[C2] Engine stamp question
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Intermediate
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From: CT
Engine stamp question
Hi all. Really appreciate how helpful everyone is on the forum. Came across this original 1966 C2 L79. Owner had it for 20 years and has original sale sheet from 66. However engine stamp looks different from others I’ve seen, particularly the 8. It’s also stamped at a slight angle versus the vin. Curious for anyone’s thoughts. Really appreciate the help.
Last edited by C2W85; Feb 2, 2025 at 11:16 AM.
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the assembly stamp was stamped at the Flint plant. while the vin stamp was done at St Louis after it was assigned the car. to me the "T' looks off. but I'll let others chime in. do you have good clear pictures of the paper work?
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I have no problem with that pad. The surface looks good, as does the stamping. I have no problem with the "0" and "O", they are known to have been interchanged for each other in stampings, just as "1" and "I" were often interchanged and "6" and "9" were often inverted to be used for the other. The "8" is a little funky, but I think there were a couple different fonts used too.
Melting Slicks
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No expert but I follow these posts with curiosity and rarely comment. When this question comes up I always look at/for the broach marks first. Are there clean, parallel broach paths and do they continue thru the stampings. To me that’s the first clue to originality. Then if really motivated get the book out on the letter shapes…rarely that interested. These broach paths are awfully faint. Hints and learer around the VIN. I’d at least ask for another picture from other angles, then go to the stamp book if serious before paying for an expert. Larry
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1967 Pedal Car Champion
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I envision a tray of characters (mixed fonts with various stages of wear) that the gang holder was loaded from. The person changing the gang stamps just picked out, say a random 0 character from the compartment. That's why you can have two differently shaped 0s. The individual blocks can also have wear on the sides such that they sit crooked compared to their neighboring blocks. That's where seeing other examples from the same time period is the gold-standard for determining authenticity.
Just to add an example and an endearing quirk to this: My '67 (and others here on the forum) have an upside down 8 in their VIN (from #18,000+).
Last edited by barkingrats; Feb 1, 2025 at 06:23 PM.
1967 Pedal Car Champion
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From: US-PNW
No expert but I follow these posts with curiosity and rarely comment. When this question comes up I always look at/for the broach marks first. Are there clean, parallel broach paths and do they continue thru the stampings. To me that’s the first clue to originality. Then if really motivated get the book out on the letter shapes…rarely that interested. These broach paths are awfully faint. Hints and learer around the VIN. I’d at least ask for another picture from other angles, then go to the stamp book if serious before paying for an expert. Larry
I have long wondered about the broach marks over time. I understand the broaching machine was huge with many multiples of engines going through at a time, but they must have had down-time to dress or change the broaches. As the broaches wear, the blocks are going to exhibit a different, heavier scratch pattern than when the broaches had new edges yielding finer lines.
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From: CT
Close vin stamp
I actually was able to find a close vin engine stamp on C2registry. Definitely some similarities. The 3 the I the F the O. The H is a little different.
Last edited by C2W85; Feb 2, 2025 at 11:17 AM.
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If you're curious about the small-block production, here's a great write-up by John Hinckley, who was there and is a widely respected authority on Chevrolet processes. Unfortunately he died just a couple years ago, but he wrote many articles and answered many forum questions here and on the Camaro sites.
1967 Pedal Car Champion
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From: US-PNW
Thoyer brings up a good point that a single comparison stamp pic won't offer much if there are any significant differences because you won't know which is the genuine stamping, if either. However, if the match between the two is nearly identical with similar characteristics, they're both likely authentic. (Two restamps looking the same would be pretty difficult to pull off unless done by the same forger.)
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