Ram Air III Engine

[Keith Tedford]

I have a Pontiac engine with the following numbers:YZ 0198240 29B164939 J168 9790071. A guy wanted to buy it pretty badly but insisted that it wasn't a R/A III engine. I think that it is but just checking.

[PeteLeathersac]

Keith...

The guy may be confusing the '68 400 H/O engine which had the same YZ code..
If all numbers are original stampings, it looks like your engine could be a '69 R/A III?.
I'm no Poncho expert but using the same old story w/ GM products it's often best to first look at the stampings, skip the castings and count the Vin backwards..
So counting backwards there's your sequential six digits, the seventh digit in is the plant, the eighth digit the vehicle model year and the tenth is the GM Division..
So your eighth digit in being a 9 for a 1969 model w/ a YZ coded block should indicate a Ram Air 111 - 400/366hp w/ Auto trans & 10.75 comp..
By the way, have you tried running the Vin to see if the car is still around?.

~ Pete

[DaJudge]

Keith a casting number of 9790071 is a 68 GTO 400 HO motor. If it was a 9792506 it would be a 69 RA III Motor. see below. Still a good engine to have.


YZ A-body 68 400 360 Turbo 400 L-74 1x4 9790071 2 GTO HO

YZ A-body 69 400 366 Turbo 400 L-74 1x4 9792506 2 GTO Judge Ram Air III

[PeteLeathersac]

Was the '68 casting number maybe carried on into '69 production...if the posted numbers are the Vin and correct it's a '69 motor, not '68?.

~ Pete

[DaJudge]

I was looking at the date code as well after my post, J168 is 10/68, Keith check the vin and the date code again. That casting number may have been carried over to 69, I am not sure. Run a PHS like Pete mentioned. The VIN would be 242379B164939 for a hardtop or it could be 242679B164939 for a convert.

It would be cool to find out if it is for a automatic RA III GTO or a Judge. Plus you would lay to rest what it actually is.

[DaJudge]

Ok I think I am losing it. A 9792506 Engine casting number for a 69 GTO is a RA IV block which has 4 bolt mains and a 9790071 coded YZ is a RA III block with 2 bolt mains. I should have noticed how late the casting date was from the get go. A 9790071 is also a 68 HO block when coded YZ. Sorry for the confusion .

[Keith Tedford]

Thanks guys. All the information I have, indicated that it was a RAIII engine. Some guy phoned me wanting to buy it but insisting that it was just a regular worthless engine. Don't you just love these guys.