Could someone please help me decode data tag? Thanks. st70 4467FL1 254200BDY TR188 75 B PNT 05B VIN# 446670H308867. Also i found the engine code and it is stamped SF. Is this the right code for this year and for this car?
Sf was a 70 455 that originally came in a big Buick like a Riviera, Estate Wagon, Electra or LeSabre 455. The only exception would be for a stamping mistake in which case your cars VIN should be on the deck. Also the info is for a Flint made 70 GS 455 convert Fire red with a black top and black interior. It was made during the 2nd week of May 1970.
thanks for the info, i was told the car had the original white top on it. Can you describe where i can find the vin on the block?
On the deck between the first two cylinders on the front, driver's side. See diagram here: http://www.buickperformance.com/455Blocknmbrs.htm It is very unlikely it is the original engine and you will probably see another VIN there. But mistakes have been seen. The B behind the 75 from memory is black and white would have been an A. I have not gone back to the assembly manual to confirm my memory which could be faulty. Since TR 188 is black interior I usually expect to see a matching top color which in this case would be black.
I did check the 1970 Asembly Manual and B in this case does iindeed indicate a black convertible top.
you are right, i found it and it doesnt match. I also found out the vin on the tranny and it matches the one on the motor. It has a BA code transmission, would you be able to tell what car that came from? Also do you know where i could get more info on this cars history?
A BA came from a 70 GS 455. That is puzzling as a big car 70 trans was a long tail BC Th 400. Yes Wayne Roberts ( GSx Historical Society) is the only person with the records for your car. I think he offers a regular and an expedited service for $150.
Thats what i thought also, but it is definately a short tail BA. Thanks for the info I will get the history pulled and let you know. Thanks.
You 100% sure the stamping is an SF and not a SR? I would probably look again, could be part of the R is faint........
I had a 70GS 455 convertible 4 speed a few years back(wish I still had it) and the motor was original and it was double stamped.. SFR. Kinda funny.. I checked every number on that thing and it was all legit. The VIN Matched the number on the motor. Carb, distributor heads and intake were all good. It was just a mistake, probably a monday morning screw up.
Let's do a little easy investigation. What is the date on the carb and the intake manifold. You intake manifold date in front of the carb should start with a G or an H followed by one or two digits. Your carb would be in a range of number too if correct.
The manifold reads H 18 and than underneath that it reads B-1231718-E and the carb number is 7040247.
The carb is unique to a 70 Riviera so we know the source of the engine or at least where it was supposed to go. However ithe period correct, August 18, 1970 intake manifold. It is so early in the production run that it makes me think you got someone else's engine engine installed at the factory.
If you were thinking that obtaining the paperwork will tell you the answer to whether they installed an engine from the assembly line in your car originally intended for a Riv I do not think so. It is a very early engine in a very early 70 model car. It would be unlikely to me that a substitute drive train installed later in years would just happen to be so time period correct for your car. You never told me the numbers off the carb though that show its date code. This would be another important piece of the puzzle. Whether it devalues the car is an interesting question. If it goes unexplained perhaps it would to people into matching numbers. Many are now asking these types of questions. When they were $3- 4,000 cars the numbers made little difference in price.
September 30 1969 date coded carb. You since your car was May 70 and this Riv engine is so early in the model year, I would think you have an engine swap away from the factory somewhere back in time. I'd be interested in what others on the Board think.
What about the transmission vin matching the motor vin? Are there any other numbers I should be looking for?
That is the big puzzle. Someone could have converted a long tail to a short tail but the tag you would think would say BC. Perhaps they ran out of SR stamped engines near the end of the model year and had an early model run around from a Riv that had been fixed under warranty. To them it was the same engine, same hp , tq etc and it was.
