FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

 i picked up a grey motor yesterday but its not grey its green, it hs no grey paint anywhere and no engine numbers.
The only numbers are casting numbers which are

J 140

7412817

it also has a 6 cast next to the j 140 number

if anyone could give me any information it would be greatly appreciated.

Big thanks

G'day Kymbo,

It would be pretty unusual for the grey motor not to have an engine number. Did you check the small flat area down near the base of the dizzy? The number will be stamped in, and probably covered in 50 years of crap.

Grey motors came out in a variety of "grey" colours, some of which were pretty greenish. Many had Dulux overhauls over the following half-century.

GMH casting numbers consists of a letter followed by several (typically three, sometimes two with a space) digits. For example J259, D308, D218, F258, G288, M210, J6 1, G 249, E3 2, L257, G135, D 66, E287, K238, D218, A806, C 6 9 and M1 8.


The letters represent casting month, with the letter “I” not used i.e.:
•   A = January
•   B = February
•   C = March
•   D = April
•   E = May
•   F = June
•   G = July
•   H = August
•   J = September
•   K = October
•   L = November
•   M = December
The first two digits (or first digit and space) indicate casting day, whilst the last digit indicates the year (for example D308 being the 30th of April in a year ending in 8… it was on a FX/FJ casing, so probably 1948).

So in your case J140 is September 14th, in a year ending in 0. For a grey, this could be 1950 or 1960.

I'm not sure if the casting number changed, but I have seen 7412817 blocks associated with FB engine numbers, which would be correct for 1960.

Cheers,
Harv

Cheers Harv.

The engine definately dosnt have a engine number, the flat area along side the dizzy definatly has no stamped numbers and the paint is a slight metalic green with no grey under it at all. I would upload a pick but no to sure how to.

Big thanks for the info.

Cheers Kymbo

I would expect it was a new replacement block that never had a number stamped on it.
Scenario. You buy a new motor from your local dealer in the sixties and self fit in your car.
You know you're supposed to take the car down to the local police station to have a new number stamped but somehow you never get around to it.
50 years later someone finds your motor and wonders why there's no number on it.

Ken

There are a few ways to differentiate a 1950 from a 1960 engine. A couple of simple ones:
a) 1950 engines have a plugged hole (for a heater hose) in the lower thermostat housing. 1960 engines don't.
b) 1950 engines have one hole in the cylinder head (for the temperature sender). 1960 engines have two holes (one for the temperature sender, one plugged for the heater hose).

Silly question, and probably a little off-topic. Weren't the GEM reconditioned engines all painted a funky colour?

Cheers,
Harv

Thanks again for the info guys.
According to the gentleman the motor has never been fitted in a car. Having a look at it motor it has two holes in the head for the temp sender and heater. The green paint still has me confused.

Interesting info on casting marks on grey motors ,,thanks ..you guys may be interested.. ..I worked at Repco in 1960 and 70's ..We purchased a batch of brand new 179 and 149 engines from GMH to start the exchange engine range for red motors  .So those initial customers got a brand new engine not a rebuilt one till enough got into the exchange system ..Those engines did not have an engine number ,we had to fill out a police register ,the customer had to bring his rego papers back to us showing the engine number given to him by the Motor Registry ..and we would enter it in the Police register ..it was poorly managed ,only time we saw police when they were looking for a stolen vehicle..Some people stamped their old engine number on the new motor ,so there are two engines with same number ..home stamped or registry stamped numbers are usually easy to pick ..never as neat as factory stamped ..and of course there is always the bloke who wanted to exchange a 149 for a 179 or later on for a 186 ...cheers Vern

It may have been an industrial application ..some Broomwade Air Compressors ,( old jackhammers ) had Holden engines ,I think their corporate colour was yellow..Maybe a pump ..I have a 186 that was used as a cooling room power supply in a winery ..Vern