Classic/Antique Car Repair/1964 chevy engine

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 9/1/2009


Question
Hello Mr.Wilczynski

I've got a 1964 Chevy Impala, and I'm trying to find the info on the engine. Decoding the serial number on the car states it should have a 327 and a few old car guy friends look at it and say "it's a 327" without being able to quite tell me why (supposedly because you don't put ram's heads on a 289).
The casting number (engine casting date/suffix) on the front passenger side of the car reads 854629658, which is not near anything shown on the websites I've found. Do you have any reference material that might say what this serial means? Unfortunately the car is a good drive away right now, so I am unable to get the casting number off the driver's side rear of the engine.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time.

Answer
I'm sure you mean "283", not "289", and these had the ram's head exhaust manifolds, too.

That casting number should begin with a "3", not an "8", and most 283 and 327 heads from that vintage have the same casting number.

The only way to really tell is by finding the block casting number.

--Paul

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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