318 gurus/historians

Agreed with A38 above, prolly not a Race engine. I think OP gave the VIN number in post #15? 81 engine, 78 truck. Date code given for front of block doesn't appear correct, at least to me. I would have been at Dodge Truck, working in 1981, so good chance this engine passed by me (depending on shift). I was reminded by earlier post that the color did change from Blue to Black. My memory is not what it was. The stamped number below head looks like 1M....., so yes Mound Road Engine, 3 miles down the street from Truck Plant. We only looked at the engine part number tag to ID engines, generally, which was hung on throttle return spring bracket, at Mound Rd. Engine, by thin wire. VIN number was pneumatically stamped on block when engine was placed on engine assembly loop (at Assembly Plant). I saw it stamped by hand also.