Turnpike

'68 Turnpike no A/C, no heavy duty cooling.

Body plate shows 01D = jan ('68) 4th week

Current water pump in car is shot, and not the original casting.

Research show I need part # 388182, casting # 384783

as for the Julian date code - should i be looking for 001 to 024? What about a pump produced in December ('67)? And would that date code be 330- 365 but with the same casting 384783?

rcorrigan5

You are correct with regards to it being the same casting number. Depending on who you listen to, date codes can vary. 1-2 months before production date is the most common answer. Some say you shouldn't get a date within a week or two before your production date and some say you shouldn't use a date beyond two months before your production date. But I know for sure that's not always true. For example, when I restored my '68 4-4-2 that has a production date of 04A (first week of April 1968), I noticed that, when we rebuilt the original steering box, it has a casting date of "92" and its cover has a casting date of "95" (I presume they are both 1968), which are April 1st and April 4th, 1968. That's about as close to a build date of 04A as you can get and I know those parts are original to the car. On the other end, the engine block has a casting date of "304", or November 1, 1967 (a full 5 months before the 04A production date of the car), and I know it is original to the car as well.

So that's my perspective of the situation. Just one other hint - in the National Corvette Restorer Society, in judging they will accept a manufacture date of up to 6 months before the time build date of the car and, in some cases, even further back than that.

Randy C.

Turnpike

Thank you for the reply.