1959 C1 Engine Block Dates

[Dave Sly]

I remember reading on the archives (I think) that engines were typically assembled within 2-3 days after casting (since they were done in the same plant) and then were put into vettes typically 7 to 12 days later (due to the logistics of shipping the engines to St Louis from Flint. I also saw some verification of this in an article on the NCRS Tech Articles CD, which showed similar date patterns from cars in 1961 and 1962.

Is this correct? I was unable to find the specific message that I remembered reading on this topic.

I've got an April 18th casting (Saturday) that I plan to stamp for the 21st (Tuesday) and put into a car with an assembly date of the 30th (Thursday). All in 1959. It is a 250HP FI engine.

[Jack H.]

Re: 1959 C1 Engine Block Dates

Casting for SB engine components was done in Saginaw, MI while engine assy was done in Flint, MI. The two towns are rougly 45 miles apart. Once the engine assy was complete, it was shipped to the Corvette final assy plant in St. Louis where it met up with its target vehicle.

Typically, date separation between engine assy and vehicle final assy run 1-2 weeks. Date skew between cast engine components and engine assy can be more erratic because all depends on what was pulled from inventory stores in Flint when a given engine run was performed.

Notwithstanding what's considered 'typical', there was no specific FIFO/LIFO inventory control back then. NCRS judging rules look for dated parts to be within a 0-6 month window prior to the car's final assy date. There WERE cases where this/that dated item differed from other similar items....

[Dave Sly]

Re: 1959 C1 Engine Block Dates

Thanks a lot for those remaining details.

One last question. I've noticed that some pre VIN blocks (i.e. 55-59) are stamped on the left side of the pad (when looking from the front of the car) and others are stamped in the middle of the pad. I have not read anything about placement of the stamping.

My block (an original Flint block) was originally stamped in the middle of the pad, however I have seen that many of the corvette stampings are left justified. Is there are recommended placement (or justification for the placement variation)?