Need Engine ID

[rmvela626]

If you can post a photo of the cowl tag it would be much easier, cause it looks like there are some discrepancies with what you posted. And also, what's the engine casting # on the driver side rear pad, should be raised #s, starting with a 3 ? This would really help in identifying the engine properly. On to the cowl tag, so the '68' is the year, the 'J3637' is confusing, did you mean '13637? Because it should be the division series, and the J should be a 1, so 13637(8) tells you it's a Malibu, 2 dr. sport coupe, but NOT the Malibu SS 396. All genuine Super Sports from 1966-1968 have an "8" as the third digit of the VIN. Since it's not a super sport, I am suspecting the 396 is probably not the original "numbers matching" engine. It's not for certain, but generally non 'SS' chevelles did not come with a 396. Also, the only available engine in the 68 SS was the 396. It came as either the 325 HP "L35", the 350 HP "L34", or the 375 HP "L78". Again, if you can post a clear close-up photo of the cowl tag, it would help in decoding the interior, paint, assembly plant, etc.