Ok so I have a 78 Savanna(sp?) GT RHD that i'm bringing back to life and all that good stuff. For now the stock 12a is fine but I want to build up another one to swap in for less down time...i'm not going for a full on restoration, but are the 12a motors stamped in any shape or form that can correlate them to the VIN of the car they are in? I don't see anything just looking at mine in the engine bay but it's kinda grimey lol. OR are the US spec 12A's noticeably different than a JDM 12A?

I tried searching but am either retarded or couldn't find anything.

 

There is a serial number on the top of the front plate, but it can be very hard to see on an installed engine, and it's not hte same as the vehicle serial number in any case.

I don't know if the VIN and the engine number are correllated anywhere.

US Spec SA engines did have differences in emissions equipment from JDM, and there were two different US build (California and Federal) for some years. In some cases, the differences reflect different castings on the plates and housings.

 

mazda had a record of the engine number vs chassis number, back in the day when you ran a warranty report it was usually on there.

these days who knows if they still have it (they were papre until 92ish), let alone where it is.

imo as long as the engine is the correct one for the car, it shouldnt affect value

 

Aye it's not like vette resale. The condition of the engine and compartment is what people look for.

 

I kinda figured as much...but just wanted to make sure there wasn't a super easy way to tell. I'm not really concerned about value...not sure why i'm that concerned lol. I don't plan on selling the car, or if I do I won't ever get my money back out of it anyways, I learned a while ago not to ever plan on getting your money back on a project heh.