'62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor

[Christopher R.]

I'd like to build a "matching numbers" 327 motor for my '62 (build date December, 1961). So, I keep an eye out for suitable engine blocks and heads. Problem is shipping costs. Have found the following shortblock near my house.

casting: 3782870

front right pad stamped: T113022 F0926RB

Questions:

1. What does the "T113022" mean?
2. The month and day are good for my build date. How can I determine the year of casting, or the year of machining and assembly?
3. What does the "RB" mean? (I know that '62 Corvette motors with manual transmissions would have "RC", "RD", "RE", or "RF" suffixes.)

[Clem Z.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor

"RB" 1962-64 327 300 HP MT pass car

[Jack H.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor

Shipping cost shouldn't be a major issue.... Most surface freight carriers have SEVERAL price lists they work from (full list for 'Joe Blow', preferred rate for small business, aggressive discount for 'Mr. Big') and you can get MAJOR price concessions by shopping around! I suggest you work the problem backwards by getting the size/weight specifics from the seller and setting up the shipment from your end (pre-pay the freight vs. have the seller ship to you pre-paid).

Here are some suggestions that can REALLY save you money.

(1) Some carriers will add a big time surcharge if the pallet isn't 'stackable'
(fully enclosed). Essentially, you wind up paying for the equivalent of floor to roof space in the tractor trailer!

(2) Get quotes from a freight forwarder vs. going direct to each carrier. The freight forwarder is seen as a 'Mr. Big' shipper.

(3) If you have a friend/connection with a local business who routinely ships surface traffic, see if you can arrange the cartage via his business....

(4) There's an 'underground' pricing structure for air freight that's not advertized called 'space available'. Essentially, a freight forwarder takes the item and warehouses it. He puts out an 'APB' saying some many cubic inches, so much weight, available for X-Y city cartage. The item sits and waits for an aircraft to fly that has a 'hole' in its cargo bay. They essentially carry the freight to 'fill the hole' at dirt cheap rates. You do NOT get visibility of when the item will leave/arrive, but figure it will go in a month or so and the freight forwarder will e-mail, phone, fax notice of routing particulars about 24-hours before....

[Clem Z.]

shipping cost

make friends with your local "auto parts recyler" because the ship large auto parts all over the country. i shipped a complete engine from PA to CALIF for less than $150 that was crated

[Mike M.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor

if you aren't in a big hurry to buy and create a matching # engine, keep looking for an 870 cast # block with date code appropriate for yopur vet AND ONE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN STAMPED ON ITS PAD--ie, AN OVER THE COUNTER BLOCK. THEY ARE OUT THERE BUT SCARCE.. Starting with such a pad means an extra 38 points on judging field for factory broach marks if you're into judging. good luck, mike

[Christopher R.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor - Follow-Up

What does the "T113022" mean? Doesn't appear to be a VIN derivative.

How do I determine what year the block was cast or machined or assembled?

[Chuck G.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor - Follow-Up

T means Tonawanda, NY, and Tonawanda blocks would NOT be correct for your 62 Corvette, regardless of whether you had the correct date. You want a Flint block, with the little casting plug in the front. Tonawanda blocks have many embossed and debossed "T's" all over the casting, and as I recall, the "870" casting numbers are smaller than the Flint engines. Chuck

[Edward McComas]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor - Follow-Up

I think he has got a Flint block. This is from his original post: front right pad stamped: T113022 F0926RB.

My decyphering (subject to my awful memory) of this is:

F = Flint (Saginaw) Engine Plant
0926 = engine assembly date (September 26th)
RB = 1962-1964 327 / 300 hp, manual trans, in a passenger car

T = Vehicle assembly plant (don't know what T is, but S would be St. Louis)
1 = ?
13022 = 13,022nd vehicle of this type (?) built at the "T" plant.

The T113022 was stamped on the engine at the vehicle assembly plant, not at the engine plant. The size of the characters may be different than the size of the characters used for the "F0926RB" stamp.

[Kevin Whiteley]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor - Follow-Up

Colvins 60-64 book says "T" is Tarrytown, New York. The "1" could indicate either the year "1961" OR passenger cars.

[Chuck G.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor - Follow-Up

Reread the original post, and yes, the F XX XX does indicate Flint assembly. MY BAD. Never seen a VIN derivitive containing a letter, T, as this example shows. Chuck

[Craig S.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor

Jack - I have done lots of shipping, and I don't have a business. Best rates are usually from http://www.freightquote.com but I also use http://www.abfs.com and they have internet rates for single time shippers such as us. You have to work the system a bit, and I found that if I call Steve Gray and the freightquote.com outfit, he will deal you a better price yet. I even shipped a 2300lb Bridgeport mill from New Jersey to my home in Tucson. My 66 block and heads were well under $200, and that's a BB....Craig

[Christopher R.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor

It sounds like I've found a block with the correct casting numbers but incorrect stampings on the pad. So when the machine shop decks the block and wipes those stampings off, I won't care. Then I'll have the correct block with a blank pad.

Is this correct? Won't this be the same as the over the counter block to which you refer above?

[Karl #35089]

sorta but not quite...

Chris: Among other issues, the block deck surface was broached at the original factory. Your machinist will no doubt mill the deck. Milling will leave a circular fingerprint as opposed to the straight longitudinal fingerprint of the broach. So, you'll have a stamp pad that will fool most people at the local drive-in, but will be obvious to anyone skilled in the art. Broach marks can be sorta replicated if that's your aim, but the local machinist probably won't know what you're talking about - you'll have to find someone who specializes in that black art. Search "broach" in the archives and you'll see this has been discussed at length in the past. Best regards, Karl

[Dennis C.]

Re: '62 (C1) "Matching Numbers" Motor - Follow-Up

Chris - Check the casting date - if it is a 2 digit number, (61/62) Is's a Tonawanda block - Lose it. Not Corvette usage. Check if it has the 1/8" pipe plug at the front of the block above timing cover. If not, lose it, Not Corvette usage.