Technical Chevy 400 smallblock identification

Correct me if I'm wrong. I thought recently that someone was having a conservation regarding the 400 identification and casting numbers. Can someone point me in the right direction?

 

Look @ side block , No help on codes,
Bore 4-1/8
Some have 3 freeze plug down each side , or 2 & 1 in middle ,place for but not drilled

 

I don't recall any recent 400 ID threads.

 

It could have been somewhere else. But thanks for any information anyway.

 

https://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm

 

I’ve had 3 of these engines. The casting number to look for is on the bell housing flange on the drivers side behind the head. All the 400s that I’ve had, that number ended with 511, known as the 511 block. The 511 blocks have 4 bolt mains. There are also 400 blocks that have 2 bolt mains that have a different casting #. The 2 bolt mains are just as good. Hope this helps.

 

The casting #s for the 2 bolt mains would end with either , 509 or 817 .

 

uh...are you trying to identify an engine? or help with someone else's ID?

If you want help to ID an engine, post the numbers here and we can help. If not, this is a very strange thread....

 

Yeah, they really did put casting numbers and stamping codes on them for a reason.

 

I have access to a cheap engine, It has a different casting number-I don't have it with me and this friend said by the stamped number that it was a 400. The numbers I looked up said 350 or 68 327, or a 302. He said he knew what he was talking about. The casting number ended in 010. Thanks for the replies.

 

010 is definitely NOT a 400.

 

yup, the 010 block was almost always a 350. It has the wrong size bore and main journals to be a 400.

 

I can't believe the harmonic "balancer/damper" crowd hasn't muddied up the conversation yet, and the "freeze plug/core plug" guys must be taking a much needed nap.