327 decoding help
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 10,696
Likes: 3,094
From: Cottonwood AZ
C1 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
This is well within the limits of normal factory variation on known-original pad stampings. There were lots of "H" inserts in a bin at Flint, and lots of gang holders. Some of these were old and worn, others less so. Many factory stampings have much more variation than this one.
Many people overthink all of this. Things wear and eventually wear out to the point of replacement needed, some characters may wear out faster than others due to their position in a gang holder, at what position/angle the holder is hit by an individual, how many different people right and left handed used this tool over how long of a period and finally lets not forget minor differences in different manufacturers that provided these stamp characters. Do you really think that an auto manufacturer really cared what someone would think 50+ years later or weather the stamping was consistent, straight, crooked, deeper on one side verses another etc? As long as it was readable and correct for the application (and sometimes not) it made it out the door. Quality control was NOTHING like it is today compared to 50+ years ago in the auto industry.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 129
Likes: 27
St. Jude Donor '21
Many people overthink all of this. Things wear and eventually wear out to the point of replacement needed, some characters may wear out faster than others due to their position in a gang holder, at what position/angle the holder is hit by an individual, how many different people right and left handed used this tool over how long of a period and finally lets not forget minor differences in different manufacturers that provided these stamp characters. Do you really think that an auto manufacturer really cared what someone would think 50+ years later or weather the stamping was consistent, straight, crooked, deeper on one side verses another etc? As long as it was readable and correct for the application (and sometimes not) it made it out the door. Quality control was NOTHING like it is today compared to 50+ years ago in the auto industry.Last edited by AU812; Feb 5, 2022 at 07:38 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,556
Likes: 791
From: Massachusetts
Even if no attempt is made to add a serial number stamping, the block would score 325 out of 350 NCRS judging points allocated to just the block.
For the right buyer, the block alone would likely be worth $2000, and the entire engine would likely be worth $3000. The "right buyer" is someone trying to restore a 1966 Corvette to NCRS judging standards, where the car is missing its original engine. For any other buyer who just wants a period-correct L79 engine, the value would be considerably less, probably under $1000.
As a seller, you would likely have to be prepared to ship the engine (at the buyer's expense) to any location in the USA. That requires securing it to a pallet, so there is some extra effort required.
In terms of advertising the engine, keep in mind that the "right buyer" is pursuing an NCRS restoration. So, you need to list the engine in places where such buyers might be looking. Examples include the NCRS web site classifieds, Corvette Forum classifieds, and ebay.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 788
Likes: 100
From: Indianapolis IN
List all the casting numbers, (and pics), of the additional parts to know if they actually belong to this engine to know their worth also, and thus the complete package "worth".
