638HP

Hoping you can help a fellow CF member. Regarding a 1960 Corvette with a late production run July VIN, is it possible to only have the Engine ID (in my case: F0724CT) stamped on the front engine pad without the Engine Serial Number stamped in front of it?

It is my understanding for the 1960 model year, the Engine Serial Number is stamped to the left immediately followed by the Engine ID to the right. Is this the case? If so, why does this car only have the Engine ID stamped and not the Engine Serial Number?

Perhaps was mine a re-stamp performed incorrectly? Or could a July VIN only have an Engine ID?

1snake

The VIN stamping started in Nov. 1959. A 1960 built in July would definitely have the VIN stamped into the pad. No exception.

Jim

vettebuyer6369

Not "for" the 1960 model year... "during" the 1960 model year.

VIN derivatives started to appear on 1960 Corvette engines around mid-December '59, approximately at VIN 1800.

Different size characters also changed during the rest of the run.

EDIT Jim you beat me while I was typing!

1snake

The earliest car that I've documented with the VIN stamp is #1617.

Jim

638HP

If the motor only has the Engine ID (F0724CT) stamped on the pad and not the Serial Number, could this have been done as a factory/dealer Counter Exchange process?

I just find it ironic that someone would re-stamp the motor with only the Engine ID re-stamped? Why go through the process and not perform correctly?

John McGraw

Early 60 VIN stamps also look like they were stamped by a drunken sailor, as the attached pic of my 60 shows. Clearly, they had not started using gang holders yet!


http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-...3/P0000170.jpg


Regards, John McGraw

joseph p

Not to interrupt, but were the numbers ever stamped out of alignment in later years...like 1965?

1snake

Maybe it was the lack of knowledge. I've seen so many mis-stamped 1960 pads because during this year, some were not stamped, some were stamped by hand and some were stamped using a gang holder. Those that were stamped used two different size numbers.

John, the latest pad that I've documented that was stamped without a gang holder is #5874.

Jim

1snake

No. A gang holder was used. However, sometimes the last letter of the engine code was left off and added later by hand when the specific options (like A/C, T.I. etc.) for that engine were determined. There are plenty of examples of this last letter being crooked compared to the rest.

Jim

bullardustin03

I bought a pickup awhile back and when i pulled the motor i had my grandpa look it up beacause there are no vin numbers just the casting number my grandpa used to work for gm and told me he has heard of these and he thought there was a market i was wanting to know if there is a market and were would i go i beleive he told me it was an early 59 283 and thats about all i know i had it running one day sounds like it is cammed slightly but thats about all the farther i messed with it and is it considerd a numbers matching car if one of these motors with these casting numbers is in a 58 or 49 vette

JohnZ

Might be one of those really rare 49's with a "W"-block; some were built for the World's Fair, and haven't been seen since; let us know how it turns out.

thoyer

Just for the heck of it, here is the pad from my 60.

jim lockwood

It appears your '60 has an engine from a '61.

bullardustin03

I apologize on my typo i ment 58 or 59 not 49 im pretty aure its either of those but ill have to go to my grandparents and look it back up

rich5962

I know this thread is over two years old, and John had me going there for a few seconds, but......

Jim, unless I missed something else that you noticed.....

It appears to me to be a '60 engine stamp. In '60 they didn't prefix the vin derivative with the year, correct? The "1" in "10xxxx" is not the year. In '61 the single digit year was added as the prefix to the derivative. eg 110xxxx"

Rich

OC-1

10,261 vetes were produced that year

jim lockwood

Hmmmm, well, Rich I might be wrong. The engine in my '60 is original to the car. I'll check it and see how it compares.

Thanks,
Jim

thoyer

Nope, Original engine, one owner car (until I bought it). Car was built 5/24/60, engine stamped 5/19/60. Owner purchased car from Sonny Stein Chev in Philadelphia in late Jun of 60. Have all documents and service records. The only thing the owner did was change from a 3 speed to a 4 speed in 1961.

Tom

JohnZ

The model year prefix digit on the stamp pad VIN derivative didn't start until the 1961 model year.

jim lockwood

Good to know. I always reserve the right to be wrong!