In the early to mid 70's, was there any standard method of marking service replacement blocks/engines? Were the vin pads stamped with anything or just left blank?

 

Every one I have had has numbers on the pad. Not a car VIN
I still have a couple blocks BUT site will not let me load pictures They are both 455's

 

I bought a 76 Cutlass that had a replacement block, but the pad was blank. From what I have read the mechanic doing the warranty job was supposed to stamp the block, but a lot of the time it wasn't done either out of laziness, or just plain ineptitude.

 

When you are working on flat rate , time is money .
If you wanted to make money you didn't worry about little things like that .

 

I get that time is money, but stamping the block is part of doing the job correctly. So if it's a choice not to stamp the block, I file that under inept.

 

Obviously , you have never worked in a flat rate shop .

 

Youd be surprised what they do at service to save time. Not stamping a block isnt nothing.
Dont remember what engine, but on VW Golf around ~2010 vintage, one particular engine required dropping the engine with crossmember to do timing-belt.
Sure.. Take a hole-saw and drill a hole on the body. Plastic panel hided it from wheel-well, and you couldnt see it from engine-compartment. All of this at VW's own service-shop. I know since ive done it too at that shop.

And succesfully continued to use at my cheap cars i use to go to work and back, if something requires dropping or lifting the engine, i just make more space to body..

 

 

Service replacement blocks and engines and transmission cases were delivered with the VIN derivative pad blank. The service department was SUPPOSED to stamp the old VIN derivative on the new parts. Obviously this was not performed consistently, and frequently other codes were stamped instead, such as the ID of the shop or mechanic, or the date of installation, or who knows what else. Factory direction was to restamp the VIN derivative. Similarly, if a used engine was installed, the factory direction was to X-out the previous car's VIN derivative and restamp the one for the current car.

 

The standard, however not a priority, was the GM rep would come out to restamp the "Vin" for the servicing dealer. My neighbor was the guy who did it way back and i have seen/touched the stamp kit he had. i will leave it at that.

 

Thanks everyone for your responses. I have an engine whose pedigree seems a little difficult to determine. I need to get a better group of pictures pulled together and will post them later today. Opinions will be more than welcome.

 

 

Working from home today so I was able to take a break and get some pictures The first one is of the vin pad on the engine. It's hard to read without blowing the photo way up but it appears to me to read 35E143042. In our Oldsmobile world, I would take that to be 75 Big Block. However, you can just the bottom of the "E" on the head suggesting a 70 motor. This number does not match the car vin.

The second pic is of the casting code stamped on the front of the engine by the oil fill tube. Unless I have my facts really screwed up, this is the 70 casting code. Sorry it's upside down. I thought I corrected it when I saved the picture but I guess it didn't work


Other evidence of a 70 motor
E Hedas
7040257 carb (I already had it restored) It's date code correct for the car
1111982 distributor. Again date code correct for the car
PCV location and routing - unique to the 70, I think
Multiple other clues like correct (and probably original) heater hoses with 70 style clamps, vacuum lines, fuel lie routing etc.



I wondered if it might be a service replacement block somehow. Everything else appears to be correct and in many cases original to the car. It appears that the short block was replaced but everything else was re-used. It seems to me kike something a dealer would do. A backyard mechanic more than likely would not have replaced things like the fan shroud and probably would have just dropped a junk yard motor in.

I'm open to any input. Would really love to understand what's going on here. Thanks in advance for your comments

 

Block 35E143042 = 3 = Olds division, 5 = 1975, E = Linder NJ plant, 143042 = rest of the Vin it came out of
"F" block is a 455

 

I have seen stampings like that on a jet boat engine block. I thought L 3 E may be the year "1973"

 

If you look REALLY close you can see a little A next to the F. That to me confirms the 1975 block in concert with the VIN derivative stamped in the pad.

 

svnt442

You win the prize. As many times as I looked at that I never notices the sub a in all of the crud around it. Looks like it is definitely a 75 block with all of the original 70 stuff bolted onto it. Thanks for helping me out