69 427 Engine Question

[Michael S.]

I just looked at a 1969 427 "512" long block with a pad stamping of T0930MH, a casting date of H 30 9, 3964290 heads cast G 10 9 an F 30 9.

This engine has a virgin pad with the assembly stamping and NO Vin stamping. Given the final production numbers for 1969 cars and the fact that MH is a 69 code, this engine could have been installed in a 69 vette with late production such a December since the NCRS book lists no final production numbers for October/November 1969.

My question. How unusual if at all is it to find a 427 that was originally installed in a Corvette with no serial number stamping? Could this engine have been slated for installation on the line, never installed in a car then ended up as a replacment/service/parts engine?

Opinions!

[David J.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

Because there is no vin my first thought would be service replacement or warranty motor. Could also have been parts stock at a dealer ship.

[Dick W.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

Spinach, never seen one installed in a car but I bought several long blocks in the late 60's and early '70's and most of them had the machine code with no VIN's as they had never been installed in a car. A couple were CE engines. I bought '66 burnt car with the pad machine code correct with no VIN. Used this to replace a stamped engine in my 425 hp coupe. I purchased a '67 4 bolt 351 block with a blank pad for a friend of mine. Those engines are still out there, just not in Corvetttes.

[Michael S.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

This engine was in a 69 Camaro purchased by a friend of mine.

[William C.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

Look for a VIN stamp on the block near the oil filter, common location for Camaro, possible COPO?

[Michael S.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

No Vin stamp by oil Filter. Already looked there Bill.

Thanks

Mike

[John H.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

Mike -

The "MH" suffix was never used in any '67-'69 Camaro, including the COPO's; don't know offhand which car line used it.

[William H.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

John,
MH is 69 Corvette 390hp with m/t and T/I.

Bill

[Michael S.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

I realize that this is not a Camaro code! It was removed from an old 69 Camaro we bought.

The MH code is for a 69 427/390 HP Corvette with K66 and 4 speed. I was interested in knowing if anyone has seen a 69 vette get out the St. Louis production door without a VIN on the original engine or could this engine have ended up in parts/service even though this engine was produced during 69 Corvette engine production and dated/coded properly to be installed in a 1969 Corvette during 1969 Corvette assembly/production?

I guess the real question would be "could this engine have ended up in parts/service since it has no VIN and is a very unusual engine code with a likely VERY low engine production"? Since this is a late production engine is it possible that there were no more orders for this engine/transmission combination before production ended and therefore this engine was sent to parts/service from St. Louis or Tonawanda?

Remember, this is a Septemeber 30 1969 assembly dated engine. The NCRS final monthly Corvette production numbers show Corvette production in Septemeber 1969, ZERO units produced for the months of October 1969 and November 1969 with the final 1969 model year Corvettes completing production in December 1969. 1969 was a LONG production model year.

Although this engine was produced during late 1969 Corvette production, it may be very possible that there were no more orders after Tonawanda produced this engine for 427/390HP, K66, 4 speed Corvettes. What did St. Louis and/or Tonawanda do with assembled/complete engines no used for production after the model year change?

Any other ideas as to why this engine has the original virgin pad with original Tonawando engine code stamping yet no Vin number stamping indicating which specific car this engine "may" have been originally installed???

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

According to folks who were employed at Tonawanda:
Tonawanda, and likely Flint as well, routinely produced ~10% more engines or a given suffix code than the assembly plant ordered. Those engines eventually went into the Service & Parts Operation -- usually after production of that model year ended, but sometimes not until the warranty program ended.

The entire series of M coded Mark IV engines (and some M-coded small blocks as well) were introduced later in the 1969 model year when the K66 distributor began to be installed at the engine plant. The earlier suffixes had standard distributors installed at the engine plant and those which required the TI distributor had the standard distributor removed and the TI unit installed at St. Louis. Then the original distributor was sent back to the engine plant.

Someone (likely the dreaded bean counters) decided it was less expensive, and maybe better for reliability, to install the proper distributor at the engine plant --thus we have all those engine codes which begin with M in later 1969.
I am pretty sure all this is spelled out in the 1968-69 TIM&JG (available from the sponsor of this board) and was detailed in an article in The Corvette Restorer back in the dark ages of the late 1980s or early 1990s.

[Michael S.]

Re: 69 427 Engine Question

Thanks Terry,

I have certainly been around that long (80's) but did not remember that aritlcle.

Mike