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Yes, what Chevytrucks92 said! I have a feeling the engine may not be original. Take a look at your photo. See the front of the passenger-side cylinder head? (Just below your valve cover). It is orange, which was the factory color on most engines up until the late 70's, then they went to an ugly ford-like blue color. Late 80's had black paint on the engines.
Now, this doesn't mean your uncle (or someone else) didn't paint the stock black heads orange, but you get the point. Look just below that front edge of the passenger-side head. Where it meets the block, there is a little "shelf" - the block extends frontward about 3/8 of an inch beyond the head. That little area is a pad where the Engine Production Code (a series of 7 or 8 letters & numerals), and a partial VIN are stamped into the block.
See if you can wipe the pad clean & read the code on there, and let us know what you find. The codes indicate the engine assembly plant, the cubic inch displacement of the engine, horsepower rating, type of vehicle installed into, and sometimes additional info on clutch, the transmission, etc. Example: T1206XG is a 310 HP 396 built in Tonawanda, NY, on December 6th, 1967, for a 1968 GMC truck.
1st letter is plant. Next 4 digits, are the month & day of completion. XG is the actual Production Code, which is tied to the engine specs & intended vehicle. The Engine Production Code is usually followed by the sequential VIN serial number (last six digits of the VIN).
The codes went to 3 letters in 1969 or 1970. Note, this is how it was done at least up until the mid-80's, not sure if they still use codes stamped into that pad. Some engines have the code stamped on a pad near the rear edge of the block, vertically, above & to the rear of the oil filter location. (My original 1970 Monte Carlo SS454 had the number in this position. It was T0925CRN 122506 = Tonawanda, Sept 25, 1969, 390HP 4-Barrel LS5, and the car's VIN was 138570L122506. 1 = Chevrolet, 3857 = Monte Carlo Sport Coupe, 0 = last digit of model year, L = vehicle assy plant Van Nuys, CA, 122506 is sequential serial #, which always started at 100001). Good luck, -Jim.
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