In mint condition with the best 396 it would fetch $75k, but that is with a lot of documentation. With a 325hp 396 and an auto it would be around $30k if it was mint. It could EASILY cost you $50k to restore it to those specs. When I say mint I mean, that the undercarraige is spotless, all of the nuts and bolts are correct, with the correct plating on each, paint dabs in the right locations, hose clamps are period correct, battery is period correct, Goodyear Polyglas GT tires, correct belts, etc, etc, etc.
It’s easy to see what motor it is if you look on the stamping pad on the motor. There will be 6 or 7 digits for assembly line code, then 6 digits which are the same vin number of the car, then there will be 3 letters ('70+ up had 3, '69 and earlier had 2) slightly larger than the other numbers. These letters tell you what size motor, what hp rating, what tranny, and what family of cars it could have went into.
Hereis a sample engine pad:
The last 3 letters are CTG which translates to a 300hp 350 cubic inch engine from a 'Vette. In this engines case the vin is stamped before the build code. Imagine buying a 1970 Corvette from someone that was missing the cylinder heads and intake but the shortblock was still there. The seller is trying to tell you it’s a 370hp LT-1. You have no way of knowing if he’s telling the truth. You look at this block and you see that the vin on the block matches the vin on the car, so you know that this is the original engine to this car. Then you see the “CTG” which is the tell-all. It’s just a base model engine.
What size engine is that sitting in the El Camino right now? It might have some value depending on what it is.
Probably worth quite a bit as parts, as well. OEM sheetmetal is getting to be rare, and a period 396 / 4-speed is probably worth $3-6K, not to mention trim, interior, axle, etc.
Location – The VIN number is stamped on a plate located on top of the instrument panel and visible through the windshield on the drivers side. It is composed of 13 numbers and letters.
A sample 1970 El Camino VIN would look like this: 136800R100001
1st digit – This is the manufacturers identity number
1 = Chevrolet
2nd and 3rd digits - This is the Model Series
33 = El Camino L6
34 = El Camino V8
35 = Custom El Camino L6
36 = Custom El Camino V8
4th and 5th digits - This is the Body Style
80 = 2dr Sedan Pick-up
6th digit - This is the last digit of the model year
Did you read any of my posts? I showed you where the stamping pad is on the motor. What is the redline on the tachometer? Take a pic of the tach for us. 375hp versions are extremely rare. I doubt it’s one of them.
First three letters are the pad stamp, next is engine displacement and barrels in the carb, then horsepower - order code, finally transmission and notes.
Busy today, I picked up my pool thats being installed tomorrow. i do know he told me he paid the extra money for the 375hp engine though. I believe he said it was like $75 bucks more at the dealer at the time. I will have time thursday to get the stamping.
It’s worth more in a restored original car than taken out and sold. If removed, it’s just a 396 that will be put into a Chevy that probably isn’t date matched.
Why would you consider selling the engine and not the whole car?
