I found 57 chef with engine no. For a turbo glide with a standard 3 speed on the column.How can I tell if engine was changed or trans.

Not much, its depends who will buy the car, some like it all stock some like the upgrades and is becoming common...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if you like what you see, your gonna buy it. 57' is an excellent year. Now there are numbers on the body, engine, and transmission, also the rear end that should all match. Call it a numbers matching car.