New Motor

[Kevin S.]

My NOM 1961 is about to get a new engine.

The car was built mid-May 1961.

The new 283 engine that I have is stamped with the following codes on the back of the block. 3756519 A151

The machine shop just asked me if I want the block "decked" - they said this will remove the codes from my block - what should I tell them ?

Best Regards,
Kevin

[Edward S.]

Re: New Motor

Kevin,
Don't know what the story is with your original engine - but someday you may be able to find it. If you do someone might be real happy to find the engine you have now. I see no reason to have all numbers removed, you seem to have little interest in having it judged and even if you did blank or wrong numbers your going to take a hit. I would leave things alone.

[Donald H.]

Re: New Motor

My NOM 1961 is about to get a new engine.

The car was built mid-May 1961.

The new 283 engine that I have is stamped with the following codes on the back of the block. 3756519 A151

The machine shop just asked me if I want the block "decked" - they said this will remove the codes from my block - what should I tell them ?

Best Regards,
Kevin

What are the codes on the stamp pad? I'm no engine builder, but if the deck is flat then why deck it. If it isn't flat then i assume the machine shop would recommend decking and not just ask. If you plan to restamp the pad to make the engine "correct" for your car, then maybe that is why they asked.

[Michael W.]

Re: New Motor

The numbers you have quoted are the casting number and casting date. These would not be touched during a decking operation. Only the stamp pad numbers on the front would be lost.

Wrong numbers don't take a bigger hit in judging than no numbers, plus the fact that a 'decked' block would no longer have the broach marks which would cost an additional 38 points.

99% of blocks don't need to be decked anyway. Tell your shop not to deck it unless they can prove that the engine will not function properly without this step..

[Kevin S.]

Re: New Motor

If you plan to restamp the pad to make the engine "correct" for your car, then maybe that is why they asked.

I am unsure if the block is warped and needs to be decked - or if they wanted to remove the numbers only - I will have to call them back.

Can I re-stamp the pad back original? - and who can do that sort of thing? Or am I better off just leaving it alone?

I would like to someday have the car judged - but that is down the road a bit - I'm just trying to do this right the 1st time.

But perhaps this is all just waste of time with a non-original motor going into the car....

I only have a couple of days to think about it - as the machine shop wants to have an answer next week

Thanks,
Kevin

[Michael F.]

Re: New Motor

YA you can re-stamp. Best if you disclose the re-stamping though. Could be construed as a desire to cheat for awards or an increase in value. Neither is a good thing to do. Not to mention the illegality.

Fact is, the old motor is gone. You are putting in a NOM. Just leave it be.

Make it look original and forget the judging.

Don't deck the block unless needed.

[Kevin S.]

Re: New Motor

YA you can re-stamp. Best if you disclose the re-stamping though. Could be construed as a desire to cheat for awards or an increase in value. Neither is a good thing to do. Not to mention the illegality.

Fact is, the old motor is gone. You are putting in a NOM. Just leave it be.

Make it look original and forget the judging.

Don't deck the block unless needed.

That looks like good advise to me ! - thanks for the help

[Michael W.]

Re: New Motor

I am unsure if the block is warped and needs to be decked

Most decks were nowhere near flat, perpendicular or straight to start with- they didn't need to be, and GM used the tooling and methods that rendered acceptable performance and durability vs. cost and time. What is being measured and IMHO unnecessarily corrected today are artifacts of typical factory production. If the engine ran just fine for the past 50 years with a block in such awful shape, why does it need to be 'fixed' now?

Many shops use the 'need' to deck a block simply for their own convenience for further measuring and machining.