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On the 356" engine the number is also cast into the block on the passenger side, low and at the back of the engine block. The build date will be found in the same place on the driver's side.

David, are your sure about this? The cast date on my 356 is cast on the rear lower right-hand (passenger) side, and the engine number is stamped on the front upper left-hand (driver) side. Maybe I need to look more closely.

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What Dave is referring to is the casting number of the block. It's on the lower Passenger's side of the block between the oil pan rail and the oil galley. That's the actual cast number, the engine number (F5XXXX or G6XXXX or whatever) is on the driver's side near the oil filler tube, below the head. The actual casting date of the engine is also where Dave says it is, on the Driver's side lower side of the block, between the oil pan rail and the upper stiffening rib. Basically, opposite of the casting number.

Eric, You have me wondering. I am almost sure that the engine number stamp and the casting number are the same. Is this correct? I will have to have another look at mine.

They're not on my two 356's, YMMV.

The stamped # is almost non existent on my 356 and I have always relied on the cast # as being the engine identifier. How close are the 2 numbers on your engines?

Another Packard anomaly. My casting date (3 or 8-19-47) as well as a casting number nowhere close to engine number is on the passenger side. Didn't see anything on drivers side but starter is in the way so maybe there.


At any rate, the stamped number is most important. As an addition to the regular engine number there may be prefixes, symbols or suffixes designating several different things pertinent to the car such as different pistons, clutch materials, overbores--any number of things that may not be as listed in the specs for the year. The Service Letters and Counselors have several articles where something was either changed, in short supply and substituted, or for whatever reason was different than original design. These were designated by one of the number additions. Here is an illustration for a few in one year.

Some may not be too important, but others such as a run of engines with oversize lifter bores one year in order to use up what would have been wasted castings at the factory might be significant should you need new lifter bodies. Of course, with that info not generally available it is of little use today but still nice to know if the situation arises and you wonder why a NOS part you bought from a vendor doesn't fit or is different.

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On my '47 356, the cast number on the lower Passenger's side is: 313921. The stamped engine number on the Driver's side is: F513661. It has a casting date of 2-11-47. These dates are cast on BOTH sides of the engine, on the lower rear part of the block back towards the bellhousing.

On my '48 356, the casting number is: 388700, same location as the '47. The stamped engine number is: G6052420, same location as '47. The casting date is: 3-29-48, same locations as '47.

On almost every casting I've come across, the casting numbers are identical for a similar part, yet the actual part number can be different because of different machining operations, YOM changes, etc.

If there's anything else I can do, let me know.

I have a '48 and '49 356. If memory serves, they have the casting numbers/date in the same positions as described by Eric. The casting numbers don't match the stamped engine numbers.

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Of course not. That would be redundant.

Several engines are cast on a given date, with common casting mold numbers but each engine got its own unique hand stamped sequential number.