Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions for First Generation Firebirds that have been asked and answered on FGF. Special thanks needs to be given to all the FGF members who took the time to respond to other member's questions.
Codes - Engine Compartment Codes
Short answer: A car is considered “numbers matching” if all the part numbers and casting codes are correct and pre-date the car by the usual 1–3 months. Use the year-specific drivetrain ID pages on FGF as your guide:
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: The engine, transmission, and component codes for a 1968 Firebird 350 H.O. are below.
| Engine | Code | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 350 H.O. Manual | WK | 320 hp, 10.5:1 |
| 350 H.O. Automatic | YM | 320 hp, 10.5:1 |
| Transmission | Maker | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 3-speed standard (column shift) | Saginaw | RJ |
| 3-speed standard (floor shift) | Dearborn | DB |
| 4-speed optional | Muncie | FX |
| 2-speed automatic | ST-300 | MB |
| 2-speed automatic (w/ A/C) | ST-300 | MC |
Other components: Cylinder heads “18” · Carburetor: MT 7028269 / AT 7028266 · Intake manifold (same as all 4-bbl): 9790140 · Exhaust manifolds (same as Std. & 400): 9794320 RH / 9777755 LH · Distributor: MT 1111447 / AT 1111282.
For reference, 2,087 400 H.O. Firebirds were made in 1968; the 350 H.O. count is likely similar or a bit lower.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: That number near the distributor is the block casting number — the full number is 9786133, which denotes a 1967 400 cid block (it’s like a part number, not the sequential build/serial number, which is on the front passenger side). Source: Pontiac Muscle Car Performance 1955–1979 by Pete McCarthy.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Carburetor number 7037262 decodes as a 1967 (4th digit “7”), late-half-of-year (3rd digit “3”) unit for a California-emissions V-8 automatic (last digit even = automatic; odd would be manual). It doesn’t list as a Firebird carb — likely a GTO unit. It’s a rare carb worth trading, but not worth spending a lot to fix if it isn’t correct for your car.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: A few weeks’ gap between an engine’s date code and the Fisher Body trim-tag date is completely normal — nothing to worry about. The rule of thumb for drivetrain parts is roughly 2 weeks to 3 months before the body build date (about 6 weeks is the usual maximum), and generally not after, though exceptions exist.
- The trim-tag date is when the body shell was assembled at Fisher Body — not final assembly. The final date is the “Invoice Date” on the Billing History (when the car was certified to ship).
- Worked example: a body shell scheduled the 4th week of October 1967 (the 23rd–27th), with a “WK” block (date code I177) cast Oct. 17, 1967 — cast on a Tuesday, likely assembled around the 20th–23rd, then a couple more days to reach Lordstown for final assembly. So it could easily have gone into a body built that same week.
- Low-production cars were often built in batches, so many of the same model/color/engine ran through within the same period.
As always with date codes, there are no absolutes — inventory control 30 years ago wasn’t what it is today.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Here’s how that set of engine/carb/manifold markings decodes:
- YR — engine usage/type code
- 33202 — Engine Unit Number
- 23N108627 — partial VIN, unique to the car the engine came from
- E220 (on the intake) — a date code (e.g., May 22, 1970?)
- 9796155 (on the exhaust manifold) — a part/casting number
- 17054905 — Rochester carburetor usage code
- 2738 — carburetor build-date code (e.g., 273rd day of 1968?)
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: For a 1969, the way to confirm a numbers-matching engine is that the VIN on the dash matches the partial VIN stamped on the front right-hand face of the block (the partial VIN was also stamped on manual transmission cases and hidden on the body shell). The Engine Unit Number is a separate sequencing number — found on the Protecto-Plate and Chassis Broadcast Copy — with no tie to the VIN, so without the original Protecto-Plate it can’t be verified.
Background:
- 1969 documentation, in order: Chassis Broadcast Copy, Body Broadcast Copy, Car Billing Invoice, Window Sticker, Owner Protecto-Plate.
- The Fisher Body Unit Number is NOT purely sequential — cars were built in batches by many scheduling factors, not order received. It’s on the Broadcast Copies, Protecto-Plate, and Window Sticker. (For 1969, the Body Unit Number and Identification Number were the same.)
- A 3-digit Sequence Number on the Broadcast Copies was used for batch scheduling, with no sequential tie to other numbers.
- The trim-tag date code is the Fisher Body scheduled build date for the bare shell (“Body in White”), not the finished car — the closest finished date is on the invoice.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: The clue is the partial VIN stamp (20P105982): the leading 0 means a 1970 car, and the P means it was built at the Pontiac assembly plant (which was building full-size cars like Catalina/Bonneville that year). For 1970, “YD” indicates a 2-barrel 400, ~290 gross hp from a full-size Pontiac — so this engine isn’t a 1967 Firebird 400.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: The engine build-date code is on the top surface around the distributor hole — a letter plus three digits: the letter is the month (A = Jan, B = Feb, …), the next two digits are the day, and the last digit is the year. Example: B157 = Feb 15, 1967.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: The engine “serial” (Unit) number and the VIN are two different numbers and will never match. But starting in 1968, a partial VIN was also stamped on the block — on the front lower face near the timing cover/harmonic balancer — and that should match your car’s VIN. If it does, it’s the original engine for the car.
- The Engine Unit Number is an internal plant sequencing number (used to match an engine to a specific car). It appears on the Broadcast Sheet and Billing History, with no tie to the VIN — cars with very close VINs can have unit numbers hundreds or thousands apart.
- The block VIN is hard to see — remove the lower radiator hose at the water-pump housing, or use a mirror and light down by the harmonic balancer.
- Engines arrived at final assembly fully assembled, stamped with a two-letter usage/application code (plus a white-and-red label) so the line installed the right parts; the VIN was stamped just before the engine went into the car.
- Service bulletins reference engine unit numbers (e.g., 1967 Ram Air engines: 1st type through unit #646615, 2nd type from #646616).
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: A one-digit difference like 205848 vs. 205818 is almost certainly the same number — a weak or partial stamping, not a wrong engine. The Engine Unit Number and partial VIN were hand-stamped (shallower than the code stamp), and the gang-stamp tool could slip during the strike, leaving a “4” looking like a “1.” Given how close they are, it’s the original engine — nothing to lose sleep over.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: This is a reference list of the 1968 Firebird Ram Air specifications and part numbers, with member corrections noted below.
| Component | Details / Part Numbers |
|---|---|
| Engine block | Casting 9792506, 4-bolt main. Codes: WI (RA-I MT), XN (RA-I AT), WU (RA-II MT), XT (RA-II AT) |
| Cylinder heads | Casting “31” (RA-I, D-port), “96” (RA-II, round-port) — cast (see correction below) |
| Exhaust manifolds | RA-I & H.O.: cast-iron long-branch (D-port) 9779424-R / 9779495-L. RA-II: round-port 9794036-R / 9794038-L. Thermostatic heat-control valve in RH manifold |
| Axle | 3.90 “ZP” (4-pinion). No factory Ram Air Firebird came with the 4.33 (though available); Safe-T-Track mandatory |
| Transmission | Manual: M-21 close-ratio Muncie (“FX”). Auto: TH400 (“PQ”). All 1967–68 RA cars used two-piece speedo cables and gear reducers |
| Intake manifold | 9790140 (1st type, all 4-bbl incl. RA-I, exc. RA-II); 9794234 (2nd type, all 4-bbl incl. RA-II, after May ’68) |
| Carburetor | RA-I: 7028277 (MT) / 7028276 (AT). RA-II: 7028273 (MT) / 7028270 (AT) |
| Carb vacuum-break control | 7038237 (RA-I, black cover); 7038239 (RA-II, green cover) |
| Throttle cable bracket | 9792242 (1st-type intake 9790140); 9797415 (2nd-type intake 9794234, stamped “F-4”) |
| Oil filter adaptor | 9794111 (aluminum, all RA & H.O. engines) |
| Distributor | 1111449 (exc. RA-II; same as 400 MT and H.O.). RA-II unique: 1111941 (MT or AT) |
| Radiator | HD Harrison: “UQ” (MT), “UP” (AT) |
| Ram Air hood baffle | 9793161 |
| Hood baffle seal | 9789883 |
| Carb shroud (air inlet) | 9792987 |
| Carb shroud seal | 9793163 |
| Air filter element cover (black) | 6424398 |
| Air filter element | 6421746 (A212CW & A-274C, paper wetted) |
| Hood scoops (open, cast metal) | 9794283 / 9794284 |
Notes:
- All Ram Air cars were shipped to the dealer with the baffle, shroud, air filter, seals, and open hood scoops in the trunk (early on, guards/inspectors removed these to the parts crib over theft concerns; later forwarded to dealers for installation).
- All Ram Air cars used a standard 4-blade cooling fan unless the Flex-Fan was ordered.
- Cars with both Ram Air and the underhood lamp had the lamp moved slightly outboard at the dealer to clear the baffle; the underhood structure near the RH scoop was also trimmed (usually a crude, noticeable cut) for the baffle to seal.
- The Broadcast-Sheet code for Ram Air engines was “Y.” No Ram Air code appears on the trim tag or VIN.
- Fewer than 50 Ram Air Firebirds have been accounted for. RA-I production: Aug 1967–May 1968 (earliest known Oct 1967). RA-II production started May 20, 1968 (option code still 347, higher price); last 1968 RA-II invoiced Aug 6, 1968.
Corrections from members: Most 1968 RA-II engines actually used standard 400 blocks (9790071) fitted with four-bolt caps — some had the last four digits ground off and re-stamped “2506,” but most were left 9790071. Also, the cylinder-head casting numbers were cast, not stamped (all 1967 RA “997” heads and 1968 RA-I/RA-II “31”/”96″ heads) — heads with stamped numbers were done by racers for NHRA, not the factory.
Any proposed updates, changes, pictures, and/or corrections, please use our comment section below (may need to click on permalink to access comments feature). Information is subject to change and offered as is without any warranties or guarantees. Please review our Term's Of Use for more information.
Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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