bobs65

Hi Forum -

Was surfin the old threads and read a bunch of engine stamp pad #'s stuff and it got me interested. I always wondered about mine and the VIN# on it. Some of the numbers are double stamped and its hard to read. I see 5106508. the 6508 is pretty clear.

The other code is clear : F1230HF

I'd like to strip the paint and see whats under there. What is the best stuff to use?

thanks,
Bob

65 vette dude

I used acetone on a rag wrapped tightly around my finger. I then put a light coat of 3 in 1 oil on it to keep it from rusting.

ratmotortom

Get a can of spray stripper in a can. Spray a little into the lid and use a small paint brush to apply it to the pad. Wait 5 minutes and wipe away the paint. Don't use a scraper to do it.

bb62

Although I use a q-tip while using the acetone.

Note that the pads were never painted from the factory.

zadspal

Are you sure? I disagree with the pads not being painted from the factory. I think they got painted along with overspray on the exhuast manifolds and anything else that got in the way.

ctjackster

I understand that the pads were taped over at the factory during the engine painting operation.

Mike Ward

or wiped clean of paint, possibly leaving traces behind.

Later C3 had painted pads, but not earlier cars.

philip964

Ok this is real important, as I have seen it both ways and I really don't know which is correct. I've certainly seen "matching numbers" listed with an orange painted pad and obviously the other way around.

Do we have a difinitive answer on this. A consensus.

Thanks.

ctjackster

I am not a recognized expert, but since the NCRS judges cars based on an "as delivered" standard, and since the NCRS judges expect to see a C2 stamp pad that is devoid of paint, that tells me these cars left the factory with a stamp pad that was unpainted.

the world is filled with C2s with painted stamp pads because most of these engines have been rebuilt and repainted at some point in their life, or someone was trying to freshen up the engine "in place" before selling the car and the engine stamp pad got hit too.

JohnZ

Pads were NOT painted from the engine plants - they were masked off (piece of tape) so they could read the suffix on the pad easily later to route the engine to the correct loading spot and rack on the rail shipping dock; it was the only way to identify the engine after it was painted. At 300 engines per hour, they didn't have time to scratch their heads and try to figure out where each engine went (a typical daily schedule at an engine plant had anywhere from 20 to 80 different engines being produced, one every 12 seconds).

Painting a pad is an excellent way to disguise the nature of the machined surface.

shemp

John, I'm surprised you don't have a pic of this. You amaze me w/
your archives and knowledge of vettes.

Shemp

philip964

Thanks John as always. I assumed a painted pad was suspect, but never was sure, now I am.

And since we are on the subject, a little orange overspray on the exhaust manafold is correct. Lack thereof on a unrestored engine would then be suspect.

ctjackster

well, maybe, but if said engine has any sort of miles on it, it isn't unheard of for that overspray to have burned off. Or rusted off.

ratmotortom

Exactly. After 40+ years on an old car. The overspray that once was is most likely long gone !

philip964

Corvette Market Magazine, has a story about a unrestored 65 big block and mentions no evidence of overspray on the exhaust manafold. Says it is atypical.

Calls it a demarkation line.

Wouldn't the paint also be somewhat missing from the engine block at the same spot.

66rag427

Here is an interesting GM photo of newly painted engines. Does show overspray not pad but does eliminate the debate over half sprayed bell housings. It is intersting that the bypass hoses are free of spray.

Mike Ward

Disagree.

The upper photo shows W head engines, never used in Corvettes so not relevant.

The lower photo does show an SBC, but from which engine plant? Flint? Tonawanda? McKinnon?

Please don't paint all engine with one brush.

Ed: got a note off line that the lower picture was taken at Tarrytown NY (now closed) which never made Corvette engines- so that picture is not relevant either .

JohnZ

Those photos are from the Tarrytown, NY assembly plant (full-size cars and trucks) in 1959; the "W" engines came from Tonawanda, NY, and most of their small-blocks probably did too.

Photo below is the Tonawanda engine paint line - both BB's and SB's, all with exhaust manifolds in place.

philip964

See he did have a photo.

shemp

I never doubted him!

Shemp