Engine and Heads date question

[Mark P.]

Here are some dates from a 1965 327 that I have some questions on:

3782870 Block - cast 1/28/65 (A285, Thursday) and assembled 2/2/65 (F0202HF, Tuesday)

3782461 Head - cast 2/1/65 (B15, Monday)

3782461 Head - cast 1/30/65 (A305, Saturday)

Here are my questions:
1. were heads cast in Saginaw in 1965 like the blocks ?
2. are Saturday casting dates very common ?
3. has anyone seen 1 day lags between head casting and engine assembly during the 60's at GM ?
4. if the engine was assembled in Flint on Tuesday 2/2/65 and driven to St. Louis, could it have been installed in a car with an approximate build date (SLAD) of 2/4/65 (Thursday) ? According to the birthday calculator the car was the 72nd car built that day out of 109.

I know most cars were probably built a couple weeks after the engines were assembled but if the engine was loaded in the back of the truck and then got unloaded first and installed in a car then could it be possible ?

Thanks,

Mark

[William C.]

Re: Engine and Heads date question

Not at all unlikely for the sequence of events as described, Heads were a Saginaw foundry staple as were the blocks, trucked multiple times daily to the Flint engine plant (about 35-45 miles as I remember) and used via a "last in first out" inventory process.

[Mark P.]

Re: Engine and Heads date question

Bill - thanks for confirming this.

Nice job on the distributor you rebuilt for my 1960.

Mark

[John S.]

Re: Engine and Heads date question

Mark,
I too have the same situation with my 67 300 hp car. Car has original block/stamping and I believe from talking with previous owners the original heads. Cast date on block is L126 (Dec. 12 1966) and stamp date is 1216 (Dec. 16 1966) Heads on both sides were cast Dec 15th 1966. Obviously they were churning them out pretty quick. The last in, first out seems right. Car was assembled 1st work day of the 1967 year (vin 7152). The thing I do not know is whether that was the 2nd or 3rd of Jan. as the 1st was on a Sunday. Maybe someone out there knows if they took the Mondays off after a holiday?

John Seeley
67 black/teal coupe
2009 Tahoe Top Flight

[John H.]

Re: Engine and Heads date question

4. if the engine was assembled in Flint on Tuesday 2/2/65 and driven to St. Louis, could it have been installed in a car with an approximate build date (SLAD) of 2/4/65 (Thursday) ? According to the birthday calculator the car was the 72nd car built that day out of 109.

I know most cars were probably built a couple weeks after the engines were assembled but if the engine was loaded in the back of the truck and then got unloaded first and installed in a car then could it be possible ?

Thanks,

Mark

Mark -

Yes, it's possible, but not necessarily typical. Engines were normally shipped by rail, and took 3-4 days dock-to-dock due to marshalling, yard-switching and diverting to the track than ran inside the plant, etc., but when inventory got tight enough that it could shut the line down, they could be expedited by overnight truck. Saturday casting dates are very common, and Flint V-8 worked most Saturdays as well.

John -

There were VERY few plant holidays in the 60's (not like today), but when a major holiday fell on a Sunday, the troops got Monday off.

[Karl L.]

Re: Engine and Heads date question

I just bought a "55" Chevy 265cu V-8.
It was apart.. Heads...Block.
The Guy I bought it from said that he dissembled it. F55F on the stamp
Anyway..... Cast Dates:
Block....H95...Aug. 9th 1955
Head....H45...Aug. 4th 1955
Head....H315..Aug. 31st 1955

I don't think I mis-read the last head. Usually heads are with-in a couple weeks apart.

Karl

[Jack H.]

Re: Engine and Heads date question

"Usually heads are with-in a couple weeks apart."

What's 'usual' and what actually happened can often be two different animals! That's why NCRS has a '6-month' rule on most dated parts...to compensate for the variance.

[Karl L.]

Re: Engine and Heads date question

Thanks Jack.
Karl.