This is my first post on this forum so take it easy on me for my ignorance. I drug home a barn find '69 Camaro with a small block engine. I noticed there is no oil dipstick and I can't find where it should be located. There is a hole that is blocked and threaded between the 5 and 7 cylinders. I'm not even sure this is the right engine for this car. The fwd right engine pad has been ground down with only these numbers. 18N________ 647U(?)__. Any help withlocation of the dipstick would be greatly appreciated.

 

As I started looking closer, I noticed that someone had removed the dipstick and replaced it with a bolt to cover the hole. That didn't take long to prove my ignorance.

 

Yes, it's on the drivers side, between #'s 5 & 7. No idea why someone would block it off, unless they snapped the tube off and couldn't get it out. Makes it rather difficult to check the oil though.

 

The numbers on the block:
18N.... is part of the partial VIN. 1=Chevrolet, 8=1968, N=Norwood, Ohio vehicle assembly plant. The last 6 digits that are missing would have matched the last 6 digits from the VIN of the car it came with.
647U??? would be the engine code, but it doesn't make sense as it should start with a letter denoting the engine assembly plant. Also, the important part that tells the build (suffix code) is gone.
If that engine was original to that car, there would be no reason at all to grind off those missing numbers. And if the block was decked, all the numbers would be gone. A stolen engine is the first thing that comes to mind.

 

Does it burn your hands when you touch the motor.

 

lol. Yeah, I think someone may have gotten a smokin hot deal with that engine!

 

would the number that is on the back of the block help? 3914678

 

Only that its a 1968 302 327 or a 350 cubic inch motor with 2 bolt mains.

 

That block was built into one of the three variations mentioned above. The ground off suffix code is what tells how it was built, and what type of car it was put in.
The bore is the same for all 3, the stroke is the difference. So by simple measurements, you can determine which cubic inch it is.
Being that the engine's past smells a little fishy, I'd be cautious about the entire car.
Check to make sure the VIN on the body matches the title, and that the VIN tag doesn't look like it's been tampered with.

 

Would there have been a '68 engine in a '69 car? As for the title and vin tag, they both look legit.