Engine Serial Numbers

[Ardunallard]

Help.

My Engine number is P33061; Engine casting number 535601; head casting number 565975.
This is supposed to be the original engine for my 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk yet the engine number on the front of the block (P33061) does not match what the Studebaker National Museum says was the original engine number for my VIN.

Can any one make sense of this?



Ardunallard

[41 Frank]

From the V-8 engine ID section on the tech tips ,specs and data section on the left of the main page here your engine serial P33061 is a 289 from a 1956 Studebaker. 1957 289 engines start at serial number P39601

Welcome to the Studebaker Drivers Club website. There is plenty of good info to be had here. Please consider joining the SDC if you have not already done so.

[RadioRoy]

This is supposed to be the original engine for my 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk

I would ask whom is doing the supposing? Did the person you bought the car from tell you that the engine was original? Do you know any of the history of the car? What is the engine number on the build slip?

The car is 56 years old and a performance car at that. Lots of time to do engine swaps over the years, and lots of time to abuse a supercharged pony car. Orphan cars get more than their fair share of abuse.

It could have been a lot worse than replacing the engine with the same engine type of engine only one year older. You should see how people heartlessly butcher these cars sometimes.

[Ardunallard]

My 1957 was built in November 1956 and shipped on December 5, 1956. According to the Studebaker National Museum the engine number was PS2489 which does not correspond to anything I can find on the engine or the P33061 serial number which I find on the pad next to the water inlet.

Thanks in advance for any assistance. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It would be devastating to me if the previous owner was not forthcoming about matching numbers unless he simply did not know.

Ardunallard

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

[Dwain G.]

Sorry, your engine has been changed at some time. The 'S' in the original engine serial number stands for 'supercharged'.
The cylinder head casting numbers can be very hard to read, but I think yours are actually 535976. A '57 Golden Hawk would have come with a little bit lower compression heads originally, casting number 536686.
Does this engine still have its supercharger?

[41 Frank]

PS 2489 engine serial falls well within the 57 Golden Hawk engine numbering sequence. So sadly the engine was replaced sometime in the past. As Roy said,engines get abused and blow up and after 56 years these type of incidents are not surprising. If it was presented as a matching numbers vehicle you may have a case. Sorry about your misfortune.

[Ardunallard]

The engine has a McCulloch supercharger.

The thing that I wonder about is why a car built in November 1956 would have an engine serial number with 1957 engine numbers. Per Franks explanation above the engine would have 1956 engine numbers if the car was built in 1956 shouldn't it?? Is it possible that it is actually a 1956 car titled in California as a 1957? Also, I know that auto manufacturers use up inventory of parts on hand and in 1956 would it not be reasonable to assume a 1956 motor was installed or is this just wishful thinking? The engine block casting is 535601. I will double check the head casting numbers.

[41 Frank]

They started building 1957 models the last 3 months of 1956, like October. If it is a 56 Golden Hawk it will not have tall fins and it would have had the Packard 352 engine and not be a supercharged 289. Yes,wishful thinking they were using up parts. Get us the body numbers on the tag under the hood on the passenger side of the cowl, that should clear up the year of the body.

[Ardunallard]

The body number is 57H K7
The VIN #6101624

I was pretty sure it was a 1957 model as indicated by the 57H. I assume the 7 after the K designates supercharger. Not sure about the K.
I found a reference in the Classic Car Database that said the engine number was at the back of the engine to the right of the distributor. Is that incorrect? I copied the reference which is:

"Engine Numbers"
"Engine No. Location	On block near right side of distributor mounting."

[Dwain G.]

Don't fret too much over this. The '56 and '57 engines are virtually identical. The blocks have the same casting number. Numbers matching isn't a real big deal in the SDC, not like some other marques. I doubt you would ever lose any judging points over this engine.

'57' is the model year. 'H' is the trim level (President and Golden Hawk). 'K' is the body style (two-door hardtop).
The engine number location you posted is correct for 1951-52 only. After that it moved to the front, presumably so it could be seen easier.

[studegary]

From the V-8 engine ID section on the tech tips ,specs and data section on the left of the main page here your engine serial P33061 is a 289 from a 1956 Studebaker. 1957 289 engines start at serial number P39601

Welcome to the Studebaker Drivers Club website. There is plenty of good info to be had here. Please consider joining the SDC if you have not already done so.

1957 Golden Hawk engines have a PS prefix. Non-supercharged 1957 289s have a P prefix.

[studegary]

The engine has a McCulloch supercharger.

The thing that I wonder about is why a car built in November 1956 would have an engine serial number with 1957 engine numbers. Per Franks explanation above the engine would have 1956 engine numbers if the car was built in 1956 shouldn't it?? Is it possible that it is actually a 1956 car titled in California as a 1957? Also, I know that auto manufacturers use up inventory of parts on hand and in 1956 would it not be reasonable to assume a 1956 motor was installed or is this just wishful thinking? The engine block casting is 535601. I will double check the head casting numbers.

When referring to 1956 and 1957 engine numbers, we are referring to model years, not calendar years. A 1957 model built in late 1956 would have a 1957 numbered engine.

[studegary]

Your car is a 1957 model Golden Hawk whose body was manufactured about 37% of the way through 1957 Golden Hawk production.
For example/comparison. my 1957 Golden Hawk had engine S/N PS3000.
Your Golden Hawk has a 1956 passenger car/wagon engine block.

[PackardV8]

As previously mentioned, the "numbers matching" thing is more a Corvette/Mopar et al than a Studebaker thing. On a 400-point car going through auction at Barrett-Jackson, there might be a difference in perceived value. However, for all practical purposes, the '56 289" is functionally equivalent to the '57.

If it's important to you, if you paid a premium for a completely original car, then have it gone over by the judges at the International Meet in Colorado Springs. They can tell you if there are any other areas of concern. Then, armed with all the facts from experts, if you choose to have a discussion with the seller, you'll know what you're talking about. It's better to get everything on the table at once than to keep going back a piece at a time.

jack vines