"388" block

[kwkcarz]

How rare, actually is the "388" block believed (now) to be? 12 years ago when I bought my 69 RSSS 350 it was supposedly "very rare" according to Jerry MacNeish in his book. This is a completely numbers matching car.

[1968RSZ28]

How rare, actually is the "388" block believed (now) to be? 12 years ago when I bought my 69 RSSS 350 it was supposedly "very rare" according to Jerry MacNeish in his book.

Read this...  http://www.camaros.org/drivetrain.shtml#BlockCast

"The 3932388 block is sometimes noted as being 'rare', but it actually was commonly used in mid-69 production."

Paul

[Jonesy]

Its common and the book you are probably referring to is Allan Colvin's "Chevrolet by the Numbers - 1965-69".
Some of that info came from the now defunct US Camaro Club and is real old info about the 388 block. They are actually very common.

[kwkcarz]

Actually the information came from: "The Definitive 1969 Camaro Z/28-SS 396 Fact Book" by Jerry MacNeish (new revised 3rd edition) copyrighted in 2003. Last page in the book before the back cover. He being a noted 69 wxpert, I thought I would inquire here to see if other blocks had been found with this casting. Thanks for the info.

[Steve Shauger]

Originally it was thought to be rare, but as more data has been collected it is fairly common block. Certainly it doesn't add value over 010,618 or other four bolt configured blocks. This block has also been found in a few Z28's that I have inspected as well. 

[68Zproject]

I went through this too with a DZ block that was in my 68.  Thought I'd sell it and make enough to buy all my parts because it was so "rare".  CRG and TC helped "inform" me.

[KurtS]

Production seems to be about evenly split between 388 and 618 blocks (both were made about the same timeframes).