Author Topic: Help with identifing engine, what do I have? (Read 2315 times)

80T/A bart · « **on:** November 27, 2006, 02:38:02 PM »

Hello all, anyone with any thoughts I would appreciate. I have a 1980 TA, 301 Turbo. (I think) Should have looked closer to the numbers and done more research but my bad. The car was not running well when I got it. found prob with the carb, rebuilt and redid the poor wiring job to the distrib and the ESC. Put all of the vacuum hoses back on. Car fires right up and sounds pretty good. No knocks or ticks, not much for leaks either. Here is where it gets funny, not ha ha. Carb numbers do not match for the 80, and appears to be a 750cm Q-jet(good). The block VIN numbers are different so it is not original. Stamping on the front pass side are 96276(upside down) with WB (right side up) stamped next to but not under. Should be 6 or 7 numbers from the codes I have seen. Can not for the life of me find the block code on the rear of the motor. I am looking from the distributor going down the passenger side to the oil filter. Have found a date code of H130 to the driver side, and an 81 stamped right behind the distrib. Heads are 01 with K029. Best I can figure is 1980 to 81 301. Am I way off? I have searched for decifiring the codes that I have available and that is as close as I can come. I am affraid to run this much untill I know if this engine is compatable with the stock turbo, plus it would be nice to know what I have. Sorry so long winded, any thoughts would be great.
Brent

Zulu · « **Reply #1 on:** November 27, 2006, 03:24:05 PM »

I'm no expert on any of these cars especially the 80's and 81's but I think YL is the proper code for a 1980 301 turbo. The first instance I could find, going backward in time, of a WB coded 301 was the 135hp 301 from 1977.

80T/A bart · « **Reply #2 on:** November 27, 2006, 03:34:27 PM »

Thanks for the reply, that is what I have found too. The correct turbo engine should be a YL code. With the other info I have found I think it is a 301, and that year would also match the carb that is on it right now.
Thanks again, B

Zulu · « **Reply #3 on:** November 27, 2006, 03:38:39 PM »

You're welcome. Again, I'm no expert but I enjoy trying to figure out what a car is or should have been.

80T/A bart · « **Reply #4 on:** November 27, 2006, 04:09:01 PM »

Looks like I should not be running the turbo with that. Any other ideas about where to find the block numbers?

Zulu · « **Reply #5 on:** November 27, 2006, 04:46:15 PM »

Here's a link to my site. The page contains some simple diagrams of where to locate various Pontiac engine block identifiers. Forget for a minute that the diagrams represent a 400 engine. The identifiers should be in the same locations on most (if not all) Pontiac engines of that era. Again, I'm not that familiar with 80 and 81 301 engines but the diagrams might help you locate something useful.

http://groups.msn.com/TransAm1978/engineidentifiers.msnw