[bergy]

If the motor plants messed up that bad, there should be documented Tonawanda assemblies with the block cast date after the engine build date! Has anyone ever heard of that? I know that at the foundry the pattern shop inspected the patterns and changed the cast date tags every night. Before the first shift started production, the mold machine operator and supervisor had to check/verify the date tag. We were pretty faithful about checking date tags and clock shift screws because it was the only way that off chemistry cases could be segregated. If the inspection department didn't see the correct date/time on castings in the finishing department, they would quarintine the entire questionable batch. We weren't complete idiots - remember, we made supercars that are still around today! I'm not sure about the motor plant checking mechanism - but I know that everyone was sensitive to date codes and if a mistake was noted - we had to quaranteen and, if necessary, restamp. I guess the bottom line is, that we can assume that Chevrolet employees screwed up, but when you have to start coming up with unusual explanations - potentiel buyers get scared.