Can you determine what car an engine came from by its serial number?

Can you determine what car an engine came from by its serial number?
Yes! You can search for information that will give engine codes. I have been able to find them by searching vin codes. The vin will tell the trim package that the vehicle came with as well. Depending on the age of the vehicle, this information may be very hard to find though.

Answer:
The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) holds all manufacturing information about the vehicle. This number is stamped into all engine blocks as well as the head, and can usually be found on a tag on the engine, the firewall, and a variety of other locations on every vehicle (depending on the manufacturer). There are a number of VIN decoders available on the internet (one is linked below). You can also take the VIN to a dealership (once you have determined the make) and have the parts department decode it for you down to the paint color of the original body.