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Real stamp or fake?

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Old Oct 21, 2015 | 11:42 AM
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Default Real stamp or fake?

69 L88 or is it?
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Old Oct 21, 2015 | 12:52 PM
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I believe the second set of numbers or vin derivative is short a number and a letter and seem a bit large. They also look curved like they were not done with a gang stamp. I don't mean parallel with the block as most weren't but none were curved. The pad also looks like it has swirl or cut marks but it might just be the reflection in the photo from the lines in the head just above.
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Old Oct 21, 2015 | 01:08 PM
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Before I paid $109K, I would need to have it verified.
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Old Oct 21, 2015 | 04:16 PM
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Zeroes usually vary when more than one appears. These two are the same - not impossible given they weren't assembling very many of these, but it caught my eye..

VIN derivative is missing two characters and is not the correct format.

I don't like the pad surface, but can't tell in the pic what's going on with the pad. I suspect the block may have been decked.

Last edited by Easy Mike; Oct 21, 2015 at 04:20 PM.
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Old Oct 21, 2015 | 05:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Easy Mike
Zeroes usually vary when more than one appears. These two are the same - not impossible given they weren't assembling very many of these, but it caught my eye..

VIN derivative is missing two characters and is not the correct format.

I don't like the pad surface, but can't tell in the pic what's going on with the pad. I suspect the block may have been decked.
The vin missing 2 characters kills the deal right there. I am in a discussion with the owner on ebay and I had already told him it was a fake. I can't believe he at least did not get the right induction system on it. I asked him to send me a pic of the J56 proportioning valve and that ended the conversation.

It also looks like someone sanded the pad with the head installed if you look real close. Fake, however I thought only 7 numbers were included on the vin stamp as this one has.

Last edited by crossram; Oct 21, 2015 at 05:36 PM.
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Old Oct 21, 2015 | 06:30 PM
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As I stated previously, it seems a letter and a number are missing from the vin portion. My 69 has 9 numbers in the vin section. 19S733479
The factory vin numbers are also about half the size of the engine identifier numbers and even with the two missing characters, look nothing like the ones on that pad. Hard to believe someone would go to all that trouble and not even stamp in the correct number of characters....
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Old Oct 22, 2015 | 12:42 AM
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Originally Posted by crossram
The vin missing 2 characters kills the deal right there. I am in a discussion with the owner on ebay and I had already told him it was a fake. I can't believe he at least did not get the right induction system on it. I asked him to send me a pic of the J56 proportioning valve and that ended the conversation.

It also looks like someone sanded the pad with the head installed if you look real close. Fake, however I thought only 7 numbers were included on the vin stamp as this one has.
The 68 L-88's used a different proportioning with the J-56 Brake option but the 69 used the standard one when equipped with J-56. And like most low production race cars nobody cared about getting it black and white for future restorers. So the proportioning Valve change may or may not of happened right at the 69 model change. The L-88's were probably made in batch's like the 63 Z06's were, so the switch happened at a "Batch"
I would believe a car to be a real L-88 if it had no serial number easier than if it has one. Think about it, You buy a car to race and you never rebuild the engine ? Most Racers would go threw the Engine before they ever went to the track.
If you can look in the tight spots between the Frame and the Body for a Fuel return line. No Holley equipped car had one. Look for an Antenna Wire, a Radio Delete car shouldn't have one. Its been documented that some Radio Delete cars had the Antenna hole bonded over and some not, so that doesn't do any good. Reproduction Radiators are easy to come by, but the Radiator support was special and most people don't know to change at least the part number on it.
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Old Oct 22, 2015 | 07:32 AM
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Of the one or 2 hundred L-88's manufactured, almost 300 are accounted for...!
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Old Oct 22, 2015 | 08:31 AM
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Originally Posted by crossram
It also looks like someone sanded the pad with the head installed if you look real close.
I picked up on that too.
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Old Oct 22, 2015 | 05:30 PM
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That is why a rare car with authentic documentation like a real tank sticker is worth tons more than a "matching number" car with no docs in my opinion.

Clearly this car is a big fake, no documentation, totally blown re stamp and no other features and owner is yet to even produce a block or head casting date to even get in the ballpark of having a good fake. He claims his photo bucket shows all that. It shows a casting number of a tri power intake and a water pump casting, Lol, A bad joke and I hope he does not trick someone with money but most in that range will have a pro look at it luckily.
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Old Oct 22, 2015 | 05:56 PM
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I though the L88 came with s single Holly.

L68 and L71 had the 3x2bbl Holley
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Old Oct 22, 2015 | 08:08 PM
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He states that it has the wrong Intake. If I were passing this Car off I would claim it was an L-89 and not a L-88. If so then it would have the correct Intake. I noticed the same thing, no pictures of any casting numbers that mean anything. However it sounds like everybody who has ever bought a car from him has doubled there money.
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Old Oct 23, 2015 | 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Gale Banks 80'
He states that it has the wrong Intake. If I were passing this Car off I would claim it was an L-89 and not a L-88. If so then it would have the correct Intake. I noticed the same thing, no pictures of any casting numbers that mean anything. However it sounds like everybody who has ever bought a car from him has doubled there money.
"sounds like" is the key since the info is coming from him.
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Old Oct 23, 2015 | 05:22 PM
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The pad looks very odd . I think it was decked , and restamped .....the vin is obviously poor and not correct missing digit. The would be a "S" after the 1.

Something like this you gotta have the paperwork .....the engine is way too suspect.

With no,paper work and bogus motor , its value is 1/4 that price.
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Old Oct 23, 2015 | 05:29 PM
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With fresh milling marks on the pad and extremely neat uniformed numbers would have my suspicions on alert.
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Old Oct 24, 2015 | 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by ddawson
...I though the L88 came with s single Holly...
An extremely large one.
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Old Oct 25, 2015 | 08:08 PM
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The car is a total fake. The nerve of the seller to claim it has the original motor. If it was the original motor and somehow was decked they should have at least put a correct looking vin stamp on it. I saw this car awhile ago. I logged the vin in my database should they try again with a better attemp at a fake stamp.

Everyone should email them letting them know we are all aware it's a BS car. And anytime they try to sell a car we will always bring up how they tried to pass off a fake car. Even if its an original L88 its not an original stamp. Guys like this need to be brought to everyone's attention.
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Old Oct 27, 2015 | 08:38 AM
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Originally Posted by ed427vette
The car is a total fake. The nerve of the seller to claim it has the original motor. If it was the original motor and somehow was decked they should have at least put a correct looking vin stamp on it. I saw this car awhile ago. I logged the vin in my database should they try again with a better attemp at a fake stamp.

Everyone should email them letting them know we are all aware it's a BS car. And anytime they try to sell a car we will always bring up how they tried to pass off a fake car. Even if its an original L88 its not an original stamp. Guys like this need to be brought to everyone's attention.
I have sent him about 6 emails with photos of original stamps for his edification but he claims not all stamps were correct even from the factory. He has it stuck in his head this is real because the guy he got it from said it was. I think it just hurts his credibility for future sales to leave it up. It may have been an original 435hp car but he has even ruined that chance with the fraudulent behavior. BTW, he never got me the pics of the dual pin calipers and J56 proportioning valve.
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Old Oct 27, 2015 | 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by crossram
I have sent him about 6 emails with photos of original stamps for his edification but he claims not all stamps were correct even from the factory. He has it stuck in his head this is real because the guy he got it from said it was. I think it just hurts his credibility for future sales to leave it up. It may have been an original 435hp car but he has even ruined that chance with the fraudulent behavior. BTW, he never got me the pics of the dual pin calipers and J56 proportioning valve.
There are fakes that are really, really good....and fakes that are not so good. This falls into the latter category. Don't waste your time with him
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