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Looks great, Kevin!

Thanks for all you do for this site!

Unable to decode engine number N320874 (actually stamped N320874CAL) but other than the CAL, it seems like a proper engine number and it's correct because I own it. It was in a 1951 300 Packard parts car that was used for stock car racing. Until recently I also owned engine number N349042CAL which I have since sold and it too does not decode.

Packards last official engine letter was M for 54 so I am wondering if your N engines might have been service engines and had a unique numbering system dictated by California DMV when an engine was changed or was in some kind of special use vehicle. As I recall, some years back someone else had a strange prewar number no one could understand. Believe that one was without a first letter but had the CAL added along with some other numbers. Think consensus was it must have been an assigned number by DMV.

Yes, that is a service replacement motor with a DMV assigned number.

I know of a 40 or 41 that ended up with a 327 in it that was a service replacement motor per the instructions of making 327 available for earlier cars. The car was in Southern Calif and it also had a N######CAL motor number.

Quote:
Maybe that is the number I was referring to and just didn't remember the N at the front. On the one I was thinking of there was a discussion early in the forum -- maybe not long after the serial numbers were posted when the owner asked for help in understanding his number.

Also, if I remember the stamping font/size was different. Also I have a faint memory of a star/asterisk also on another example I saw.