C1 1957 Engine Stamp pad - Two different 2's

[Richard M.]

Re: C1 1957 Engine Stamp pad - Two different 2's

Todd, Looks similar to John's....the H and L seem deeper than the rest of the characters. IMO John's looks like a light hit on the left and a very hard hit on the right. Then the L got hit just as hard later.

Here is the photo from my original post up top with the broken link. I was questioning the misalignment of the last letter and the 2 different 2's. Then I was told it was hit separately and different fonts were common. It is a base engine in a very original '57 with Powerglide. This example shows a hard deep hit on the H, probably the norm but who can prove it always happened this way or not.



Another...a fuelie. this one was in a junk yard for a while then sat in a garage for 45 years so the pad is a bit scruffy. The L is pretty close to being in line with the E.


Who knows how many L's of H's or whatever got aligned versus misaligned, and how deep each and every one was.

Rich

[Dan P.]

Re: C1 1957 Engine Stamp pad - Two different 2's

There is a myth that the factory had a 5 gang holder and hand stamped the 6th and 7th digit . How long would it take a tool maker to make a 7 digit holder. If you look at the passenger cars blocks which came down the same line . They are ALL lined up . Even the ones assembled in 56 which have 7 characters.I doubt 6 and 7 characters were ALL hand stamped . It would be to slow a process.There are thousands of passenger cars with 6 and 7 characters.The logical explanation would be on SOME Corvettes NOT ALL they would take a passenger stick 4barrel block which was a E and then stamp the last character. I guess when they assembling if they were short a Corvette block that's what they did.They certainly did not hold the line up and wait for one to be stamped.

[John S.]

Re: C1 1957 Engine Stamp pad - Two different 2's

This one is from 57 vin #4280 . 2nd owner also from 1959 until 2015.

broach lines above E are not in line with the rest of pad. I would have doubts on that about anything struck in that area.