Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes

Posted by Let the ride decide On 2013/2/7 14:45:56

Randy,

Yes the block was stamped 5588-1035. When I went to look at it, 20 + years ago, Haden came with me and noted that the casting numbers on the heads looked like 56 not 55 numbers. The engine was caked with gunk, and rust, but it did have the 56 bronze paint in places we could get to. After purchasing the car, I looked up the tags on the carburetors, and the were the 56 ones. I will have to look at the date of the block, it did have the oil pump with the plug in it.

The car had a 56 crest on a 55 Caribbean hood. When I started exploring the car more, I came to the conclusion that it had been in a wreck at sometime in its life. I think that was proably when the engine was changed. The right side of the cowl had been hit and worked over, in lead. The fender was changed, but was not a convertible one, not set up for the brace. The door had been replaced with one with a Packard Atlanta tag on it. The quarter panel had also been replaced.

So my assumption (we all know what that means), is that it had its accident late in 55, or early 56. I am not sure anyone would have fixed a Caribbean with that much damage after Packard went away.