Dear Austineers:
I have recently acquired a spare 2 bearing engine from a shed clearance. The block has the engine number (M 238160) stamped on it and it is the same number as the number on the crankcase. The stamp is applied to the side of the block above the water branch outlet passages.

I have not seen a block with a number stamped on it before and I wondered if this would be a factory applied stamp or perhaps it was done by a previous owner? The stamping looks to have been done professionally rather than by using hand tools, as the numbers are fairly clear and of uniform depth. Anyone have any views?
Just curious!

John

Location: Norfolk Fens

john,
my engine block has a fairly unrecognizable stamp just underneath the fan thats filled with oil, could this be the same, if not maybe your engine has had some work completed to it by a company? just a thought

ollie

The engine for my cup model has the crankcase engine number stamped on the block, crank and each of the rods.

Peter

Location: Knowle, West Midlands

I have a brand new old stock (never used) 1930 engine. It has the engine number stamped on the block, crankcase, crank, rods head and flywheel. (I had to take apart to clean). It also came with a gearbox with a shortened ball change gear lever, it was originally intended to be used in a boat but the project was never finished.

Location: North Vancouver, Canada

Factory stamping.

The most common place for the stamped engine number on a Seven block is on the lower face inside the valve chest cover. Cheers, Bill

Location: Euroa, Australia

Good evening. I am under the impression that blocks fitted to 3 bearing engines had the number stamped on a raised plaque but I can't recall which side.
Regards
Stuart

Location: Staffordshire, the creative county

yes, I too had a three bearing engine with block and crankcase matching stamped.

Thanks for responses, the number is stamped on a raised plaque on the side of the block above the water branch, but its a 2 bearing engine.

Location: Norfolk Fens

What number is stamped on the block John?

M 238160, same as the crankcase.
John

Location: Norfolk Fens

Location: Staffordshire, the creative county

Location: Richmond, Texas

Just to clear up any confusion - when I said "the most common place to find the number" referred to the over 230 thousand blocks first produced, sorry I forgot about the 50-plus thousand blocks produced later. Cheers, Bill

Location: Euroa, Australia

Stuart: there is no trace of an un-drilled circular boss above the fuel pump hole.

Bill: there is no trace of an engine number anywhere else on the block as far as I can see and nothing stamped on the crank or rods.

Thanks for all replies though
John

Location: Norfolk Fens

John - it's good that you found your number, but more important you have the crankcase number. Even having the number stamped on so many other blocks & hidden behind the valve-chest cover isn't much help to anyone, only academic. I've come across a couple of blocks over the years that had no number anywhere, so presumed they were replacements. No matter, as no authority is going to remove the cover to check if there's a number there, they just go by the crankcase number. Good Luck, Cheers, Bill

Location: Euroa, Australia