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Engine and vin stamp

2K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  jackie schmidt 
#1 ·
Attached are two pictures of a car I am considering buying. Has a build sheet that looks legit.

My question is, the engine suffix code stamp and the vin stamp .. do they look as they should? Was double stamping a common thing to see on these? I imagine they were stamped using hand tools?

Thanks !
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Engine and con vin stamps were made using a gang stamp tool as shown below. I've seen double stamps and some with numbers that appear to be deeper than others. Rarely seen where the last 5 numbers are all deeper.

I'm not there and just looking at pictures on a monitor. There appears to be a lack of broach marks on the pad. One day when the heads come off you'll be able to tell if the deck has been resurfaced. It's always possible that the deck was resurfaced and restamped by the machined shop.

I need to check the font to some other examples. The 2 and 4 maybe a little off. The last 5 numbers appear to be slightly larger in font size just by looking at the picture.

There can be explanations for the double stamp or restamp. The engine could have been pulled from the line for some sort of rework or the factory worker didn't hit the gang stamp hard enough.

In all this becomes a questionable stamping. Detective work can help prove or disprove the questionability. Block casting numbers and dates should be checked and see if they fall into the correct time period of production. Check the con vin on the trans and other locations as these were made at the same time with the same stamp on the production line. If it too shows the last 5 numbers deeper, it could mean that the last five numbers of the stamp were newer dies.

I wish I had a definitive answer, but the stampings raise some questions that would cause me to look deeper into all aspects of the car and documentation for verification.
 

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#3 ·
Forgot to mention that it's a Baltimore Con VIN as Baltimore often stamped "188" instead of "10B".

Also, here's a photo of the broach marks. As you can see, once the heads are off you can pick them out clearly or determine if the deck has been resurfaced or milled. Machine work after the factory broach marks is easily discernable as they both use a different process which leaves differing witness marks.

Broach marks go a long way to determine the authenticity of the stamp. Hence the recommendation to use non//maring or nondestructive methods to remove paint and gunk from the engine pad. Fake broach marks are often made with a belt sander, but these too are easily distinguishable from the real broach marks made when the block was machined at the factory.

https://www.chevellestuff.net/1970/engines/index.htm
 

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#5 ·
If things are that serious, you can always pay to have the head removed so you can look at the entire deck.
 
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