Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
Howdy, I am new to the sight, and want to try and get an honest opinion on a motor I have. I was on the orphan site, and was given a heads up to try and post here for more/better information. I was shown that the car may be alive. I now am interested in the stamping and originality of the motor. I have considered contacting the owner to see how interested he is in it, if at all. The cost of getting this motor verified may be more than I can afford to spend at this point. I have been told that Mr. Al Grenning is very good, and can be expensive. Are there other ways to go about this? Here are the photos of the motor that has been restamped. I am interested to find out if it was a factory restamp? I am not trying to pass of a fake, or discredit any one. I do think this is a L 71/ -L/89 motor, and would like to find out if the stamping/ Vin are infact correct or if they have been messed with.Thanks.
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
That VIN is very close to the one on my 68 L36 car. Am out of town for the weekend but when I get home I'll check the casting date vs. VIN stamp date on mine. By no means a definitive answer but may help a bit. Any way to get a pic with both stamps(engine info and VIN derivative) together? -
Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
Is that vin 4538? Only a bit over 300 from mine.......Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
Well, either you have a block with a non-factory stamp, THE CAR that sold at Barrett-Jackson in 2010 is a fake, or someone pulled the block out after the auction.
From the auction: 194678S404548
EdFor sale at auction: Lot #368.1 - Optioned with the rare L89 aluminum head 427cid/435hp engine. Engine, 4-speed Muncie transmission and 3.70 posi-traction rear end are all matching numbers to the car. Recently painted in show quality Rally Red from the original green. Interior was refurbished in the original black and the top was also replaced. Rolls on its original Rally rims with redline tires. AZ car with no frame rust ever. All body panels are original to this car, no major body damage ever. Only 624 L89 cars were built in 1968 and even less were convertibles.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
I know of the history of the motor for only the 8 years I have owned it. The gentleman I got it from told me he had raced it in the late 60s and early 70s. I have no reason to not believe him. I cant prove any thing, but would love to find out. If it is a restamp, so be it. I am interested in finding out. Any help would be great. If I can supply any additional info to assist, let me know. thanks.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
Ed,
The auction info says "numbers matching." It says nothing about the engine being original to the car. The engine block and car could easily have parted ways in the past 45 years, and during restoration it received a new "numbers matching" motor. Alternately, someone may have thought that the block shown in this thread was a poor restamp and decided to make their own replacement.
John, I'd at least contact Al Grenning and see if he can give you some thoughts. I would not be surprised if he says it is a factory grind out and restamp, and I hope you let us know.Vice-Chairman (West), Michigan Chapter NCRS
71 "deer modified" coupe
72 5-Star Bowtie / Duntov coupe. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124695...57649252735124
2008 coupe
Available stickers: Engine suffix code, exhaust tips & mufflers, shocks, AIR diverter valve broadcast code.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
FWIW, my late 68 L71 has a VIN grind out that looks like that, right down to the remains of the previous VIN. Several folks have looked at it and said it looks like what the factory would have done, but as always, there is no way to know for sure.
I wonder about the "U" in the assembly stamp being out of line?
Rich1966 L79 Convertible. Milano Maroon
1968 L71 Coupe. Rally Red (Sold 6/21)
1963 Corvair Monza ConvertibleComment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
FWIW, my 68 L36 car (VIN 9106) with engine assembly date of Jan 5 68 has a casting date of J167 (Oct 16 1967).Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
Thanks for the replies, I too wonder about the droopy U. I hope I can figure this out. I am still trying to get in touch with Mr. Grenning for some help in the stamping questions. No luck yet, any suggestions. I guess there is a NCRS event in Cali, at Lake Tahoe this next weekend. Would there be any one there that could help? I could run the motor up there. Thanks again.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
John,
I'll repeat my thoughts from the other discussion.
It's almost certain that the only person truly interested in buying this engine is the owner of the car it belongs to. It is also most likely that this person will want to do their own research to determine if it's the real deal, meaning that your own time and trouble will have been wasted. It's also possible that this person might not be interested at all, being that the car is already 'matching numbers'.
I'd concentrate now on contacting the owner to see if he's interested and then cooperate on a plan to authenticate the engine.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
John --- The Tonawanda engine stamp appears completely authentic, and I would be amazed if Al Grenning did not agree. I have an example of another IU coded block with the U applied outside the gang stamp, and all the other characters in your stamping are correct. The VIN characters are also of the correct style. The only mystery about the block is the overstamping of the vin. I can't tell from the photo what the first vin stamp was. If it is one number lower, it could indicate that the vin stamp had not been changed from the previous car, and then it was restamped to correct the mistake. If both vins are the same, maybe it was redone to correct a poor first strike. If the first vin is completely different from the second vin, it would suggest that someone tried to make a legit L89 engine look like it was original to this car.
Someone commented that the car in question was a fake L89. Maybe your engine is proof that the car is really not a fake. You know that this engine was out of the car at least 8 years, so when the car was sold in 2010 it must have had another engine in it that caused people to regard it as a fake. The engine would have particular value only to the owner of that car. The best course of action would be let that person know about your engine. I think he would be very interested since the provenance of his car is in question. Let him pay Al Grenning to "authenticate" it. He would be a lot more satisfied with the outcome if he had some control over the process. You could be his hero, if you are not trying to hold him up with a ridiculous price for the block.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
John
to answer your question above re. the Lake Tahoe chapter meet next weekend, I will be there and I do not recommend you go there with this engine block just to have someone in the club "verify" it for you. That would not happen. No one at the meet would have as much reference knowledge as Mr. Grenning has regarding C2/C3 engine case stampings, nor for that matter as much as Mr. Boyd who answered you above. Short of AG confirmation of the date, suffix stamp, you have the next best confirmation now per the info in post above mine. Suggest you follow the advice given and see where it leads you,
good luckComment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
Thanks for your replies. I have contacted Barret Jackson and gave them my info to pass on to the owner. I hope to hear from the owner to try and get to the bottom of this. I drove through Tahoe coming back from Idaho this weekend having seen family, and saw alot of very nice corvettes on the road. I am interested in the comment about " a ridiculous price" for the block. I know it is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. Can you give me an idea what a fair price is for a motor like this. I am thinking it is worth more to him, but is still a motor that could be restamped for a 68, and may be what the owner of the car in question did with another motor. The motor is a standard bore, with no heli coils, and a local machine shop said it is in very good condition, other than the spun bearring. I have a second 6223 crank given to me by the owner, and have the pistons, rods, ect. The rectangular port heads are from a 70 model, and I don't have the 3/2s set up or intake it would have had. I would be interested with a ball park of the block, and what the heads, intake, single 4bbl holley would be worth. Should I ask these questions on another area? What is fair, and what is a "Hold Up?" Thanks for your time, everyone has been very helpful.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
I have a similar 321 complete short block dated H-18-7. I offered it to one of the TDB members who stated the need for such a block in his signature block for $3000. He did not see fit to even answer my PM. Clearly he did not think it was worth $3000, but I still believe this is a fair price for an excellent 321 block with crank, rods, oil pan, timing cover, damper, ect. As far as 70 dated SHP heads, they have no Corvette application. They would be useful for 396/375 Camaros and Chevelles and LS-6 Chevelles. Maybe chat rooms devoted to those cars could give you an idea of their value.Comment
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Re: Want to put 68 321 block on NCRS to find car it was in.
Hi, My name is John Costa and you had responded to my post on the NCRS in August of 2015. I wanted to thank you for your help in finding the possible car this motor may have come in. I have a late 67 427 motor that I am still trying to get info on. I contacted Barrett Jackson, twice with no response from the owner of the car. I am going to try again today, and see what happens. I also contacted Mr. Al Grenning and after some back and forth, we were not able to do any real ID. with just macro pics. He was very helpful and honest about the process. I am going to try and give the owner of the car another shot at purchasing the motor before putting it on the market. Any suggestions on the sale. Part out, or sale all together? The heads are for a Chevelle it sounds like, so may not be helpful in the sale. Would be nice to have the Aluminum heads...thanks for your time. JohnComment
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