Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

[Jim C.]

I've been talking to a guy about a 1966 small block with a cylinder case casting date of "F26" which translates to June 2, 1966. The engine assembly date on the stamp pad reads, F0602HT, which also partially translates to June 2. I guess anything is possible. Have any of you come across this before? It seems a little unusual to me. I haven't seen a car with a block casting date that is the same as the assembly date on the stamp pad. Thanks.

Jim C.

[Patrick B.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

I have seen another small block cast and built the same day. I do not remember the date, but it would have been for a C2 car. The most common spread between cast and build dates for small blocks I have seen is 3 days and for big blocks about a month.

[John H.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

Jim -

It's certainly not the "norm", but a number of Flint small-blocks have been documented as having been cast and assembled on the same date. It was possible for a block to be cast at Saginaw early on the first shift and then be machined and assembled by the end of the second shift at Flint V-8. I think Noland found a few in his surveys.

[Jim C.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

Jim -

It's certainly not the "norm", but a number of Flint small-blocks have been documented as having been cast and assembled on the same date. It was possible for a block to be cast at Saginaw early on the first shift and then be machined and assembled by the end of the second shift at Flint V-8. I think Noland found a few in his surveys.

John,

That's the only way it could have happened. Yes, definitely not the norm. The car I'm talking about has come up in my cylinder case casting number survey. Of the cars that I've added to my data so far, it's the only one with the same casting date, and assembly date. Interesting stuff if you like this sort of thing.

Jim C.

[Ronald L.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

All you had to have happen is the foundry go down for a week or so and the supply got tight. When it (supply) gets real tight, airplanes fly.

[Joe L.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

All you had to have happen is the foundry go down for a week or so and the supply got tight. When it (supply) gets real tight, airplanes fly.

Ronald------


I doubt that any "air freight" was involved here. It was only about 40 miles from the Saginaw foundry to Flint V-8 engine plant (it was a lot closer from the Tonawanda foundry to the Tonawanda engine plant).

[Ronald L.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

Joe ---
That ones clearly obvious as its been mentioned many times where they were cast and where machined.

And I doubt they were used back then, perhaps the 80's, but for sure by the 90's it was common practice when you have many hard manufacturing parts plants SE Michigan based and assembly plants sprinkled to the east and to the west. Probably the earliest plane point was the border states to the south where parts got hung up crossing the Rio Grande for various reasons and smaller plane usage was and is very common practice to keep production running. Those charters are much cheaper than flying a c37 full of axles

[William G.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

Jim, My 66 L79 #23590 has a casting date of E266 (May 26 1966) and an assy date of F0527HT (May 27) . It is the original motor that came with the car. It looks like supplies were getting tight during this time frame. Bill Gould

[William C.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

Trucks every day carrying blocks from Saginaw to Flint when I was in GMI. Last in-First out, especially if things got tight. Not an unusual circumstance.

[David L.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

I the past 30 years I have seen many Chevrolet small blocks where the assembly date was the day after the casting date.

Dave

[Jim C.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

I the past 30 years I have seen many Chevrolet small blocks where the assembly date was the day after the casting date.

Dave

Even with very limited survey results thus far, I do have few responses that support David's observation. Not only William's #23590 Corvette, but three others as well, are only one day apart. So far, I've come across just one car with the same casting date and assembly date. I guess anything is possible. Thanks for your observations.

Jim C.

[Monte M.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

As William mentioned, there were mistakes made with the placement of the dates as far as the date being correct. I had a "68" El Camino with the casting date being one day after the engine assembly date. The only answer to this was that the person at the foundry changing out the casting dates either thought it was later in the week or just plain messed up and did not care enough double check it.
My point is, when there are humans involved. there is a very good chance of days not being exactly correct.
Just thought I would throw that possibility out there also.

[Jim C.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

As William mentioned, there were mistakes made with the placement of the dates as far as the date being correct. I had a "68" El Camino with the casting date being one day after the engine assembly date. The only answer to this was that the person at the foundry changing out the casting dates either thought it was later in the week or just plain messed up and did not care enough double check it.
My point is, when there are humans involved. there is a very good chance of days not being exactly correct.
Just thought I would throw that possibility out there also.

It could have happened like that too. Anything is possible. Good point.

Jim C.

[Jack P.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

Ronald------


I doubt that any "air freight" was involved here. It was only about 40 miles from the Saginaw foundry to Flint V-8 engine plant (it was a lot closer from the Tonawanda foundry to the Tonawanda engine plant).

I think he was saying "Airplanes fly" , as a phrase not in a real sense.

Jack

[Tom R.]

Re: Cylinder case casting date and engine assembly date are the same!!

You can add mine to the mix. Block casting date J92, stamp pad has F1010RF. One day apart. Shipping data report showed assembly as Oct 16, 1962.....my birthday!!