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Hope you don’t mind a newcomer here from the UK…I’ve been wanting to buy an early C3 for a while now and I have found a 1971 that on the surface appears to tick all the boxes. However whilst I’ve been told it’s a matching numbers car I believe there is something very fishy about the serial # stamp on the engine block. It looks tampered with to me…
I’ve attached photos here and I was just looking for a second opinion..as I can’t understand why there would be scratches like this unless the number had been filed off and replaced. It’s a shame as otherwise the car looks absolutely amazing…
My guess is somebody was trying to scrap the paint off the pad to better see the stampings. Common error and damages the stamp.
I get acetone on a rag and wipe the engine stamp pad until you get a clean surface. Then a wipe with grease.
Those pads get caked with old oil and grease, paint, you name it. 45 years ago someone just scraped it away. Didn't give 2 ***** about putting a few scratches in the cast iron block of a 8 year old car.
And now, all of the sudden. Your paranoid about a few scratches on a engine block that's over 50 years old.
Sometimes those pads get painted, and then cleaned with a Scotchbrite pad. CJL is the base 4-speed. No real reason to fraud that engine, but you could ask for the casting dates, and VIN on the 4-speed for some more data.
A matching numbers engine is a huge albatross that will one day haunt your garage. If it ticks all the boxes, buy it, drive it, and enjoy it!
My thought is that not many people would go to the trouble and expense on a Small Block Engine. That being said if you look at the castings numbers on the heads, numbers on the carburetor, alternator, distributor, and starter, then you should have a good idea if the engine is original to the car. Usually the carb and intake manifold are changed first, then as other parts break, they will be replaced. If the engine stamp seems to be the only QUESTIONABLE item, then you should be ok. Good Luck.
Old paint filling in the original numbers. No big deal. If you want to get rid of that paint, put a gel type paint stripper on JUST THE PAD AREA. Let it sit and do its job; wipe it off; repeat if necessary. Once cleared of all paint, rinse it well to remove all stripper residue. Then you can re-paint with engine color (if your block came painted), clear coat the pad, or put some kind of rust inhibitor on it. Whatever you want.
But the stamped numbers look fine.
Went to the c3 registry (optional site if you want to list your car) to see if your vin S117236 was listed. It was not , interestly
however Vin S107236 was.
Your vin stamp is consistent with other 1971 stamps. The C11S1 is never in perfect alignment, and your misalignment is consistent with what to expect. Nobody properly duplicates that. Yours definitely is original!
C3 Tampered Engine Serial No?
