1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

[Jeffrey G.]

We're looking for photos of original - late 66' Corvette engine stamp pads to help verify if Flint employees used different "6" fonts in the engine assembly date code stamp. Or, was only one "6" font used.
We're also interested in the other numbers and letters, but the "6" (or upside down 9) is what started the discussion.
Thank you in advance for any help.

[Ray G.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Hello

Does this help?

[Jeffrey G.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Ray,
Thank you for responding, I appreciate the stamp pad picture. But, I'm actually hoping to hear from people with very late 66' pads with 6's in the suffix (second part of the stamp pad numbers).
The pad you sent is for a very early car, built on Sept 9th 1965 according to the Corvette Birthday Book and your engine was assembled on August 31st 1965, but no 6's in the suffix to help anwser my question.
Thank you again, I appreciate your response.
Jeff

[John H.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

We're looking for photos of original - late 66' Corvette engine stamp pads to help verify if Flint employees used different "6" fonts in the engine assembly date code stamp. Or, was only one "6" font used.
We're also interested in the other numbers and letters, but the "6" (or upside down 9) is what started the discussion.
Thank you in advance for any help.

There were numerous different font styles of "6" and "9" (and other numbers as well) in use at the same time at both Flint and Tonawanda, and nobody at either plant paid any attention to any of the font styles when they set up the rack full of gang holders each morning. All they had to do was to set up a gang holder for each suffix scheduled for production that day with the correct month and day.

You should take in one of Al Grenning's seminars on pad stamps - he only has 8,000 examples.

[Bob R.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Try looking at www.C2registry.org they have a page with engine stamppads from all the mid year cars. You might find what you are looking for there.

[Jeffrey G.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Hi John,
Thanks, I do plan to attend one of Al's seminars. I'm thinking, if I build a collection of late 66 stamp pads a pattern might develop regarding the font styles used.
Jeff

[Jeffrey G.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Bob,
Thanks for the tip. I began this project by reviewing pads on that site, but I'm not 100% sure all are original pads. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Ian S.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

My car is July 11th.

[Jean C.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

This is my personal idea of the fonts we see for numbers/letters stamped on pads and someone with more knowledge of the subject than I can chime in.

I would imagine that when GM ordered dies for stamping numbers/letters on blocks or whatever, the primary (and perhaps only?) requirement shown on the PO was the outside dimensions of the individual die, e.g., it had to fit the gang holder in which they would be used, and the height & width of the character. Font style would be whatever the particular vendor used and it would be my (uneducated) guess that there were only a handful of fonts in use by all die vendors. Assume that perhaps only two of the several fonts in use in the day met the spec, i.e., font height/width that GM included in the PO, therefore we generally see only two types of fives, two types of eights, etc. Thus you can see different fonts used for the same character on a pad. Any GM Purchasing or tool and die company hands out there?

Best regards,

[Jeffrey G.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Ian,
Perfect, this is just what I'm looking for. I call that font a straight back 6, it's a different font from the 6's used in the first group, which I call a curly back 6. Of course the first group is also slightly smaller.
Thank you, Jeff

[Jeffrey G.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Charlie,
Thank you for responding. I'm looking to see if thre's a pattern in the use of specific fonts. The "6" font was the first I noticed that may have different fonts, but other numerals might be different too. For example, the employee stamping may have a box of stamps, but each month he sets the month character, so was the same font is used all month?
Thank you again, Jeff

[Jean C.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

I would venture a SWAG that it is not 100% certain that characters used during a month were all the same font. When a new die was required for whatever reason, i.e., chipped, broken, worn out, IMHO the replacement die could be different.
Best regards

[Michael W.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Charlie,
Thank you for responding. I'm looking to see if thre's a pattern in the use of specific fonts. The "6" font was the first I noticed that may have different fonts, but other numerals might be different too. For example, the employee stamping may have a box of stamps, but each month he sets the month character, so was the same font is used all month?
Thank you again, Jeff

Jeff,

Al Grenning has already done the majority of research you are about to undertake. I suggest you contact him to compare notes.

[Jeffrey G.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Mike,
Thanks for responding, I agree others have done this before. But I feel that I need to do it myself so when I judge a car I'll have done my homework. Perhaps someday someone will write a stamp pads book, in the menatime I'll plan to attend one of Al's seminars. Thank you again, Jeff

[John H.]

Re: 1966 327 engine stamp pad "6" font

Mike,
Thanks for responding, I agree others have done this before. But I feel that I need to do it myself so when I judge a car I'll have done my homework. Perhaps someday someone will write a stamp pads book, in the menatime I'll plan to attend one of Al's seminars. Thank you again, Jeff

Al is putting on a seminar next weekend (Saturday, November 7th) at Pro Team in Napoleon, Ohio.