MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-COPO-CAMARO...#ht_8774wt_1202

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

Real stampings?

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

My Vin is 9N634XXX with TO121MN stamping on the pad. From that, it looks like it could be real to me.

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

That "4" on the vin usually won't make an impression when the charactor next to it hits that round raised area created by the vent screen in the core box. Anything's possible though. Mine's a late May car with an 0121 January motor - verified by original POP.

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

Interesting the wider spread between the engine build date and the car build date (3 to 4 months) on these examples. I know several of the 03B Yenkos have MN engines with mid to late Feb. build dates, so much tighter spread than these examples cited. Not always first in first out on the engine inventory obviously.

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

hi i had a may car and my block is D- 21 9

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

I remember talking to the engineer gentleman (name??) that logged all the engine build numbers from the Tonawanda plant at the Camaro Nationals in Niagra Falls in 1998. He said it was not unusual to run a bunch of engines and they sat in inventory until called for by one of the assembly plants. He also said it was very common to make a fairly large run of engines at the beginning of the run, if it was for a new model, which these COPO cars would be. Too many documented cars out there to have any questions about the date spread.

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

Was that Fran Preeve? This is exactly what he has told me in the past on other engines such as the LS6.

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

The MN block I had was cast January 27, assembled May 18 and installed in a first week of June car.

From what I understand it was more common in HP cars.

Kurt

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

I knew of one July COPO Camaro with Jan cast block.

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SS427</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Was that Fran Preeve? This is exactly what he has told me in the past on other engines such as the LS6.</div></div>

No it wasn't Fran, but Fran was there with the gentleman. I believe Fran was an assembly line superintendent/foreman or some other similar position. This man was older than Fran and had been at Tonawanda during the 60's and was an engineer. I still have his business card at home somewhere. He was the source I first heard the number of 1015 L 72 engines and I assume the source for that number. He had records (numbers) of other big block engines produced, by year at Tonawanda. Quite a source of info and it was records he kept personally, not GM records. Hopefully, they are preserved somewhere.

Believe Fran died a few years ago as I remember??

Re: MN code COPO engine on eBay
 

Yes he did, unfortunately he died of cancer on Christmas day 2008. Does not seem like that long ago! I misspelled his last name, should be Preve.