Restamp or Not

[68Biscayne427]

Hey Guys - Just curious what you think on these stamps on my block - Block Stamp

It is a 68 427 bare block that came with my car. Is this a re-stamp? It looks good to me but I am no expert!

Thanks.

[Verne_Frantz]

Rob, I'm no expert on '68s or their proper stamping fonts, but I would be concerned by the same patina on the deck under the head as in front of the head. If the block was hot-tanked several years ago then left to sit, then maybe that might account for it.
Not to sound negative, but rebroaching services have been available for some time now and people do know how to age blocks.
Does the casting date coincide with the assy date?

Verne

[68Biscayne427]

Hi Verne - The block has been sitting around for years. It is hard to say how long the block has set since it was last cleaned. When I got the block, it was sitting on a pallet in a garage. I want to get it all cleaned up and store it.

The casting date is E188 which is 6 days before the engine stamp... That seems to be too close, I would think a month would be more like it.

One other thing the engine suffix is 'ID' which denotes Special High Performance, 425HP, but the block is a 2-bolt main!!

The build date for my car is the 3rd week in June, so the engine date stamp is good from that point of view.

I pretty much figured that it was a re-stamp but I wanted to get some opinions from some experts here on the board. I had a Corvette guy here in Kalamazoo say it was the real deal - I find that hard to believe.

[acelr8]

I read the VIN as starting with 18L.If that is so and nothing besides a Camaro started that way.Restamp.Jeff

[Mr70]

The casting date is E188 which is 6 days before the engine stamp...
That's completely possible & founded.

Los Angeles also assembled the 1968 Impala-Biscayne-Belair-Caprice too.They started their VINs with 18L and then #100001,so that would make sense seeing what this one has.
The 1968 Camaros assembled there,started their VINs with 18L and then exclusively at 300001.
I like the font/broach on the pad,but that ID on a 2 bolt has me .

[Kim_Howie]

The stamping looks too light. Most 68 I have seen are alot deeper.

[P.J.]

could it be that GM ran out of 4 bolts and stuck in 2 bolt block???
PJ

[68Biscayne427]

That is a good question... I can't believe that GM would do something like that.

[PeteLeathersac]

Being a '68 Vin, is it the Vin of your car or a different one?.

Pad and stamping looks decent even the dropped 2'nd digit of the suffix normal..
Seems unlikely someone would go to all the trouble of making something up that good and not use a 4 bolt block...especially if they aren't putting it in the car or the Vin isn't the one for the car?.


~ Pete

[Tarrytown SS427s]

I just checked my 68 Los Angeles list which tells me this is definitely a re-stamp. All of the big blocks in this vin range have date stamps in a totally different time period. It also appears that the block was decked by looking at the cratered water jacket area and the machined areas only on the higher parts of the cratering. Lastly, the 4 and 5 in the date stamp are also not quite like the originals.
Steve