I am asking a friend to pickup a 3rd gen13b engine/gearbox from a junkyard mainly for spare parts. It is for my 3rd gen. I dont want him to get a 2nd gen 13b/gearbox by mistake. Are there any differences that can be seen visually such as stamped codes or external hardware that he can look for to distinguish.

Also, are there any tips anyone can give for things to look for on the outside that would indicate the internal condition of the engine such as oily ports etc.

 

depending how tech savvy u are it's very easy to spot

3rd gen

ttwin turbo's on the 3rd gen
the long intake manifold elbow
the normal ribbed acc. belts vs v belt on the FC
waterpump housing neck for rad hose points down on the FD to the left on the FC
the upper intake on the FC is short runner with a "hump" in the middle
FD has loong straight runners

there's more stuff but this is the most obvious

 

If he's getting just a stripped block then the FC block has an oil pan with one side squashed in for a motor mount bolt to bolt into the center plate. The FD has 6 large holes on the bottom of the rear plate for the motor mounts.

 

motor mount/oil pan and the front covers are easy ways to tell. The front cover on the FC has a crank angle sensor coming out of the upper right part of the front cover (can't miss it), where a distributor would go on the earlier engines. The FD has it inconspicuously mounted on the crank pulley.