72 H/O pace car where are the motor # located?

[SmallHurst]

Did some digging and here are some things you should look for. As mentioned above, it should be a Lansing built car. The Vin will read as follows, a 'X' will appear as the 5th digit in the vin if it is a W-30 car, a 'U' is the other 455, a 'M' will appear as the 7th digit for a Lansing built car.

Heads= Look for a 'Ga' on the left side of the head.

Exhaust manifolds= Look for 'W' on the drivers, 'Z' on the passenger side

Intake= On a W-30 car it will be an aluminium piece (not painted) with 'Olds W-455' on the intake runner , casting # 407570, and look for a letter 'A' in the valley by the water neck. No EGR on this. If it is a 'U' code engine, it will be an iron manifold.

As for the engine pad, it is under the drivers side head. According to 442.com, it is very unlikely that the pad will have the correct vin stamped in. Hope this helps.

[Stefano]

It would be on the drivers side and should match the last 6 of the vin,plus the letter code if original. Vin in '72 provides the engine size.

[retengw31]

Rusty:
Wonder why 442.com says that? They matched when they left the factory as Stefano says here. I think the engine stamp would be 2MXXXXXX. Maybe they assume very few have the original engine in them still. That I really believe. Then I guess it makes sense.

[TimG]

An X code car would no doubt be a true Pace Car as no Cutlass Supreme hardtops other than a Pace Car can have an X code engine. A U 455 could be purchased in any Cutlass hardtop. As I understand, there was no way to tell a true Pace Car from the trim tag or ID number unless an X code.
I'm looking at a 1972 X code Pace Car for sale locally.
If it has the original spare it is a rare, rare Goodyear Polysteel 60 series made only for this car. Make sure it is not a standard Cutlass Supreme in white with a 455 dressed up like a Pace Car. They can also have an open rear end, no posi.