1969 Master Cylinder julian date

[Greg L.]

Should this julian date be right side up or upside down as viewed when it's installed on the firewall? The pic is of what I believe to be the original one from my 69 and it is clearly upside down(only three characters too[353]).

I just placed an order to Corvette Stainless Steel Brakes in Miami for their new repop one and was told that the date should be right side up until about 76 or so and then they started stamping them upside down. I'm a little confused here now...

Does the master cylinder in my pic look correct for a 69 and if so was it stamped incorrectly or should it in fact be upside down as in the pic? I asked him to hold off on stamping it until I post the question here because I want to get it right.

Thanks.

[Kent K.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Greg,
1969 master cylinder julian dates are not judged.

[Greg L.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Hmmm didn't know that. Just curious as to why not seeing as other date codes in the engine compartment are judged?

At any rate I still want it correct so I want to have it stamped as it would have been in 69.

[Terry M.]

[Joe L.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Should this julian date be right side up or upside down as viewed when it's installed on the firewall? The pic is of what I believe to be the original one from my 69 and it is clearly upside down(only three characters too[353]).

I just placed an order to Corvette Stainless Steel Brakes in Miami for their new repop one and was told that the date should be right side up until about 76 or so and then they started stamping them upside down. I'm a little confused here now...

Does the master cylinder in my pic look correct for a 69 and if so was it stamped incorrectly or should it in fact be upside down as in the pic? I asked him to hold off on stamping it until I post the question here because I want to get it right.


Thanks.

Greg-----


The date code on my original 1969 master cylinder is right side up. I can't see any date code, at all, on the machined boss in your photo.

[Greg L.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Joe, I sent you an e-mail with the original pic so it should be easier to read.

So really there is no rhyme or reason as to which way the date code should be? I bought the 5 CD NCRS pack and I thought that I saw in one of them that the master cylinders were all stamped numbers right side up when the master cylinders were set on the flat cover surface thus making julian dates upside down when installed on the car.

Could it be that earlier cars like 68 and early 69s were stamped this way or is my upside down stamping of 353 on my Jan31/69 car an anomaly?

[Dick W.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Could it be that earlier cars like 68 and early 69s were stamped this way or is my upside down stamping of 353 on my Jan31/69 car an anomaly?

It is sort of a moot issue. They are not judged and if they were as long as a date is there it would not matter if it was upside down, right side up, backwards, reverse......

[Joe L.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Joe, I sent you an e-mail with the original pic so it should be easier to read.

So really there is no rhyme or reason as to which way the date code should be? I bought the 5 CD NCRS pack and I thought that I saw in one of them that the master cylinders were all stamped numbers right side up when the master cylinders were set on the flat cover surface thus making julian dates upside down when installed on the car.

Could it be that earlier cars like 68 and early 69s were stamped this way or is my upside down stamping of 353 on my Jan31/69 car an anomaly?

Greg----


Yes, I looked at the photo you sent. I can just barely make out the stamping. Just what it means or signifies, I do not know. If the 353 represents a julian date code, which it likely does, then it works real well for a January-built 1969. As I mentioned previously, Delco Moraine did make a "habit" of using 3 digit julian date codes with no reference to year for castings. So, this same "policy" may have carried over to stamped dates, too. I have not previously seen a 3 digit stamping but there may have been thousands done that way.

[Patrick H.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

My 72 is upside down:

[Greg L.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

I realize that as far as judging goes that it probably won't matter how it is stamped but like I said, regardless, I still want to make it as close to how it was in 69...

At least now I know that my upside down date isn't necessarily wrong...or right...but it's what I'll go with.

[Brad M.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Were the date codes always stamped in the machined boss area? I have never looked in that area on my 71, but I had found the numbers 145 on the non-machined area on the side facing toward the fender.

[Terry M.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Cast numbers may be a date or a mold number or ?????

The stamped numbers in the machined area -- either by the pipe port as shown or sometimes on the flat machined surface at the front of the MC where the broadcast code is also stamped are usually the manufacture date. Sometimes the broadcast code is included in the small stamped font just like the date -- especially on 1972 master cylinders. I doubt one could read the small font if it were stamped on the as-cast surface.

[Kenneth B.]

Re: 1969 Master Cylinder julian date

Should this julian date be right side up or upside down as viewed when it's installed on the firewall? The pic is of what I believe to be the original one from my 69 and it is clearly upside down(only three characters too[353]).

I just placed an order to Corvette Stainless Steel Brakes in Miami for their new repop one and was told that the date should be right side up until about 76 or so and then they started stamping them upside down. I'm a little confused here now...

Does the master cylinder in my pic look correct for a 69 and if so was it stamped incorrectly or should it in fact be upside down as in the pic? I asked him to hold off on stamping it until I post the question here because I want to get it right.

Thanks.

I looks to me that that is a cast in # & logo. I built patterns for Midwest Fdy. in Coldwater MI. in the 60 & 70'S for Delco Moraine. We built 6 patterns on a matchplate. Each were # 1-6 and so on with the fdy logo. 3 were turned left & 3 the other way. Patternmaker would stamp them all from the same side so 3 would be up & 3 down.
KEN