Need inline 6 expert

I have just started working with my wife on her new project (pics soon) and would like to know if someone knows the evolution trought the years of the Chevy 6.
It's seems a little confusing for me especially concerning motor mounts. The engine seems to be from 56 but can't find more on engines from this year.
All the pics of engine i have found have different motor mount holes


Here's a pic of this Fu**ing engine


If someone can help me i would be very pleased.
Thanks

 

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I can give you a few general ideas of how they mounted.

40s-early 50s cars had a front mount, on the plate behind the timing gear. about 53-54 they had side mounts, using the holes shown in your pic. 55-57 had front side mounts, one mount was over the generator bracket. 58-62 cars had side mounts near the middle of the engine.

truck thru 55 had front mount on the plate behind the timing gear. 55-59 used front side mounts like 55-57 cars. 60-62 trucks had one center mount at front plate.

if I made any mistakes, please correct me, guys....

Blocks had holes in various locations over the years....some had both front and middle side mount holes, others just the front ones, others just the middle ones, some had none.

 

Mine has front mounts but i want to change for side mounts. All motor mounts kits for inline are with holes like small block, I can built them but want to know more about this engine.
Here is a better pic

 

That's either a '53 or '54 block. There should be a casting date on the passenger side rear, but the starter may be obscuring it. It will read something like C 5 4 (which would be March 5, 1954). All '53 car engines were 235s, but the standard shift engines retained the 216's characteristics of cast iron pistons, babbitted rods, and screwy oiling system, while the Powerglide engines had aluminum pistons, insert rods, and normal full pressure oiling. All '54 engines had the good features of the '53 Powerglide, and also had larger camshaft bearing journals. '58-'62 blocks had side mount provisions in approximately the same location as the '53-'54 blocks, but were a different bolt pattern. Ask me how I know this--I swapped a '58 engine into my '53 years ago, and had to make adapters!

 

look for the casting date on the block, the starter motor blocks my view of it in the picture. the date code will be like E 14 4 the first letter is the month (A=first month=January, E = 5th month = May, etc), second set of digits is day of the month, last digit is the last digit of the year. so E 14 4 would be May 14th, 1954.

since the block does not have the front side mount holes, and the middle sid mount holes are the early pattern, and it's not a 216 because the side cover stops at the top of the block, it seems to me that it's probably a 54 block?

(looks like heathen beat me to it!)

 

Thanks a lot for your answers.
Here is the casting number behind the starter: CON4 F104 (which mines it's from 54?)

There's one just under the fuel pump: 3835911(which mines it's from55?)

and the cylinder head: 3836848 (which mines it's from56?)

Did i read this numbers correctly??
Thanks again.

 

F 10 4 means June 10th 1954. So, it's a 1954 block. The head has a casting date on it also, look for that to find out what year it is, but the 3836848 head was used for several years from the mid 50s to early 60s, I believe.