Engine date vs Build date

[RPOLS3]

03C built 1972 Chevelle Big Block (Tonawanda) Engine cast 3/1/72 assembled 3/14/72. Both heads cast 3/8/72

[mprice]

I agree with everything stated here I see nothing wrong with your dates but remember there are very few absolutes when it comes to these dates. I have seen junkyard motors from 69 chevelles that were cast 7 months before they were stamped. Inventory rotation was not a high priority at GM in those days.

[William]

True.

Not unusual for 512 blocks cast in January [A49] to be used for COPO L72 engines assembled in April.

Z/28s were a different story. Early in the MY, not unusual to see engines final-assembled the day after the block was cast. Also, have two later examples cast & assembled the same day.

Heard a story about '67 Corvettes with the standard 300/327 engine. Chevy needed to convert the intake manifold tooling. They ran off all the castings needed for the '67 MY Fall '66 and shut it down. No matter when the engine ended up getting built, it will have an intake manifold cast August or September '66.

[firstgenaddict]

Our old VO409DZ was cast April the 7th.

[jdv69z]

Originally Posted by ALLZS

my 09D OF 1968 IS CAST I-11-8 BUILD VO912DZ

My 10B 302 is almost an exact match. I 10 8 cast, V0912DZ assembly. Same batch of 302's I think? Does your stamping look like mine?

[HawkX66]

Originally Posted by SeattleCarGuy

Friend is looking at a '69 Camaro. Its an 11D build date and the engine pad stamp (L35 396) shows a November 19th engine build date.

This seems way too close??? Shouldn't the engine have a build date at least a month or so prior to the car?

Thanks in advance

It's a lot closer than my 08D L34, but I don't think that means much. Mine is:

7/23/69 Cast
7/28/69 Assembled
8/22/69 Final build

So a month between cast and final build date for mine.

[SeattleCarGuy]

Thanks everyone for the info. Very helpful. My friend ended up buying the car.

[MN 70L78]

I know of a couple of cases on Norwood built Camaro's with big blocks where the car and engine were built during the same week. The engine could be at the Norwood plant 2 days after it was built. So very close dates on these doesn't surprise me. Usually there is a little more separation between engine and car build date but not always.

[roeville]

The block casting on my 1971 Z28 is A 19 1, the stamp is V0120, and my NCRS shipping report lists the production date: Jan 25, 1971. I’ve also talked to another 1971 Z28 owner built in January with similar dates.

Mike