The transmission discussion on '70 M22's in another thead got me thinking again about my '70 LS5 which I've owned for over 20 yrs, probably over 25.
The engine in the car has always been a mystery. When I bought the car from a used car lot about 3 hrs from home, the owner of the lot had it running with a smallblock but claimed to have the "original matching numbers engine" on the stand that went with it. The only problem was, the engine was VERY early for the car and the pad had noticeably been ground straight across, seemingly with a disc sander or something similar with the head still on and restamped with the car's number and a build sequence that would have been appropriate. I've always bought cars with the intention of keeping 'em forever, and in the 80's, if I liked one with the wrong motor I'd find a properly dated block and stamp it and put it in the car. That was the case with this car. So after I get it all done and in, I ran into Noland somewhere and in the discussion he mentioned that there could be a possibility that the engine was not used in it's original sequence for one of several reasons, and that later they hit it with a grinder, stamped it and stuck it in a car.
Later, when running owner history I discovered that the car had not only been locally owned before it made it to the out of town owner, but had belonged to a younger guy in my neighborhood when I was in my early 20's. I was able to track the previous owners. Everyone claimed that the engine had never been out of the car and it had never had warranty work. People's memories do fade after 20 or 30 years, but it seems like the effort of restamping back then with authentic looking characters and technique would be something that somebody in the chain would recall, and in talking with the previous owners I don't see anybody who would have had the desire or ability to do it to that level.
The only uncertainty in the loop seems to be the used car dealer. He claims to have stripped the original paint off the car (because his wife wanted a red Corvette) and presented it to her for some significant date, aniversary or something. He said he did not want the gas hog big block so pulled it and stored it. If that was all true, it seems unlikely that he would have sourced and stamped a block, and if so, why the crazy date and obvious grinding on the pad instead of trying to do it all right? At any rate, I bought the car stating emphatically that the engine was not THE original, so he had an opportunity to disclose his knowledge if there'd been any, (which may be hard for a typical used car dealer).
The car is complete with the replaced restamped block with the proper casting date, but I've always wondered if I replaced the original engine by mistake. Fortunately I still have that block also.
I'd like to hear opinions.
The engine in the car has always been a mystery. When I bought the car from a used car lot about 3 hrs from home, the owner of the lot had it running with a smallblock but claimed to have the "original matching numbers engine" on the stand that went with it. The only problem was, the engine was VERY early for the car and the pad had noticeably been ground straight across, seemingly with a disc sander or something similar with the head still on and restamped with the car's number and a build sequence that would have been appropriate. I've always bought cars with the intention of keeping 'em forever, and in the 80's, if I liked one with the wrong motor I'd find a properly dated block and stamp it and put it in the car. That was the case with this car. So after I get it all done and in, I ran into Noland somewhere and in the discussion he mentioned that there could be a possibility that the engine was not used in it's original sequence for one of several reasons, and that later they hit it with a grinder, stamped it and stuck it in a car.
Later, when running owner history I discovered that the car had not only been locally owned before it made it to the out of town owner, but had belonged to a younger guy in my neighborhood when I was in my early 20's. I was able to track the previous owners. Everyone claimed that the engine had never been out of the car and it had never had warranty work. People's memories do fade after 20 or 30 years, but it seems like the effort of restamping back then with authentic looking characters and technique would be something that somebody in the chain would recall, and in talking with the previous owners I don't see anybody who would have had the desire or ability to do it to that level.
The only uncertainty in the loop seems to be the used car dealer. He claims to have stripped the original paint off the car (because his wife wanted a red Corvette) and presented it to her for some significant date, aniversary or something. He said he did not want the gas hog big block so pulled it and stored it. If that was all true, it seems unlikely that he would have sourced and stamped a block, and if so, why the crazy date and obvious grinding on the pad instead of trying to do it all right? At any rate, I bought the car stating emphatically that the engine was not THE original, so he had an opportunity to disclose his knowledge if there'd been any, (which may be hard for a typical used car dealer).
The car is complete with the replaced restamped block with the proper casting date, but I've always wondered if I replaced the original engine by mistake. Fortunately I still have that block also.
I'd like to hear opinions.
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