I've found that I DO have the real original block for my car. But what do the other numbers mean? The VIN 18S400777 matches the vin on the car. The casting Number is 3970010... not sure what that means. And this number - I assume this is the block ID??? VO910CMS. What does that number mean? Does anybody know how to decode these numbers?

 

Just FYI, when you ask for help on your car, tell us what year it is.

Assuming its a '78, the CMS suffix tells us its an L82. 220 hp 350, w/automatic. 09 10 means September 10 engine assembly date. 010 is the 350 block serial number, used in many Chevys.

What the block date code? It will look something like an H-25-7 or something similar. Very early car.

 

Yes, it is a 78. Where can I find the Date Code?

 

Its on the rear of the block, on the passenger side, across from the 010 block number. It can be hard to see. Here's a pic of an 010 block date code from 1969, on an engine stand:



Obviously with the heads on, the distributor and shield in place, under paint, grease, wires, etc, sometimes you have to look for it.

By the way, I neglected to tell you the V at the beginning of your engine ***'y date code is for the Flint plant. Tell us all the numbers on your trim tag and we will go through that with you as well.

 

Now for reference, here's the same date coded engine and the 010 block number, as it looked when the engine first came out. Lovely oil leak. When the block was in place, I had to use a long rod wrapped on the end with laquer thinner soaker rag pieces, to "scrape" off the "010" to verify the block number. The date code was actually easier to see.

I now have a "Broach Buster" monocular lens which makes life much easier on my old eyes.

 

V code for Flint, Michigan engine assembly plant
0910 Sept 10 date engine was assembled at Flint
CMS Engine identification suffix indicating Corvette L82 with AT

 

The only trim tag I have found is on the driver door post. It says something about paint codes and interior. But I will look and post in a few minutes.

BTW Thanks for the info.

 

Ok, the only trim tag I found is on the driver door post.

At the top it says CHEVROLET A 14

TRIM 22 13L PAINT.

What are these numbers? :

 

Isn't the date code different after they went to 70? H-25_7 could mean 67, I thought after 69 they went to two digit.

 

I found this:
The block casting date indicates when the block itself was cast in the foundry. This date does not indicate when the motor was assembled and then later placed into the vehicle at the factory. The block casting date is usually found on the rear ledge of the block on the passenger side, but some later model blocks have the casting date on the driver's side of the rear ledge. Some of the early big blocks made in the Sixties have the block casting date located on the passenger side of the block near the freeze plug holes. On these, if the early big block is in the car you will have to get under the motor to see the casting date. Do it while the car is on a lift. The casting dates look something like this "E 12 7". The "E" stands for the month of the year with "A" being the month of January, "B" being the month of February and so on thru the letters to December. In this case the "E" stands for the month of May, the fifth month of the year and the fifth letter of the alphabet. The "12" stands for the 12th day of the month. The "7" is the year of the decade. Now unfortunately this could be '57, '67, '77, '87 or '97 depending on which part you are looking at. Some casting dates have both the year of the decade and the decade itself. They look like this "E 12 77", meaning May 12, 1977. The fun starts when you have a casting date from the first nine days of the month that look like this "D 2 6". Does that stand for April 2,1966 or does it stand for April 26th and the year is missing or hard to see? You have to look closely and carefully to be sure

 

Flint used a single digit for the year, Tonawanda used two digits for the year. No small block Corvette had blocks from Tonawanda.

 

MD1....

A 14 = Sept. 14, 1977

Trim 22 = Oyster

Paint 13L = Silver......

The site's below may be of some use to you....

http://www.corvettec3.ca/vin.htm

http://100megsfree4.com/corvette/1970/vet78.htm

 

Wow. Engine was assembled on 9/10 and received at St. Louis in time to be installed on or before 9/14. That's quick.

 

That's GM and their "Just in Time" inventory at work. They learned it from the Japanese....

At my plant, many a day..... parts, sub-assemblies, frame's, small part's, etc....were flown in by Lear jet, just to keep the line going. We would be down maybe a hour or two...sometimes much less....but the needed parts got there..... and the line kept on going, and going, and going....

 

I've never seen an engine assembly date and time/build date that close. I'm sure the engine shipped from Flint the day it was assembled. It would have needed a day or two on the truck to reach St. Louis.

 

I guess when things were running smoothly the dates could be pretty close.
On my 71, 350/270 the block was cast on the twi-light shift of Dec. 31,1970. (They worked New Year's Eve!!!!). Engine was built on January 7, 1971. The car was built on January 14, 1971.
Fast but not as FAST as Mud's.
Regards,
Alan

 

My '69 BB was pretty quick as well.

Block Cast date: 9/4/68
Engine Build date: 9/6/68

Trim Tag date: 9/13/68
Estimated "Birthday": 9/16/68

#1505 in '69

I understand that in '68-'69 the engine was built in a facility that was adjacent to the Tonowanda foundry (my block would still have been warm!!) so on BB's, it isn't that unusual to have close dates between cast date and build date.

Looks like it took a week to get the engine to St. Louis and on to the line. Cool stuff.

 

I thought that the letter A was for the 1st month of the new year model assembly cycle. A would be August wouldn't it?

Thanks

David

 

Nope.....


1978 Regular Corvette Production

40,275 Coupes + 6,502 Pace Cars = 46,776 Total Production for 1978

Code Month Production Sequence #

A September '77 3,186 403186
B October 4,215 407401
C November 3,915 411316
D December 3,379 414695
E January '78 3,459 418154
F February 4,349 422503
G March 2,777 425280
H April 0
I May 3,553 428833
J June 4,298 433131
K July 3,717 436848
L August '78 3,426 440274

 

You are correct.

Usually, but not always. 1970 production began in January, 1970. 1975 production began in October of 1974. There are some out of the ordinary production year start dates.