hello gentlemen.

i just went on a 3000 mile trip to look at a 68 vert, lovely car, wrong color but still a nice car.

all the numbers on the car were the right numbers, block casting, date code casting, Partial VIN stamping, vin on the windshield, trim tag. the dates were what one would expect.

the only thing that caught my eye was that the suffix code letters were not aligned with the other numbers on the pad, and they were stamped much deeper that the rest. VXXXX XX

the pad had been painted, but the area that had the date code stamp with the suffix had the paint removed, as if someone had previously wanted to get a better look at this area.

the motor is a 327, 300 horse that had the heads redone with roller rockers ect, different cam, hopped up in general, but the block is supposedly original.

i know i will sell this car eventually, and i know its much easier to sell one that has the correct numbers.

so my question is, is it probably a restamp, or is it common to have the suffix code letters misaligned? i should have taken a picture but i didnt think at the time.

any advice is greatly appreciated.

thanks

mike

 

1. Should N O T be mis aligned !!! Deeper / darker ( like mine is ok i have been told ) as you can see it gets deeper / darker as the numbers go from the left to the right , most likely as when it was stamped the gang that held all the numbers together was hammered on an angle & not flat giving even pressure to each number equally.

2. Most people wouldnt waste time or energy restamping a low horse power small block, you can't rule it out. Without a photo it is hard to answer your question with confidence !!

3. if your paying big bucks for an original car, then you better get to the bottom of it before your dissapointed later.

MY 68's stamp pad #'s

 

Maybe ask him to take a photo for you & e-mail it to you........easy enough, then post it here, there are lots of EXPERTS here to help!!!

 

the stamping pictured above is a big block? from what i understand the numbers are stamped with the partial VIN on the left side on small blocks? is that correct? not that this has anything to do with my suffix code stamp misalignment, just trying to get educated.

thanks

mike

 

The photo was provided to view alignment of numbers only

 

If you're buying the car and seller claims the block is original, just get the seller to sign an Affidavit stating such (pick a blank one up at any office supplies store). If he won't, slash the price you will pay by about $3-5K. That'll get his attention.

 

i was gonna buy the car, now i am having doubts as i based my offer, which was accepted, on it being the original block. so if i have doubts about it, when it comes time to sell it, the new buyer will also have doubts, as the 2 letter suffix is out of whack, misaligned relative to the other numbers, and much deeper. any affidavit stating anything really wont help? IF it is the restamped original block, there is really no way to prove it, is there?

i want the car, so you think i need to lower my offer by at least 3 Gs? if the seller agrees, i might just buy it, as i dont really give a sh*t about the numbers, but i dont wanna pay for a restamped block. i am tired looking already, and this car seemed to be solid otherwise.

is a 3K price drop fair? then it will be a 68 small block vert, non matching color, and probably a restamp, maybe the original block, and maybe not, no real way to prove it if its restamped. i will call the guy and ask him for a pic of the stamping and see what he says.

 

What kind of $$$$$$ are you talking about before deducting 3 g's ? keep another thing in mind............
it's also the wrong color......!!! and what else that you cant see ? frame rust, bird cage, #'s on rear & tranny etc............also need to know more about the car, orig color ? options paperwork etc.........kinda vague here......

if you "dont really give a sh*t about the numbers" then buy the car............within your budget that makes you happy !!!

 

Lots of things at work here.

First its a 68, so generally there are things that are a bit different. Post a few good digital pics of the car, and please tell us the vin. Any early cars have interesting details. Original color combos, options ect...

My car, and a couple other sequential cars don't have date codes on the trim tags, and best of all "G" month cars have dated trim tags that are marked as "C" half the time.

if you want email me the particulars of the car, I keep a 68 database, and I can tell you if I have the car listed.

Remember too that this is a base motor car, and the penalties for misidentifying a code 900 427/400 C60 roadster with F41 and K66 are a bit less.

JoE

 

Really good restamps are hard to detect, but they are rare. The average fake can be detected fairly easily.

Post a picture.

 

...if the paint was removed, you could see the "broach marks" if they were still there and original. I give more consideration to the broach marks first, then the numbers(unless it's really a botched, give away re-stamp).

...your average Joe Restorer ain't re-stamping base motor cars. Yeah, it's done, but most of the re-stamping gets done alot more on your higher HP, more $$$ & rare cars.

 

the gentleman is gonna do his best to take a good pic for me, he tried his digital camara, didnt come out too good so tomorrow he is gonna break out his better camera in the daylight. i am tending to think maybe it is the original block, all the other numbers on the block are correct and match the dates on the car body. the more i read up on this the more i am learning. mistakes happened at the factory. if the number didnt come out right, sometimes they were restamped. i also read that the suffix code was sometimes stamped at a different time than the date part. the above pic with the big block stamp has the suffix code much deeper that the rest, and when i looked closer, it appears there is a "ghost I" to the right and slightly lower than the deep final stamping. could this have been a mistake at the factory? the broach marks look fine. or is this "ghost I" that i am seeing a figment of my imagination? definatley not questioning the validity of the stamping, as i am just a beginer trying to learn.

and why would someone go to the trouble of stamping a block and leaving such an obvious mistake? i am refering to the stamp on the motor on the car i am of thinking of buying now, not the big block stamp above. makes no sense, especially on a 300 hp motor?

i know this is hard to decipher without a picture, but hopefully he will get one for me tomorrow.

thanks for all the help guys

 

that ghost "I" you see is what is refered to as a "BOUNCE" as far as i know they were all hammered together suffix & all should be on a straight line........

 

Here are a bunch of pad / #'s photos i have a very large collection of these, some posted are restamps, some factory goofs, some correct etc...........note most of the suffix are in line with the prefixesthe ones that are not in most cases are "RESTAMPS" and are suspicious, also check font size, style & thickness, also see the broach marks , some are gone, ( decked ) others are present.

 

Hi 427,
Your pictures are 'fun' to look at.
What's interesting is that so many of the pads have been screwed up to some degree by someone using sand paper or a wire brush to clean the paint and gook off the pad.
Regards,
Alan

 

well the guy changed his tune today. he said he cant take the picture. he wont lower his price either. So, as far as i see it, its a wrong color, NOM motor (since the stamping is F*^&ed up, and no pics to show any broach marks), 68 vert, with a motor that has been all hopped up with head mods and a camshaft. the paint is fairly new, but has one crack on top of the passenger fender already, bubbling around one of the door handles too, which would lead me to believe its a ****ty paint job if it already cracked? also the rivets behind the headlights are making the infamous bulges which i hate. he told me it was "cherry black", but its really maroon, with the correct dark orange interior. original paint was corvette bronze.

i really wanted a black with red interior, but i was willing to compromise, and i thought we agreed on what i believe is a fair price for a wrong color matching number block. 22K


i think i can do better for 22K? what do you guys think?
pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2053700...7608030606564/

now all bets are off. i am pissed off i spent almost $500 on a wasted trip, but there is a lesson here. never buy a car sight unseen first of all, at least i went to see the car tho.

and before i make any more trips to see a car, i will insist on getting all the pics that i want. pad, castings numbers, trim tag, vin plate, pics of the frame, with the wheels taken off. and many other pics of the interior, kick panels removed to show the birdcage. door sills taken off.

does this sound unreasonable?
if the seller is unwilling to do this for me, why should i spend my hard earned money on airfare, car rental, hotels etc?

the sad thing here is i really liked the guys car, it seeemd to be a very solid, good running vette with all the suspension rebuilt, a solid frame, clean interior, strong motor. the price still isnt bad, but i think down the road it will be hard to sell a color combination like that with a F*&ked up pad stamp.

i will be patient and get what i want instead of settling.

sooooooooo, if any of you guys know of a black or silver, with red or silver interior, 68 or 69 convertable car that is ready to get in and drive, i have some money. will also look at corvette bronze cars. really prefer a small block, but if its a nice big one at a good price, i am open to it. must be a 4 speed.

again, i want to thank all of you for your advice on this.

mike

ps i am going to see that beautiful black 69 in houston tonite, the one that was pictured on this forum about a month ago. its got a black interior, but it looks so good anyway. sometimes you just have to make allowances, otherwise i could be looking for years hahaha

 

There's one here in san antonio for 18k I think. I'll for it and pm you if I find it.

 

From what I have read, what you have written above is correct. But, I always see it stated with the word "usually" in there. Like, small blocks USUALLY have their VIN derivative stamping on the left and the assembly stamp on the right and big blocks USUALLY have their assembly stamp on the left and the VIN derivative stamping on the right.

 

actually you saved $22,000 ................
kinda makes you wonder why he wouldnt take a picture........
i guess the truth was behind it ?
not a bad looking car though..........

Keep us posted