Original starter? Help needed with decode
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 651
Likes: 452
From: Napa, CA
Original starter? Help needed with decode
My 73 L48 4speed has a build date of J31 or May 31st and sequence # 28950. The first car built in June was #28893. So my car was the 57th car built that month. I don’t know what day The Memorial Day weekend started on in 73 or how many days the StLuis plant was shutdown, if any.
Now for the starter info and why I’m interested if it’s original to the car. I don’t know much history of the car and so I’ve been careful to observe as much as I can of what story the cars condition is telling me. It’s showing 111K on the meter and it appears to have not been abused or neglected but lightly used and maintained as needed. Consequently, many of the original parts are still with the car and operational. That’s nice from a numbers matching standpoint but from a dependability perspective, many components may be on their way south. The number on on the starter is 1108418 which I believe is right for a 350 4bbl 4sp engine. The date code is 3F17 which is 1973 (or 63) June 17th. Kinda late unless the plant took a week off while the Delco plant worked OT lol. If it’s not the original starter, what are the odds that a replacement would be that close to my cars assembly date? Maybe rework in St Luis? Maybe I’ve misinterpreted the date codes? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken
Now for the starter info and why I’m interested if it’s original to the car. I don’t know much history of the car and so I’ve been careful to observe as much as I can of what story the cars condition is telling me. It’s showing 111K on the meter and it appears to have not been abused or neglected but lightly used and maintained as needed. Consequently, many of the original parts are still with the car and operational. That’s nice from a numbers matching standpoint but from a dependability perspective, many components may be on their way south. The number on on the starter is 1108418 which I believe is right for a 350 4bbl 4sp engine. The date code is 3F17 which is 1973 (or 63) June 17th. Kinda late unless the plant took a week off while the Delco plant worked OT lol. If it’s not the original starter, what are the odds that a replacement would be that close to my cars assembly date? Maybe rework in St Luis? Maybe I’ve misinterpreted the date codes? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 5,236
Likes: 898
From: Myrtle Beach SC
The data:
And the Question
The starter is the correct number for a 1973 L48 four-speed. Yes, its dated after the build date. Unless you're the original owner, in all likelihood after 111k (miles), the starter was replaced. It would be atypical for the factory to ship a car with a starter assembly date that is after the Corvette assembly date...if that's the question that lingers. 
- My 73 L48 4speed has a build date of J31 or May 31st and sequence # 28950.
- It’s showing 111K on the meter and it appears to have not been abused or neglected but lightly used and maintained as needed.
- The starter is 1108418 which I believe is right for a 350 4bbl 4sp engine.
- The date code is 3F17 which is 1973 (or 63) June 17th.
Kinda late unless the plant took a week off while the Delco plant worked OT lol. If it’s not the original starter, what are the odds that a replacement would be that close to my cars assembly date? Maybe rework in St Louis? Maybe I’ve misinterpreted the date codes? Any help is appreciated.
Last edited by hunt4cleanair; Sep 16, 2020 at 01:02 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,326
Likes: 721
From: Marietta GA
My 73 SB with air conditioning has a alternator dated 1975, so I believe it was a service replacement during the cars second year of life. I found a refurbished correct model alternator that was built a month before my engine assembly date of October.
