Raising partial VIN after block is decked

[bergy]

I have heated up the pad on a decked '69 427/435 block and got the numbers to come up. It's a little risky, but if all else fails..... The factory stamping puts a stress in the metal -you get it hot to relieve the stress and the numbers come out. have a good insulating pad to place over the area after heating to allow it to cool slowly. There <span style="text-decoration: underline">IS</span> a risk of cracking. Actually, cosmetic repairs on blocks at Tonawanda MCP were done after heating to cherry red &amp; covering to slow cool. Repairs on the intake rails using this method were common. The success of this method also depends on how much the block was decked - as Kurt said. I'll say it again though - this method could result in cracks if cooling is too rapid. The good thing is that the stampings pop out permanently.