up to the 60's replacement engines were supplied blank and the mechanic would stamp the old number but not the prefixes (which told what factory and date). Unfortunately without the letter prefixes of the old number we can not identify it from this. No Chevrolet factory 6 cylinder engine number was ever a single "R" prefix.

Your casting number does not match any I can find. There are many detailed Chevrolet casting number sites listing every model ever made. The year and number are not sequential and much later motors had smaller numbers in many cases.

I believe, if you look hard again at your casting number it will be 383 7 004

not 383 1 004. Which would make it a mid-fifties 261 - a winner out of all the Chevrolet early 6 cylinder motors!

[Nathan O'Malley]

Sorry mate I thought the casting number photo had uploaded apparently not so I’ve attached it here.

I thought I may have misread the number when I couldn’t find a 1004 it seems like a strange looking 1. If it is indeed a 261 that would be a nice little win