Ok, I'm a little confused. My engine block casting number is 3759365 and the part number on my cracked front end cap is 3837210. Also on the passenger side of the engine is what looks like a stamped serial number of N368472CAL Where can I find out more info on this engine? Thank you.
No worries. The paper trail left by GM has to be put into context - otherwise it can seem confusing.
You definitely have a 261.
So back to an earlier post (and the reason I posted the Catalog entry).
I can't ask the seller anything at this point. For $40 for the set of four caps, I decided to take the gamble. It won't be the first $40 I've wasted on this truck and unfortunately not the last $40. They should arrive at my house via the USPS sometime tomorrow. I guess I'll know for sure then
When those caps arrive you will be in the same boat as the Parts Counter guy at a Chevrolet dealer circa '62. Consulting the 'trusty' P&A 30 Catalog he would have known that the newest Front Cap replacement parts were marked with a yellow stripe of paint (and that the front office didn't bother to print the Casting Number of the newest repair parts). As he waded through the bin containing 0.095 front caps he would find parts that had been on hand for perhaps years - where the Casting Number is the only way to ID them for sure - hence printing them in the catalog.
So when your shipment arrives if the front cap casting number matches your cracked one you are in business. If they don't you can use the Catalog entry above to see if you spent 40 bucks on one of the older (incompatible designs). If it has a different casting number entirely - post it here and I will happily research to figure out what you've got.
