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Engine stamp 68 vette

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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 04:43 PM
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Default Engine stamp 68 vette

I'm looking at purchasing a 68 vette and it is advertised as numbers matching. I was sent photos of the engine, tranny. Now they all match up, however my concern is that the engine vin from what I have read is supposed to be a partial and this engine has the entire vin on it. Has anyone ever heard of this before?

Last edited by coloradoclick; Jul 3, 2016 at 01:23 AM.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 04:49 PM
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A picture of the engine stamp would be helpful.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 05:02 PM
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Hi cc,
Welcome!
First post! and asking about a 68! NICE
As s56 said a couple pictures will get you all the pad opinions you'll ever need!
Typically the serial number derivative is 9 digits.
You'll probably want to look for the same stamp on the transmission case too since that was also stamped.
Regards,
Alan
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 05:04 PM
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I'd prefer not to, a simple google search brings up the car off the vin and I've been wanting to buy this particular vette for quite some time now. Could I possibly private message you the photo?
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 05:07 PM
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Originally Posted by coloradoclick
I'd prefer not to, a simple google search brings up the car off the vin and I've been wanting to buy this particular vette for quite some time now. Could I possibly private message you the photo?
Sure, no problem.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 05:12 PM
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Thanks Alan and Sully, from what I can see on the Tranny case it appears to be the last digits of the vin on there, not the whole thing like the engine.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 05:20 PM
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I wonder if it's a restamped engine since as Alan said it should only be 9 digits.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 05:27 PM
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Yeah, that's why I'm hesitant. The only thing I could find online for verifying authenticity is tracking down whoever's vette was before and after on the assembly line and see if somebody got trigger happy with the stamper that day.
The other thing that strikes me as odd is that on this Vette the Vin is on the left and the short code on the right of the engine pad. Which from what I've seen online they typically did it opposite of that.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 05:52 PM
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Is it a small block or big block? From what I've read they are stamped differently.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 06:02 PM
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Originally Posted by sullyman56
Is it a small block or big block? From what I've read they are stamped differently.
It's a big block 427
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 06:07 PM
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Hi cc,
Here's one for you to compare.
Regards,
Alan

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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 06:29 PM
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Im glad to see all the numbers are not parallel. That was an additional concern I had, but I understand they were all done by hand.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 06:35 PM
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The engine VIN stamp should match the transmission stamp. They should be exactly the same.

Also, bad restamps will have an open top 4 as where the correct real font is a closed top 4. Also, the number 3 should be all curves, no straight line top. Those are just bad restamps. I'm sure some of the more professional stamps have that corrected.

Alan's picture is of a 69 big block, but the 68 should be configured the same except the vin will be starting 18S4xxxxx.

Good luck,
Ed
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 07:17 PM
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Based on everything Ed is saying it sounds like it is authentic.

Last edited by coloradoclick; Jul 1, 2016 at 07:18 PM.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 07:18 PM
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Originally Posted by coloradoclick
Im glad to see all the numbers are not parallel. That was an additional concern I had, but I understand they were all done by hand.
They were done by hand, but they were not stamped individually.


The numbers and letters were held in a device similar to this. Most commonly referred to as a gang stamp.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 07:22 PM
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Originally Posted by ed427vette
The engine VIN stamp should match the transmission stamp. They should be exactly the same.

Also, bad restamps will have an open top 4 as where the correct real font is a closed top 4. Also, the number 3 should be all curves, no straight line top. Those are just bad restamps. I'm sure some of the more professional stamps have that corrected.

Alan's picture is of a 69 big block, but the 68 should be configured the same except the vin will be starting 18S4xxxxx.

Good luck,
Ed
Ed are you positive about the 3's needing to be curved, because the earlier photo of the stamp that was provided showed straight line on top.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 07:27 PM
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I only ask, because the vin has the closed 4's but the three's look identical to the photo provided by Alan.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 07:34 PM
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I would be wary of it because it has the entire VIN.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 07:39 PM
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I would find it odd that a gang stamp that is routinely used with a partial VIN would have been loaded with the complete VIN. I would check with an NCRS judge as this is not what is considered normal production practice. I just checked my 68/69 NCRS T.I.M. and it references only a partial VIN stamp as being present with the engine stamp. It might still be legit but I would want further clarification or other examples that have been verified as legitimate. Sounds like a nice car though. Good luck.

Last edited by blue67ragtop; Jul 1, 2016 at 07:51 PM.
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Old Jul 1, 2016 | 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by coloradoclick
Ed are you positive about the 3's needing to be curved, because the earlier photo of the stamp that was provided showed straight line on top.
I am positive about the 3's but that ONLY applies to the VIN stamp, not the DATE stamp, which can have a straight line such as in Alan's photo. The date stamps have all kinds of fonts. They mixed and matched them all over the place.

Also, even if they have the correct fonts, they could still be restamps, its just easy to spot the really bad ones.

If it has a full VIN starting with 194378s4xxxxx (coupe vin, conv would have a 6 in place of 3) then its fake.
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