# 69 GTO engine identification help.........



## Eshack80 (Aug 18, 2010)

I am looking to purchase a 69 GTO and on the passenger side of the engine, I found a "YS" and above that the numbers were 0282800. Please let me know what this means.

Thanks


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

The YS block was (also) used in the 1969 GTO and was a 400CID 4bbl with 350hp and an Automatic Transmission. The 0282800 number is the engine serial number. Look on the back of the block behind the #8 cylinder for the casting number which should be 9790071.

68 and 69 used the YS letter code and the same casting number. The difference in the blocks are 68 had the 8 bolt water pump and 69 used the 11 bolt WP. 

Also check next to the distributor for the engine's build date and the head codes on the center exhaust ports just above the manifold.


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## Eshack80 (Aug 18, 2010)

do you need to use a mirror to look at the numbers in the back. what is the easiest way to find them??


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## Eshack80 (Aug 18, 2010)

I just found the casting code you mentioned. I cannot get to the code near the distributor. There are wires all over the place and it is almost impossible to find them. Any ideas to make it easier to get to the numbers? I really appreciate your help.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Eshack80 said:


> I am looking to purchase a 69 GTO and on the passenger side of the engine, I found a "YS" and above that the numbers were 0282800. Please let me know what this means.
> 
> Thanks


Hi Eshack,
Here's a link that might help:How to identify your Pontiac engine

YS was a common engine in 1969. It would have been in an automatic car (TH400) with a 4bbl QJet - very likely it would have had the digits 62 or 16 cast into the tops of the cylinder heads over the center exhaust ports. It would have had the larger valves (2.11 intake, 1.77 exhaust), screw-in rocker studs, factory windage tray, and performance-wise would have been "one step below" the Ram Air III. To find out if it's the original engine, you'll need the serial number off the front of the engine block "just below" where you found the YS on the same side - next to the edge of the timing cover. This serial number should match the last several digits of the VIN, if it's the original block. There's also a 4 character date code on the top rear of the block, next to the distributor on the drivers side. Having this date code is more important if you find out it's not the original block because the YS code by itself doesn't completely identify the motor. Pontiac used "YS" in several different model years on different engines - so you need to know what year the engine is in order to know for sure what "YS" is telling you.

Bear


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## Jim.s. (Jul 29, 2020)

05GTO said:


> The YS block was (also) used in the 1969 GTO and was a 400CID 4bbl with 350hp and an Automatic Transmission. The 0282800 number is the engine serial number. Look on the back of the block behind the #8 cylinder for the casting number which should be 9790071.
> 
> 68 and 69 used the YS letter code and the same casting number. The difference in the blocks are 68 had the 8 bolt water pump and 69 used the 11 bolt WP.
> 
> Also check next to the distributor for the engine's build date and the head codes on the center exhaust ports just above the manifold.


0776829 YS 62 on the heads any clue on this one. Thanks Jim


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Jim.s. said:


> 0776829 YS 62 on the heads any clue on this one. Thanks Jim


0777829 is the engine build sequence number. Doesn't really tell you much without information from other sources to tell you if it's related to your car. YS in 1969 (YS means other things in other model years) is the stamp for a "base model" 4 barrel 400 with automatic transmission for an A-body car. "Down low", adjacent to the timing cover, passenger side front of the engine, oriented vertically you should be able to find another sequence of 6 digits. If this engine is original to your car, then these digits will match the last 6 digits of the car's VIN. I believe this practice started in 1968, so for earlier years the partial VIN won't be there.

Check the stamp on the carb. 7029268 indicates an original 1969 QJet for that engine combination.

62 heads are probably correct. That's what my '69 had originally and I know for certain my engine is original to the car.

They might be hard to see, but try to get the block casting number (passenger side rear, "below" the head, next to where the transmission bolts up) and the block date code (4 characters, top rear, near the distributor). 9790071 is what my original engine has for a block casting number, K278 (November 27, 1968) is it's date code. 1st character: Month (A is January), next 2: day of the month, last 1: year. About "mid year" is when the engine foundry would cut over and begin casting for the next model year, so that's how I know my date coded K278 block is a 1969 block. There will also be date codes on your heads from when they were cast, but you'll probably have to remove the rocker covers to see them. 

The first step in identifying any unknown Pontiac engine is to determine the model year from the block date code because many of the other reference numbers were "reused" in different years and meant different things. 

Bear


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## Jim.s. (Jul 29, 2020)

You have been a great help!! Looks like I have some more exploring to do. I’ll post what I find, thank you, Jim


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