How can I tell if my 1973 142 is a B20F or B20E engine? The VIN number is 1426343365853. Also have to replace both Girling rear calipers. Autozone has remanufactured ones for about $50. Anything wrong with them? I bought two front ones last summer from RPR in California but they apparently are out of business. I don't drive the car very much and actually am getting it ready to sell
Jim

Well, I went the Advance Auto Parts route and that was a mistake. They sent me two calipers that were not matched, one of them didn't even have the right bolt holes, and the other didn't have the clips to hold the new rubber boot in place. Add to that the ATE pads they sent me for Girling calipers, and you get the picture. It was not funny. Took everything back, got a credit, got my old calipers back, and called King Kalipers. Will send him the calipers Monday and he will replace them making sure the replacement parts are the same as the ones I send him. More later. Oh for RPR.
Jim

That stinks.

I'm surprised that you could get them directly from King Kalipers. I think when I tried that a few years ago they were wholesale only. Don't remember for sure though.

So I ended up getting them from AutoBarn (online). They're on Long Island. Regardless, I didn't have any problem with AutoBarn and the price was good. I did have to ship the cores back to them and they were quick to issue the core refund.

Haven't purchased rebuilt calipers from Autozone, but the King Kaliper rebuilds that I have purchased have been in that same ballpark price-wise. They've held up pretty well too.

There have been quite a number of posts lamenting the fact that RPR was going out of business.
Not sure why you didn't see them.
If yours is a US car the chances of it being a B20F are WAY over 99%.
But if you post the motor type number (6 digits beginning with 49) on the driver's side
of the block above the breather box and distributor we can verify for you.
The first two digits or maybe the first 4 will be cast into the block and the remainder
will be stamped into a rectangular boss immediately to the rear of the cast digits.
If you get rebuilt calipers examine them for punch marks along the joint between the two halves.
The punch marks should line up. If they don't, reject the caliper as having been
misassembled. If they are not assembled correctly the fluid passages between the two halves
don't match.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Oklahoma

The VIN number on the car won't be of much help on such an old car--anything may have been installed over the years. A '73 would have had an F motor (low compression). I think the E (high compression) would be mid '70 through '71. Better to post the actual block numbers and research posts that have been made with the differences in cylinder heads illustrated. -- Dave

Walrus, thanks for the info. Will get the engine block numbers. Haven't been on the site lately. Been working in Florida for the last several months and have been out of touch. Now retired for the second time and in love with my '73 again.
Volvo from Heck, thanks for the input. Will report back soon
Jim

The block numbers won't do much good if the head has been changed. The '70-71 "E" head looks different than the one that was fitted to both the early (6 bolt) and late (8 bolt) B20F's... to wit:


--

Gary L - 142E ITB race car, 73 1800ES
BlueBrick Racing Website
YouTube Racing Videos

I have plenty of B20A & B20E heads that look like your B20F head. Thickness is the only difference between the E & F heads.

--
Three 164's, Two 144's, One 142 & a partridge in a pear tree.

"I have plenty of B20A & B20E heads that look like your B20F head. Thickness is the only difference between the E & F heads."

Probably because you're in Australia, and we're not... I'm talking about US market engines here.

--

Gary L - 142E ITB race car, 73 1800ES
BlueBrick Racing Website
YouTube Racing Videos

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Based on the pictures I have a B20F.
Now the other part. I can get the calipers from Advance Auto reman by Fenco so that's what I'm going to do. If they don't work I'll take them back.

That style of head is easier to get performance out of.
--
Three 164's, Two 144's, One 142 & a partridge in a pear tree.