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Engine stamp pad question for the eagle eyes that enjoy this sort of stuff
Owner thinks this is the original engine, 1968 300hp, 327, see photos.
Looks like an obvious restamp, question is did St Louis do it, likely no way to ever tell. No other documentation, and the rest of the block looks original:
415000, last 68 made in March 68
V0319HE Flint, March 19th, HE is the base engine
block 3914678 casting date C138, March 13th 1968
the rest of the 68 looks to be very original, except no AIR system of course, LOL's!
There are a couple of faint zero's at 2 o'clock above the end of the 415000 stamp. And the restamp looks straight like it was done with a gang stamp tool?
Who knows? IMHO, originality for a 68 base engine may not be worth a big premium? Reactions? All speculation is welcome!
...IMHO, originality for a 68 base engine may not be worth a big premium...
Wouldn't that depend on the owner of the 68, or the potential buyer, and what the premium means to them? I have the orginal engine in my 68. I put a premeium on it.
Wouldn't that depend on the owner of the 68, or the potential buyer, and what the premium means to them? I have the orginal engine in my 68. I put a premeium on it.
Yep, lots of variables no doubt so I agree with you. I like originality myself, I know others who do not care, others who would rather have and would pay more for a NOM 427, and others would want the original motors.
Hi,
It looks to me like the pad was worked on with the head off the cylinder case.
Some of the circular grooves appear to disappear under the head.
Regards,
Alan
Hi,
It looks to me like the pad was worked on with the head off the cylinder case.
Some of the circular grooves appear to disappear under the head.
Regards,
Alan
I don't know how you could grind that pad with lines traveling perpendicular to the head, abutting the head, possibly going under it unless the grind out was done with head off. I would expect grind marks going parallel to the head... What's the common orientation of grind marks for a factory grind out?
Hi BB,
That was my question too!
This pad would appear to mean the engine was headed to, or was installed in, a particular car, and then something catastrophic enough happened that the engine was disassembled, the pad ground off, and then re-assembled with a new VIN stamping.
Perhaps I don't know enough about the assembly sequence to understand what this pad's appearance is the result of.
Regards,
Alan
I don't know how you could grind that pad with lines traveling perpendicular to the head, abutting the head, possibly going under it unless the grind out was done with head off. I would expect grind marks going parallel to the head... What's the common orientation of grind marks for a factory grind out?
Heavy repair at Flint or Tonawanda was done with the head off, if required. Sometimes engines went bang before they got shipped to St. Louis.
Hi Mike,
But at Tonawanda or Flint that part of the pad wouldn't have been ground because there WAS no VIN yet. The area of the pad where the engine date and broadcast info is stamped hasn't been ground.
Are you saying engines went back to T or F from St.Louis?
Regards,
Alan
Hi Mike,
But at Tonawanda or Flint that part of the pad wouldn't have been ground because there WAS no VIN yet. The pad where the engine stamp is hasn't been ground.
Are you saying engines went back to T or F from St.Louis?
Regards,
Alan
OOops- you're right. Heavy repair engines did go back to T or F as required. Not quite sure of a scenario that might explain this engine.
Possibly dropped a valve after installation, pulled the head, ground off the VIN, installed a new head (?)
Maybe the OP could provide a better picture of the apparent grind out.
Wife wanted it anyway original stamp pad or "re stamped" stamp pad, did not matter to her! So we bought it anyway.
She told me if I did not like the stamp pad, I could put a 427 in it. So, having a soft spot for 68's and an approval for 427 in the future, it was hard to say no......
Original ad photo below that sold my wife on it. The rest of it is mostly all original.
Thanks for all of the feedback and reactions!
Last edited by 20mercury; Nov 8, 2014 at 12:52 AM.
Engine stamp pad question
I don't know how you could grind that pad with lines traveling perpendicular to the head, abutting the head, possibly going under it unless the grind out was done with head off. I would expect grind marks going parallel to the head... What's the common orientation of grind marks for a factory grind out?
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