I've got a "known original engine" 67 L71 with a C0309 assembly date on the block and an H14 build date on the tag. I've never seen one this tight before and were it not for my absolute certainty of the originality of the engine, would question it myself. I can't remember off the top of my head the casting date on the block, but I think it's only a couple weeks or a little more before the block's assembly date. Any explanations???? (I can post the block casting date tomorrow if anybody's interested.)
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Re: Closest assy. date/build date known on 67 435?
I don't see that spread as being unreasonable at all - the engine was built on a Thursday, and the body started down the Trim Line the following Wednesday; the engine was in transit over the weekend, and probably hit the receiving dock on Monday. The engine plant stamp code should start with a "T", not a "C". -
Re: Closest assy. date/build date known on 67 435?
Also, having a block casting 2 weeks before engine assembly is totally fine. They can be far tighter than that....CraigComment
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Re: Closest assy. date/build date known on 67 435?
Thanks for the replies guys. I posted the engine assy. date and body build date from memory. Part of my old memory involves SBD (sudden brain death) at times and I posted the T as a C. Seems like if I was gonna screw it up like that I'd at least have made it an F or something. Anyhow, I meant to go and get the casting date today and it slipped my mind after several hours of tussling with a new wiring harness. Anyway, I'll get it and add it to the thread in a day or two. Thanks again for the replies.Comment
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Re: Closest assy. date/build date known on 67 435?
They were cranking em out back then. For example, my '66 BB casing was cast on the Feb. 17th of '66, and assembled on the 23rd. The car was out the door on March 4. Figure the block was still warm when they torqued the heads on.Comment
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Re: Closest assy. date/build date known on 67 435?
Dan - my 67, with stamp pad verified original by Al Grenning and in his library with adjacent cars, was assembled on 2/24/67....and the block casting is 2/23/67 early in the morning. I was worried at first, but Al confirmed it was a correct original stamping due to character variations that were the same on adjacent cars on the same day. I figure if yours was warm, this one was hot to the touch!....CraigComment
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Re: Closest assy. date/build date known on 67 435?
Tonawanda's foundry was on-site, adjacent to the engine plant; Flint's castings came from Saginaw, about an hour away by dedicated 24/7 GM truck fleet. Both plants built 5,000 engines per day (3 shifts machining, 2 shifts assembly). Castings didn't sit around very long at either location, except for low-volume "batch" engines that used unique castings.Comment
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Re: Closest assy. date/build date known on 67 435?
Thx John for the interesting info!...CraigComment
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