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  #21  
Old 02-07-2023, 06:24 PM
jeffschevelle jeffschevelle is offline
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This is a little bit off the original topic since that was asking about a 69 (which would be a gang-stamped VIN). But it expands on some of the other comments above.

It is often commented on many different Chevrolet forums that the engine and trans in one car were always stamped using the same stamp, so they have to match. That might have been true at all the plants at some point AFTER 1967 production, and it might have been true at SOME plants in 67 and prior (maybe including Norwood, based on one of the comments above).

But that was NOT the case at any of the plants building Chevelles in 66 and prior. Original engine and trans stamps from the same Chevelle in 66 and prior typically don't look anything at all alike. Different sized characters, different fonts, and individually stamped characters (not in a gang holder) are the norm for 66 and prior.

As to 67 Chevelles the same held true all year long at some of the plants. At others the two stamp sizes and fonts do match up LATER in 67 production, but not at the beginning of 67 production. But that does not necessarily mean it was the same gang stamp being used on both engine and trans; it might just mean the dies being used in the two different stations were finally made uniform and gang holders were finally mandated in both stations.

Also, look at the 67 Corvette example above. Even ignoring the digit error, there is no S in the engine VIN, but there is an S in the trans vin. So the engine stamper and the trans stamper were obviously not using the same gang stamp on both parts at the Vette plant in 67 ...

Side note --
The Fremont plant did some very interesting things on the engine stamp in 67 and prior. During part of the year in 66 they used a gang for a partial stamp (6Z1), then added the remainder of the characters by individual stamps. And during part of the year there were very obviously two different sets of dies being used on two different lines, because some verified original 66 engines have larger characters than others.

Then as the 67 model year progressed Fremont changed the stamp format at least 3 or 4 times, and during one stretch they used a gang for 7Z1234, then added the last 2 characters by individual stamps (which are not the same size or font as the gang). And that resulted in MANY examples that have the last character of the gang stamp (4 in my example above) overstamped with the next higher number because they failed to change the last character in the gang soon enough before the next 100 VIN group commenced.

And other VIN stamp errors on Fremont engines are VERY common -- some minor like one character being off, and some very egregious ones, especially on some 66 engines (with 5 being used for the year instead of 6, omitting the 1 in the first slot of the sequence number, using an upside down 2 as a 5 and vice versa, and on and on). I am actually more skeptical of a 66 Fremont stamp without any errors than I am of the ones with mistakes!

Although a little off topic, this is all to point out that mistakes were not that rare at all in 67 and prior. So it's easy to believe a single digit mistake could be made at Norwood in 69 as well.
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  #22  
Old 02-07-2023, 07:59 PM
TimG TimG is offline
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Here's an interesting one where they changed the 9 to a 6 on a 435 horse '67 Corvette.
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  #23  
Old 02-10-2023, 01:57 AM
Kurt S Kurt S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bergy View Post
That’s interesting Kurt. I know that John Z must have explained the process sequence of vin stamp on the engine & Trans. - but I can’t find it at the moment. What was the sequence? One station stamping engine & Trans by a single employee on the dress line with a single stamp?
The process is here - http://www.camaros.org/assemblyprocess.shtml#engine. But the engine dress line was resequenced during the 69 MY with the revised front end accessory drive (FEAD), i.e. the alternator over top of the engine pad. They were moving the alternator and then stamping. They changed the process and stamped the VIN by the oil filter. This somehow resulted in two stampers for some powertrains...
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  #24  
Old 02-10-2023, 12:48 PM
70 copo 70 copo is offline
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A slightly different size was used on the powertrains Kurt makes reference to.
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  #25  
Old 02-10-2023, 01:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 70 copo View Post
A slightly different size was used on the powertrains Kurt makes reference to.
Phil - did Norwood build "straight through" from body shop to final line?

Or did they have any kind of accumulator/body bank between body shop and paint, and/or between paint and trim?

K
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  #26  
Old 02-10-2023, 02:33 PM
70 copo 70 copo is offline
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Keith,

Actually there were two. Fisher had the Surge bank and Chevrolet had the body receipt bank. When the plant ran on a two division format for operations- both were used.

By 1972 when GMAD took over the old Chevrolet body receipt bank was bypassed and abandoned. That general area was converted to a decal instillation space for a period of time.

GMAD expanded the Surge bank on the body shop side added a plant wide computer interface and controlled all accumulation from that point.

You can see the old Fisher surge Bank/GMAD accumulator rails pictured behind the operator in this image.
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  #27  
Old 02-10-2023, 02:51 PM
BLACKLS5 BLACKLS5 is offline
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All good info but if the OP would post a photo of the stamping we could probably put this to rest.
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  #28  
Old 02-12-2023, 03:56 AM
Kurt S Kurt S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith Seymore View Post
Phil - did Norwood build "straight through" from body shop to final line?

Or did they have any kind of accumulator/body bank between body shop and paint, and/or between paint and trim?

K
Phil's answer is more detailed, and Keith already knows this, but the accumulators / buffers take up space and are inefficient. The buffers that they had didn't hold a lot of cars.
If you want to hide process issues, install a big buffer.
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  #29  
Old 02-13-2023, 02:33 PM
chris slawski chris slawski is offline
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Thanks for all the information folks. I am going to post photos of stamp once the engine lands at my shop. Bare with me old, ugly and slow.
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  #30  
Old 03-22-2023, 08:16 AM
chris slawski chris slawski is offline
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Block stamp
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