question about 69 date

[Frank Bernier]

my 69 was manufactured in december 68

should my transmition be dated 68 or 69 ?

should the the outside lights be dated 68 or 69 ?
(side marker front or rear, all 4 back lights ..ect)

thanks
Frank

[Terry M.]

[Frank Bernier]

Re: question about 69 date

ok
but my Muncie M-21 i curently have in my 69 (manufactured in december 68)
appear to be dated in 67 .. thats for sure not correct ?
what i wanna know is should i look for a M-21 that is dated 68, just a few month before the actual car was made or any 69 M-21 should do ?

thanks
Frank

[Terry M.]

Re: question about 69 date

Frank,
The correct transmission for your car will be dated 1969 (that is the MODEL year). That is NOT necessarily when the transmission was made -- it is the model year of your car. Even if you should find a transmission correctly dated, it will not have the correct VIN derivative on it. What is the VIN derivative on the one you have in the car now?
You may search for a correctly dated transmission to satisfy yourself. I know of no judging organization (except for NCRS Bow Tie judging) which judges the transmission stamps.

[Mark #28455]

look for 660 case starting with P9

Do you have a copy of the judging guide? It shows the trans date codes. You should be looking for a "660" case with date code starting P9 and ending B (cases prior to about mid October 1968 do NOT have the "B" so it's even easier to find a match) with the month/day preceeding your car by up to several months but preferrably by about a week. As Terry said, nobody judges it anyway, but if you're neurotic like me you'll still try. I got lucky at Bloomington a few years ago and found an original M21 Corvette case and tail for my car that was only a few thousand off on the VIN for $100. Just don't streess too much and soonoer or later you'll come across an acceptable case. By the way, you can likely sell your current case on e-bay for more than a 1969 case will cost.
Good luck,
Mark

[Frank Bernier]

Re: look for 660 case starting with P9

ok
let me know if i get that right
My car is a 69 and was manufactured in december 68 .. if i look for a 69 transmission M-21 .. should i look for a december 69 dated transmission ?
or a december 68 transmission ? ... so if its a december 68 ..the transmission is no longer a 69 one !!!

should i look for a P9T??B (Dec 69) or a P8T??B (Dec 68) or P8S??B (Nov 68)

iam sure a need a transmission prior to the manufactured date ...not after

Thanks
Frank

[Terry M.]

Re: look for 660 case starting with P9T

The subject line says it all, Frank.
Even though the case you seek was manufactured and assembled in 1968, it will have a 1969 date on it, and that is what you want. It will have the P9TXX because it was built for a 1969 MODEL Corvette.
If your car was built reasonably early in December it could have a November assembled transmission. Then the stamp would be P9SXX
Just to add to the confusion, I believe these cases will have a casting date on them. That casting date will follow the normal casting date process, and indicate a cast date in November (K) or December (L) 1968. Others may comment on the cast date, since I don't have much experience with transmission casting dates.
You will still face the problem of the VIN derivative, unless you can find a service replacement. There is only one transmission that will match the VIN of your car.

[Wayne M.]

Two '69s (12 mos apart) with P9Txx (A, B or C)

Frank's car falls into that rare period, because of the extended production run in the '69 model year, where a post-Oct 21'68 thru Dec 31st '68 assembly coding would have been identical to the same period in calendar and model year 1969.

But as you've pointed out [in spite of there being two trannys, one year apart, both with (say) P9T15A] the VIN derivative would certainly tell you which calendar year it was installed.

Prior to the introduction of the A, B or C coding [M20, M21 or M22) on Oct 21st 1968, it IS possible to tell if it is early '69 production (= no code) eg. P9R12 (Oct '68 prod.) vs. P9R12B (Oct '69).

[Mark #28455]

from an earlier post

It appears the late 1969 model transmissions were assembled with a "661" case like the 1970 models, so there actually isn't an overlap.
Mark