Hi guys,

I cant find my engine number. I was told by a local Aussie that it was on the flat near the base of the dizzy and I would have to access it from the front. So today I pulled half the car apart to get to the front of the engine, and nothing!

So then I googled and located this great page:

http://www.panteraplace.com/page110.htm

but even so, there isn't much here that applies to my car. Out front in the boot close to the brake unit I have the ID numbers and VIN. DE TOMASO 874 * THPNNE 06927 *

I have nothing on the drivers side door jam except four holes!!

In the engine bay I don't have the large ID plate, but I do have a small black tag about the size and shape of a dog tag, with just five digits on it. The tag is black and the five numbers are stamped 06023

I've cleaned and scrubbed the block just up from the bellhousing and there is absolutely nothing there.

So is my engine number 06023 and it was never put on the block or is this all too weird.

Our registration dept won't register the car unless they can see then engine number on the block, so if we can identify the engine number, I'll have it stamped and be done with it.

My small tag in the engine bay looks like the little silver one in this picture except that it's black and has no screen printed writing on it, but I don't have the big one at all.

Perhaps you no longer have the original block. Or some very thick paint layers.

You appear to be looking in the right area - but if someone switched heads for a rebuild, instead of on the left rear, it could be on the right front.

Here's mine.

Larry

So is it on the heads or the block Larry?

I've had a really good look and definately not thick paint, there is no number there.

Could this number 06023 be my original engine number, if so I'll stamp that on the block and hopefully that satisfies the authorities.

quote:

So is it on the heads or the block Larry?

Ooops, senior moment.

Block.

quote:

Could this number 06023 be my original engine number

Yes, most likely.

Look in your front trunk, the tag on the pedal box should have the same number stamped in it. The tag, not the actual body of the car.

Larry

Sorry Larry, there's nothing in my front trunk.

The engine # consists of casting #'s plus the consecutive stamping.

The casting bosses are above the starter and should be something like D2AE-CA and then a date stamp (e.g. 2K16 stamp = 1972 Nov 16th).

So full engine # should be something like D2AE-CA2K1606023

The consecutive engine # stamped at the factory is below the left head on the block as outlined in the photo. It is often a very light stamping and I had to remove all paint and sand the area and use a magnifying glass to be able to just determine what the numbers were. If you have a non original block then it may have no stamped numbers as this was a De Tomaso stamping.

I would also be willing to bet that 06023 is (or was) your factory engine and/or body servive # as it bears reasonable relation to your VIN (as it should). The coaches were pre-stamped with VIN's at Vignale, but then deliverd to Modena factory stock and they were not necessarily used in order so the body service # is record of the build sequence # of a particular car.

Julian

Thanks for the help.

Crawled under today and checked near the starter.

D2AE - GA then on another tab just under the above is written 2M13

So even though there is nothing on that tab near the bell housing I reckon my number is D2AE GA 2M13 06023

So next step is to find some number stamps and stamp the block where it's visible at the bell housing.

Also managed to set idle and timing today. Seems to run best at 650 rpm and 9 deg.