*** Date code question***
Thread Starter
Safety Car
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From: Saskatchewan, Canada
*** Date code question***
Good day. Is it possible for a part on an engine, for example - alt, starter, etc to precede the final build date of the engine by just a couple of days??? Would that be excepted as correct within the NCRS judging circles??? Also, paired items like cylinder heads or exhaust manifolds - do they have to have dates that are relatively close to each other or did the factory install with dates that were maybe 2 months apart??? Your opinions appreciated. Thanks in advance. 
BK3
BK3
Last edited by bkvette3; May 2, 2010 at 11:06 AM.
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....any of the engine accessories had to "pre-date" the engine assembly date or they were replaced after the engine was built. This would include the alt, dist, water pump, carb. Your heads, intake manifold, exhaust manifolds also had to "pre-date" the engine assembly date. I remember judging some '77s for example where the engine assembly date was ONE day after the block was cast.
Exhaust manifolds, intakes & heads were generally about 2wks to a month prior to engine assembly date. In probably most of the '73-'82 Corvettes I had judged.
Exhaust manifolds, intakes & heads were generally about 2wks to a month prior to engine assembly date. In probably most of the '73-'82 Corvettes I had judged.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Saskatchewan, Canada
....any of the engine accessories had to "pre-date" the engine assembly date or they were replaced after the engine was built. This would include the alt, dist, water pump, carb. Your heads, intake manifold, exhaust manifolds also had to "pre-date" the engine assembly date. I remember judging some '77s for example where the engine assembly date was ONE day after the block was cast. Exhaust manifolds, intakes & heads were generally about 2wks to a month prior to engine assembly date. In probably most of the '73-'82 Corvettes I had judged.
Exhaust manifolds, intakes & heads were generally about 2wks to a month prior to engine assembly date. In probably most of the '73-'82 Corvettes I had judged.Here's an example:
engine block casting date: Jan.29
engine build date of Feb.21
cylinder heads: Left - Jan.2 & Right - Feb.19
Was it possible the factory installed both heads with dates far apart (5-6 weeks apart)???
Was it possible to have cylinder heads installed when it was cast just 2 days prior to the final engine build date??? Thanks.
Last edited by bkvette3; May 2, 2010 at 12:20 PM.
Team Owner
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Hi bk3,
I'll let Paul respond to your latest questions.
I've found that the dates can be very close or far apart on the same engine and car.
For example, on my 71, 350/270, the block was cast Dec.31, 1970. The engine was built on Jan.7, 1971. The car was built on January 14, 1971. The intake has an August 1970 date. (Must have been in the bottom of the shipping crate!) The carburetor and alternator have a date of Jan.7,1971 ( the day the engine was built). This is surprising at first... until you remember that those parts were put on the engine in St.Louis, not at Flint where the engine was built. So they had a week to get to St. Louis.
We need to try to think about WHERE and HOW the car and it's parts were built when we start looking at dates.
It's BIG fun.
Regards,
Alan
I'll let Paul respond to your latest questions.
I've found that the dates can be very close or far apart on the same engine and car.
For example, on my 71, 350/270, the block was cast Dec.31, 1970. The engine was built on Jan.7, 1971. The car was built on January 14, 1971. The intake has an August 1970 date. (Must have been in the bottom of the shipping crate!) The carburetor and alternator have a date of Jan.7,1971 ( the day the engine was built). This is surprising at first... until you remember that those parts were put on the engine in St.Louis, not at Flint where the engine was built. So they had a week to get to St. Louis.
We need to try to think about WHERE and HOW the car and it's parts were built when we start looking at dates.
It's BIG fun.
Regards,
Alan
Last edited by Alan 71; May 2, 2010 at 12:08 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,719
Likes: 95
From: Saskatchewan, Canada
Hi bk3,
I'll let Paul respond to your latest questions.
I've found that the dates can be very close or far apart on the same engine and car.
For example, on my 71, 350/270, the block was cast Dec.31, 1970. The engine was built on Jan.7, 1971. The car was built on January 14, 1971. The intake has an August 1970 date. (Must have been in the bottom of the shipping crate!) The carburetor and alternator have a date of Jan.7,1971 ( the day the engine was built). This is surprising at first... until you remember that those parts were put on the engine in St.Louis, not at Flint where the engine was built. So they had a week to get to St. Louis.
We need to try to think about WHERE and HOW the car and it's parts were built when we start looking at dates.
It's BIG fun.
Regards,
Alan
I'll let Paul respond to your latest questions.
I've found that the dates can be very close or far apart on the same engine and car.
For example, on my 71, 350/270, the block was cast Dec.31, 1970. The engine was built on Jan.7, 1971. The car was built on January 14, 1971. The intake has an August 1970 date. (Must have been in the bottom of the shipping crate!) The carburetor and alternator have a date of Jan.7,1971 ( the day the engine was built). This is surprising at first... until you remember that those parts were put on the engine in St.Louis, not at Flint where the engine was built. So they had a week to get to St. Louis.
We need to try to think about WHERE and HOW the car and it's parts were built when we start looking at dates.
It's BIG fun.
Regards,
Alan
. I find the Corvette numbers game very interesting. I am a Vette numbers guy. Keeps me awake @ night sometimes!!! LOL
Last edited by bkvette3; May 2, 2010 at 12:30 PM.
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From: No longer in Heaven
My 427 block was cast on Sept 4, 1968, engine build date was September 6, 1968, my heads are May 20, 1968 and June 18, 1968, my 3 carbs are dated June 1968 and August 1968, my distributor is June 18, 1968 and body tag shows build date of September 13, 1968. So chronologically, my heads and carbs are from May, June and August although the engine was cast and built in early Sept and the car was all assembled in mid-Sept. Dates are all over the map, but the one interesting spread on mine is the short two-day spread between the block cast date and engine build date. The block must have still been warm. I do know that the engine assembly facility for big blocks was actually adjacent to the Tonowanda foundry, so it was typical to have an engine built right after its block was cast.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Saskatchewan, Canada
My 427 block was cast on Sept 4, 1968, engine build date was September 6, 1968, my heads are May 20, 1968 and June 18, 1968, my 3 carbs are dated June 1968 and August 1968, my distributor is June 18, 1968 and body tag shows build date of September 13, 1968. So chronologically, my heads and carbs are from May, June and August although the engine was cast and built in early Sept and the car was all assembled in mid-Sept. Dates are all over the map, but the one interesting spread on mine is the short two-day spread between the block cast date and engine build date. The block must have still been warm. I do know that the engine assembly facility for big blocks was actually adjacent to the Tonowanda foundry, so it was typical to have an engine built right after its block was cast.
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From: No longer in Heaven
I've seen some others that were also close together. In my case, I attribute it to the fact that September '68 was the first month of production for the '69 model year and they were really cranking them out that first month. Also, my engine had to get from Tonawanda to St. Louis in less than 7 days, based on the trim tag showing Sept 13 build date. My VIN is 1,505, so it was very early in the production cycle. Probably one of the first L71's made in the '69 model year, since there were only 2,722 made out of 38,762. Neat stuff...
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The two examples you've picked (alternator, starter) were not on the engine when it was shipped from the engine plant to St. Louis. Therefore they can be dated after the build date of the engine, but obviously before the car build date.
Team Owner
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....good catch. Didn't think about that. I'm not sure I've ever seen that, but it's entirely possible....I knew of a 1971 LS-5 car, original owner, perfect pad, broach marks, etc., where the car was an early LS-5 car VIN#33xx, Dec 7, 1970 build date, the 454 block was cast like April 8, '70 and the intake was like April 13, '70 and engine assembly date was near April 27, 1970, eight months old before the car was built.
Safety Car
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From: Indy Indiana
yes, i think there were 2 strikes in 69 and 70 where the assembly line was shut down and perhaps even Tonawanda for some or all of that. there was no just in time inventory system, and some failed engine assemblys came back for checkout and might sit for weeks before reconfiguring. there are exceptions to the general rules of part dating and stamping.
the question is, are the date spreads typical of cars built around that time, or is it a exception.
there are experts out there that guard this data and sell it piecemeal for big bucks as an 'authentication service'...
the question is, are the date spreads typical of cars built around that time, or is it a exception.
there are experts out there that guard this data and sell it piecemeal for big bucks as an 'authentication service'...
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1969 strike began about mid April and lasted through about mid-June affecting 1969 production.
1970 strike began about mid-September and ended just before Thanksgiving affecting 1971 model production.
My fiancee's original '71 has engine dates of early September before the strike. We estimate the car would have had a mid-September build date if things has progressed normally.
Trim tag shows 12/3/70 due to the strike.
1970 strike began about mid-September and ended just before Thanksgiving affecting 1971 model production.
My fiancee's original '71 has engine dates of early September before the strike. We estimate the car would have had a mid-September build date if things has progressed normally.
Trim tag shows 12/3/70 due to the strike.
