Decking the engine

[John C.]

Why does that remove the numbers on the pad?

[Joe L.]

Re: Decking the engine

Why does that remove the numbers on the pad?

John------


The engine stamp pad on most small blocks and big blocks is an extension of the block deck surface on the right (passenger) side. So, if the block deck surface is milled ("decked"), an equal amount of material is naturally removed from the block deck (i.e. cylinder head seating surface) as well as engine stamp pad. If the thickness of the material removed is greater than the depth of impression of the stamp pad characters, then the characters are also removed.

Virtually all machine shops use a rotary broach to mill the block deck surface. With such a machine it is virtually impossible to mill the deck surface without also milling the stamp pad.

The shame of it all is that very few blocks need to be "decked".

[Michael J.]

Re: Decking the engine

The shame of it all is that very few blocks need to be "decked".

Unless, of course, you want to stamp some new numbers that "match".....

[Bruce B.]

Re: Decking the engine

No need to deck a block if you want to change the numbers.
A good technician can remove the numbers by hand, manually apply lines similar to broach marks and then stamp the block.

[Terry D.]

Re: Decking the engine

You mean someone would actually do that to make a car more valuable? I a speechless! LOL

[Bruce B.]

Re: Decking the engine

Terry,
No one in Ohio would ever think about doing that.
Bruce

[Michael J.]

Re: Decking the engine

Terry,
No one in Ohio would ever think about doing that.
Bruce

...+1

[Robert K.]

Re: Decking the engine

How does a technician remove number by hand?
I recall a Vette Vues artical many years ago about an original 435 car have the engine decked after being told not to. They tried everything, even confurring with the FBI to get their numbers back. They finally heated the pad cherry red and the numbers popped back out. I wonder how that would fair on the judging field?

[Bruce B.]

Re: Decking the engine

Using a file, sandpaper and whet stones.

The heating technique seems doubtful to me.

[Joe L.]

Re: Decking the engine

How does a technician remove number by hand?
I recall a Vette Vues artical many years ago about an original 435 car have the engine decked after being told not to. They tried everything, even confurring with the FBI to get their numbers back. They finally heated the pad cherry red and the numbers popped back out. I wonder how that would fair on the judging field?

Robert-----

No process that I know of, including forensic processes to "raise" ground off numbers on things like guns, etc., will permanently restore stampings which have been filed or ground off. These processes may be able to allow the numbers to be discerned on a very temporary basis, but they absolutely do not provide for the permanent restoration of the numbers. Temporary discernment is all that forensic investigators care about but it's not, at all, what automotive restorers care about.

[Michael W.]

Re: Decking the engine

How does a technician remove number by hand?
They finally heated the pad cherry red and the numbers popped back out. I wonder how that would fair on the judging field?

Since it wouldn't look anything like a factory original pad and proving authenticity of pads is not the purpose of judging, I'd imagine a full deduct.