I've got a '70 LS5 M21 convertible that I've owned for probably 25 years. At the time I bought it, the seller who was not a Corvette expert represented it as having THE original engine, which I did not believe at the time that it was. Sooooooo, in the way I typically did things in the late 80's/early 90's I found a 512 block that was dated dead right for the car and stamped and stuck it in. The 512 block that was in the car at time of purchase had the pad ground across in a way that would have been typical with a disc sander with the head still installed, but the stamping looked very correct to me at the time. The block was also early for the car by about 6 months or more if I remember. So a year or so later I was talking with a noted Corvette authority at an NCRS meet (I won't name him since I don't recall exactly the specifics of the conversation, but suffice it to say he's written a book or 2 or Corvette restoration
). Anyway, in the course of the conversation he said something along the lines of, if there was an issue with an engine, they wouldn't shut the line down to fix it, they'd simply pull another engine and stamp it for the car and away it'd go. He said it was possible that something like this happened and the engine was later fixed if it was minor and stamped for another vehicle. Again, I don't remember much except the gist of the conversation, and it seems odd that if something like this happened they would take the time to also stamp an assembly code on the refinished pad along with the VIN number sequence. The reason this comes up now is that someone has called me and is interested in buying the car. It is presently complete and detailed as it should be with the replacement engine, which I have disclosed to him fully. I've also offered him the engine that was in the car and represented as original at the time I bought it with description on the early dates, the incorrect grinding on pad, etc, etc. To further complicate it, owner 1 & 2 were local here, and 3 & 4 were in Savannah, 160 miles away. 1 was just a kid with a toy and not a collector, 2 was a long time NCRS member and 3 was NCRS member also, although probably not nearly to the caliber that 2 is. Everyone in this chain feels the car had the orginal engine when it passed through their hands and 3 made notes on all the date codes and stampings, which match the engine I pulled. 4 was just a used car dealer who bought it for his wife and wasn't Corvette knowledgeable at all. As far as I'm concerned it's a documented and undamaged LS5 factory air 4 speed convertible with a replacement engine which I installed.
I'd like opinions on the possibility of an engine pad being ground and re stamped at the factory for whatever reason. I've always been a little skeptical, but the ownership chain seems to suggest it as a possibility also.
). Anyway, in the course of the conversation he said something along the lines of, if there was an issue with an engine, they wouldn't shut the line down to fix it, they'd simply pull another engine and stamp it for the car and away it'd go. He said it was possible that something like this happened and the engine was later fixed if it was minor and stamped for another vehicle. Again, I don't remember much except the gist of the conversation, and it seems odd that if something like this happened they would take the time to also stamp an assembly code on the refinished pad along with the VIN number sequence. The reason this comes up now is that someone has called me and is interested in buying the car. It is presently complete and detailed as it should be with the replacement engine, which I have disclosed to him fully. I've also offered him the engine that was in the car and represented as original at the time I bought it with description on the early dates, the incorrect grinding on pad, etc, etc. To further complicate it, owner 1 & 2 were local here, and 3 & 4 were in Savannah, 160 miles away. 1 was just a kid with a toy and not a collector, 2 was a long time NCRS member and 3 was NCRS member also, although probably not nearly to the caliber that 2 is. Everyone in this chain feels the car had the orginal engine when it passed through their hands and 3 made notes on all the date codes and stampings, which match the engine I pulled. 4 was just a used car dealer who bought it for his wife and wasn't Corvette knowledgeable at all. As far as I'm concerned it's a documented and undamaged LS5 factory air 4 speed convertible with a replacement engine which I installed. I'd like opinions on the possibility of an engine pad being ground and re stamped at the factory for whatever reason. I've always been a little skeptical, but the ownership chain seems to suggest it as a possibility also.
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