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Casting date 3-1/2 months prior to stamped assembly date

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1966_L78

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
This is just for some of those people that have never seen an engine with stamping and casting numbers so far apart...

Just thought it would be of some interest...

I also, personally had a '66 L78 engine that was cast around the same time (end of December '65) and not assembled/stamped until the end of March (T0330 EG)


http://www.chevelles.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=4557
 
#2 ·
Neat engine. I found a 66 BB El Camino in the registry with VIN K170160. I wonder if it needs an engine?

I have a later (Jan 66, as I recall) exhaust manifold that I would like to trade for that K 24 5 manifold. Oh, well.

I suspect that 375HP engines could have been built in batches with long times spans possible between castings and assembly. The early exhaust manifold and one head surprises me, though. The exhaust manifolds were the same on the lower horsepower Chevelles and the heads were also used on Corvette 427s. There should have been better turn over of these 2 items. Just my .02.

The head might be L 1 5, not I 1 5.
The ebay auction has better photos:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8071088465&fromMakeTrack=true
Bruce
 
#3 ·
I think there are more cars around with wide spreads on dates, than what we may think. My friends LS6 had a few months between cast and assembly, my DZ302 motor had 3 full months between, my bosses' Elky has 1.75 months....
 
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#4 ·
I have a casting date of Oct. 69 on my LS-6 block, build date of April 14 on the pad and an 05D build date on my cowl tag. It's an Arlington car and I suspect not that many LS-6's came from there. I think someone else here on the site has a Sept block LS-5 and a build date of late March or early April and that car also came from Arlington. So for whatever reason 3 months isn't that unusual.
 
#5 ·
One simple explanation...
I worked at the Tonawanda Engine plant in the 70's.
I've seen numerous times where a block would have a minor flaw in the casting...generally on the corner of the main web right at the main cap split line where the bearing would sit. These flawed blocks would be pulled aside to be evaluated and usually have weld repairs done to them before continuing on for the machining process. Work at this weld repair area always was backed up.
I've seen other instances where there was a tooling breakage...say a broken tap...where the block would then have to be pulled off the line to be corrected manually. This area too stayed busy.
Basically what I trying to point out is a difference between a casting date and a final assembly stamp is possible due to production problems.
Or, even a plant labor strike...
 
#6 ·
I have a '71 LS5 4-speed car built the week of 9/14/1970 at Van Nuys per the build sheet. My block was cast on 12/9/1969 and wasn't assembled until 8/31/1970. It is a 512 block and vin derivative (by oil filter boss) matches vin# to car. It has T0831 CPA on the engine pad. I'm sure there are others here with long time periods between casting and assembly. It would also be interesting to find out if there are any long periods between assembly date and car build date.
 
#7 ·
I have a 70 SS that was built 04E in Arlington and the date code on my block is L 26 9 with an assembly date of 0415. It is the original block. The date code on the heads and intake are D 70. This car has been in my family since 1979 so I am sure it was never messed with.
 
#9 ·
I have a 71 Chevelle SS, with a build date of the 4th week of January 71, and my 402 engine is stamped T0902CLB, with the matching vin. It struck me as odd that the engine would be built on Sept 2nd of 70, and the car not built until Jan 71
 
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savage71chevelless
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