Wolf_n_Kat wrote:
Woohoo!!
classicwinnebagos.com came up with a decoder - Griff's right, it's an MB300 chassis, engine code says 360 2-bbl (not the 383 we were told), assembly plant was "Warren Truck Compact". Maybe the engine was replaced though.
Wow, this is fun and we haven't even pulled out of the yard yet!
The 383 was phased out in the late 60's/early 70's.
Engine could not have been swapped without changing the transmission. The small blocks (273, 318, 340, 360) have different bell housing bolt pattern than the big blocks.
To tell which is which, look at the distributor. The small blocks have the distributor in the rear of the engine and the big blocks have them in the front, above the water pump. This happens to make the small blocks easy to time in vans and motorhomes.
The most significant difference between the 360 and the other small blocks is the oil pan. The 360 has larger main journals, necessitating larger "horseshoes" on the oil pan.
Personally, I like the small blocks, unless you're towing a heavy trailer over hills and mountains regularly. Among other things, it's possible to tweak them for (relatively) good gas mileage. (My '69 Class A got 14-15 mpg ... if I behaved.)
