I just got done having a pair of 327/350 Fresh Water Cooled Chris Craft motors rebuilt - they came bone stock, and i need to find a picture of the front of the motors to figure out where all the pumps, alternator, and what not mount. Can anyone help? Im hoping for a nice high def front shot of a motor, but i'll take anything...

Front shot of 350 what Q or K or whatever if you need the front of a 350Q go to http://www.apyc.org/chriscraft and download the parts manual on the files page it will show you where everything goes if it is a K or F motor let me know and I can send you the pages from the manuals.

I posted some bilge shots on my post a while back. My motors have a badge that reads "model 350". I believe them to be 1985's. Can anyone tell me more? HP? ETC? C

Are the distributors in the front or the back of the motor? If in the front they are Q motors which are 235 HP in the back they are more than likey G or K series which are 255 HP. Need more info to be certain.

There are three block casting number types to look for: the block CASTING NUMBER, the block CASTING DATE and the ENGINE ASSEMBLY DATE/SUFFIX CODE.

The block casting number on smallblock and big block Chevy V-8 motors is located on a ledge found flywheel end of the block. This ledge is below the deck of the block. The number itself can have 6, 7 or 8 numeral digits. They might look like this "361959" or "3970010" or "14015445". The block casting numbers do not have any letters in them. There are sometimes individual letters found on blocks like "GM" or "CFD" for the Central Foundry Division, but they are not part of the block casting number. Also some of the later blocks have the size of the motor shown in liters. You may see a "5.0" (305) or "5.7" (350) cast on the flywheel ledge of a smallblock or a "7.4" on the side of a big block 454. On the side of some later blocks the last three digits of the block casting number are cast into the block.

The block casting date indicates when the block itself was cast in the foundry. This date does not indicate when the motor was assembled. The block casting date is usually found on the rear ledge of the block. Some of the early big blocks made in the Sixties have the block casting date located on the side of the block near the freeze plug holes. The casting dates look something like this "E 12 7". The "E" stands for the month of the year with "A" being the month of January, "B" being the month of February and so on thru the letters to December. In this case the "E" stands for the month of May, the fifth month of the year and the fifth letter of the alphabet. The "12" stands for the 12th day of the month. The "7" is the year of the decade. Now unfortunately this could be '57, '67, '77, '87 or '97 depending on which part you are looking at. Some casting dates have both the year of the decade and the decade itself. They look like this "E 12 77", meaning May 12, 1977. The fun starts when you have a casting date from the first nine days of the month that look like this "D 2 6". Does that stand for April 2,1966 or does it stand for April 26th and the year is missing or hard to see? You have to look closely and carefully to be sure.

The engine assembly date is a "stamped in" code that is stamped into the metal as opposed to a "raised" casting. These date codes are can be found in a number of locations on the block, but most often are found on a ledge that is visible when the motor is assembled. This ledge is found on the timing chain end of the engine. Some blocks have the engine assembly code on a flat portion of the block above the timing cover mating surface on the front of the block.

Some very early smallblocks from the mid 1950 model years had an Engine Assembly Date which only included the last two digits of the year. It might look something like "F56FG". On later model engines the engine assembly code looks similar to this "T0422TR". In this case the first letter "T" stands for an engine factory Tonawanda. Your's might have an "F" or "V" for Flint, MI. The next two digits stand for the month of the year, in this example "04" or the fourth month April. The "22" stands for the 22nd day of the month. So what do we have so far in this example? The motor was assembled at the Tonawanda factory on April 22nd. The years are not given. In the 50's and 60's, Chevy used a Roman numeral " I " for the number " 1 " in these engine assembly dates. Don't mistake this for a capitol letter "I". What we have left is the "suffix code" which in this example is "TR". Chevy used one to three letters of the alphabet to code the type of engine, transmission and vehicle into the suffix code. In later years, parts of the Vehicle Identification Number (V.I.N.) were also added before or after the Engine Assembly Date/Suffix code. In that case you might see "T0422TR 1123456789" stamped into the pad on the front passenger side of the block. Sometimes the engine V.I.N. was stamped into a different area of the block on the flange edge of the flywheel end of the block, near the bellhousing mating surface. Sometimes the stamping is found above the timing cover mating surface.

Some of the Engine Suffix letter code combinations were used a number of times. For example, in 1974 the suffix code "CMR" was used on three different vehicle models with the same engine and transmission combinations. "CMR" was again used in '78 with a Corvette and a different engine/transmission combination. You would need to look at the block casting date to know which year the block was made to narrow down the possibilities. Relying solely on the suffix code to identify the original use of the block can be misleading. You need to look at ALL of the casting identifiers before making your determination. Deciphering VIN numbers, trim tags and original factory documentation can also help.

There is another type of stamping found on some blocks. This is the "CE" code. You might see something like this "CE123456" on the timing chain pad of the block deck. The "CE" which alternatively has been known to stand for "Chevrolet Engine" or "Crate Engine" was used on blocks that were warranty replacement motors. The "CE" prefix was also used on "over the counter" blocks and engines. If a customer had problems with his original motor, while it was under warranty, it was replaced with an engine that was stamped "CE" with a number of numeral digits following it which serialized that particular engine. Likewise if a purchaser bought a new motor from the Chevrolet Parts counter, the timing chain pad of the block may have been stamped with a "CE" code.

A number of crate motors made by GM in Mexico, may have an "M" or "ML" prefix stamped into the timing chain pad of the block followed by a series of numbers which serialize that particular crate replacement motor. You may also see a raised casting on the block or heads of "Hecho en Mexico" which means "Made in Mexico". Many of the new GM crate motors are being made in Mexico. Later model crate engines, sold over the counter by Chevrolet or GM Performance Parts, may have different prefix code identifiers stamped in to the front pad on the block, such as "ZZ3" or three letter codes such as "XXA".

The motors built in the McKinnon factory in Canada will have a "K" indicating the engine assembly plant.

There are two other things to keep in mind. If the block has been previously "decked" by a machine shop, the engine assembly date and suffix codes may have been removed by the machining process. They will be gone.

Chevy smallblock and big block cylinder heads have the CASTING NUMBER and the CASTING DATE located in the rocker arm valley. These numbers are found after removing the valve cover on the head. Some cast iron heads have the casting number on the underside of an intake runner. Some aluminum heads have the casting date on the underside of an intake runner. The casting number of the cylinder head follows the same form as those found on blocks. There will be six to eight digits for the casting number. The head casting date will have a letter for the month and numerals for the day of the month and the year of the decade. Some head casting dates will give the decade and year. The head castings and the casting date may be in different locations in the rocker arm valley or it can be right below the casting number. Look at all of the features on the heads to help determine which casting you have and when it was made.


Wes

After looking I realized the manual doesnt have a good view of the motor whole so here you go this is the only thing I could find on short notice for a 350Q the water pump is on the left and the alternator is on the right down low you said FWC I have no pics of that but the manual show the FWC cooling system in it.

Here are a couple shots of my engines. Distributors to aft. The word "model" on the valve cover reads vertically.

well I can tell you this they are not Q motors which may be a good thing as you can use normal 350 parts like intake manifolds. From the mid 80's my guess is they are G or K series motors but I can't be sure if so then about 255 HP good engines and I see you have FWC with the heat exchangers nice but if I remember correctly you are on the Great Lakes so you dont really need that but it is nice to have the anti corrosion properties of anti freeze running through your motors. Am I correct in assuming yours are a repower? As in not original motors? If so then your guess is as good as mine but I do have a copy of the 350 G and K series owners manual and parts list and for a slight fee of Office max costs I will have it copied and sent to you heck if its cheap enough I will just send it to you like it was sent to me. Get you rserial number off the motor and let me see if it matches up to the stuff in the manual.

I will check out my motors more this weekend. I haven't done much personally to them since I bought the boat. I enjoyed the luxury of the marina doing my maintenance for me. I have more time and less moola now and intend to resume taking care of my boat myself. I may even have manuels for the motors and genset on the boat. Thanks for your help and interest. I am on the great lakes, not far from ya'all. I dock at Gem Beach on Catawba. Is ther public access to Venetian I would love to meet you and the "professor" and look at your boats. I'll bring the beer. if your ever around West Harbor, My slip is just a few paces down the street from the Chart House Bar at our marina. Best regards, Chris

Here are some various photos, I believe they are 327F but they could be Q motors, as the belt on the front is not in the 3-pulley configuration of the F, and of course the old one is a beautiful little 283, one of the sweetest and most simple V8 motors ever put in a boat.










Paul

Thanks for all the pictures guys - i will see what i can come up with you guys are awesome!

My counter rotating engine frose up will running in port.
Did not get hot. Water got into engine.
Any help?

Did you just start the motor, was it idling after a long run, what are the circumstances? Most of the time when a motor gets a hydrolock it is already full of water when the attempt to start it is made. Got oil? What do the plugs look like? Was the motor running well prior or was there a history of repair and problems. How aout a couple of clues?

Roy

They look the same as mine down to the stickers on the valve covers and the crab cap on the rear mounted dist.....fresh water cooled as well! Good luck. these are great engines.