What is this engine?

[Scotty4slr]

I bought a Holden 5ltr engine and I’ve been searching up the prefix and I can’t find out why my engine number is CVU614769. Why would it have a C? It looks original, it has roller rockers and they look standard, can anyone help me out with this engine cheers.

 

[Bigfella237]

It's from a VQ Caprice, probably a December '92 cast block (so an early '93 built car) but you'd need to find the cast date off the front of the engine to confirm?

Statesmen had a "S" prefix to the the regular engine number, Caprice had a "C" prefix, any other Commodore up to and including Calais just had the regular engine numbers.

Andrew

 

[Scotty4slr]

Thanks Andrew , bummer I was hoping she might have been stroker material (clearance) thanks again Andrew your a legend.

 

[Deuce]

Thanks Andrew , bummer I was hoping she might have been stroker material (clearance) thanks again Andrew your a legend.

Check your cast date. If it's a 94 you will have clearance (for stroker with I-beam). If 92/93 as Andrew advised. Then if will not.
Also not sure if all 94 or only late a relieved.
Does the block say 5.0 on the side? If it does, it won't be cast with clearance Clarence

 

[YEA.355]

Only the VS s3 and vt 304 were already clearanced I'm pretty sure

 

[Immortality]

Only the VS s3 and vt 304 were already clearanced I'm pretty sure

Please stop digging up old threads.

When did the first HSV 5.7 come out? Think about it logically, Holden would only have made a revision to the block castings if there was a necessity.

 

[Brettly-2008]

It's from a VQ Caprice, probably a December '92 cast block (so an early '93 built car) but you'd need to find the cast date off the front of the engine to confirm?

Statesmen had a "S" prefix to the the regular engine number, Caprice had a "C" prefix, any other Commodore up to and including Calais just had the regular engine numbers.

Andrew

Since this thread is officially dug up, is the above really correct? Seems strange there would be a C and S prefix for Caprice and Statesman when these cars just got standard 304s. On the engine line at HEC how would they know which stock 304 was going in which car and then prefix it C or S accordingly?

 

[Deuce]

Since this thread is officially dug up, is the above really correct? Seems strange there would be a C and S prefix for Caprice and Statesman when these cars just got standard 304s. On the engine line at HEC how would they know which stock 304 was going in which car and then prefix it C or S accordingly?

He might be confusing block numbers and vin numbers?

I agree, they would make a truck load of 304's and then engine numbers would be assigned to cars further down the line.

 

[Bigfella237]

I didn't want to answer a challenge to my own statement but...

There's no confusion with the VIN (or Vehicle Identification Number "numbers").

I personally own a VQ Caprice with it's original running gear and the engine number starts with CVUxxxxxx, plus I have listed many examples over the years of "SVU" and "CVU" prefixes from other post-VQ V8 Statesman and Caprice vehicles respectively.

Statesmans have, since the beginning of time, had unique engine number prefixes to distinguish their engines from the lessor models.

HQ to early HZ Statesmans were prefixed with an "11Qxxxxx", later HZ Stato (after roughly 10/78) had an "11Zxxxxx" prefix, WB Series I had an "11Wxxxxx" prefix and WB Series II Statesman engines had a "12Wxxxxx" prefix.

The practice then wasn't used for almost a decade after the WB model finished until the Statesman and Caprice names were re-introduced in the VQ, and it continued until the introduction of the Gen III LS1 engines, which have a completely different engine number nomenclature.

As to why they did this... I have no idea! Perhaps the engines were balanced better to reflect the luxury level, or had different camshafts and/or tunes because of the additional weight, who knows?

Andrew

 

[Brettly-2008]

Statesmans have, since the beginning of time, had unique engine number prefixes to distinguish their engines from the lessor models.

As to why they did this... I have no idea! Perhaps the engines were balanced better to reflect the luxury level, or had different camshafts and/or tunes because of the additional weight, who knows?

I'd love to know the reason why this prefix practice existed, as it's common knowledge they all had bone stock engines. Any modifying of luxury engines would've been made well aware to the public and certainly motoring journos of the day. Great marketing etc.