340 head gasket questions

dibbons said
Grimreaper, the casting number on the block is 1971 or the VIN?

And thankyou for the fotos, perfect illustration. I have some more cleanup ahead of me then.

The casting date on the block in the photos is 1-18-71 night shift. The VIN is 71 as well.

It does look like your block did not get hot tanked but probably got the "dishwasher" cleaning