Block Casting Date vs Stamp Date

[Greg T.]

I had I guy call to ask about a 67 he was looking at. Can block casting, 3892657, date and the stamped engine code date, V0216HE, both be the same, Feb 16th? Is that possible or is it a warning flag?

[James G.]

Re: Block Casting Date vs Stamp Date

I use to own 67 vin#12906, a two owner 300hp air conditioned coupe with 43000 miles. That engine also had the same date casting and assembly, which was Feb 10 as I remember.

They made 2799 in Feb and 3052 in March, so production was 'full on' There also was a A.O.Smith body strike in January, so St. Louis was working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day.

[Joe R.]

Re: Block Casting Date vs Stamp Date

I had I guy call to ask about a 67 he was looking at. Can block casting, 3892657, date and the stamped engine code date, V0216HE, both be the same, Feb 16th? Is that possible or is it a warning flag?

My 67 300 HP was cast and assembled on March 17. At first this seemed impossible, but it turns out that blocks were cast on two shifts at Saginaw. A fleet of trucks made the 45 minute trip between the Saginaw casting facility and the Flint engine facility.

With no formal first-in-first-out inventory system at Flint, sometimes the most recent arrivals were fed into the engine assembly line. Experienced judges know that same-day casting assembly, while rare, did happen. My car has Top Flighted at the national level with no issues about the casting and assembly dates.

BTW, the detailed markings on the block can be evaluated to see precisely when the block was cast. It turns out that my block was cast during the first hour of the first shift on March 17. This maximizes the potential window for having the engine assembled the same day.

[James G.]

Re: Block Casting Date vs Stamp Date

I forgot Greg and Joe,

12906 Top Flighted 3 times when I owned it including the 1986 National Convention in Sparks, Nevada