Searching for dated parts for engine assembly

[Anthony C.]

Should the parts that i am searching for be dated before the date stamped into the front of the stamp pad?Carbs ,alternator ,starter ,smog set-up ,exhaust manifolds , water pump etc. before engine build date.

[Jack H.]

Re: Searching for dated parts for engine assembly

Some yes, others no... Here's the way to understand.

GM's final assy plant (St. Louis in most cases) purchased the engine from another producing division. Chevy included the minimum number of components as possible on engines (engine was run-in tested without carbs using a propane fixture, engine oil was drained and re-used, Etc.).

So, if you see the part called out by PN in your copy of the AIM (Assembly Instruction Manual), that generally means it was provided/installed at the Final Assy point instead of shipping with the engine from the engine plant. Therefore, it could have been built AFTER the engine was assembled, tested, and shipped....

[John H.]

Re: Searching for dated parts for engine assembly

Should the parts that i am searching for be dated before the date stamped into the front of the stamp pad?Carbs ,alternator ,starter ,smog set-up ,exhaust manifolds , water pump etc. before engine build date.

Chevrolet V-8's were shipped "bare naked" from the engine plants; the photo below was taken on the Flint V-8 shipping dock in 1955, and the "state of dress" of the engine as-shipped didn't change much until the mid-70's. As Jack noted, any part shown in the assembly manual with a part number was installed at St. Louis.

[Dan H.]

Re: Searching for dated parts for engine assembly

Courious when the FI units were installed. I checked the 64 AIM, it lists all the attachments to the FI unit but not the unit itself. Were the FI engines shipped with unit installed? Were they tested before the unit was installed using propane? How did they test the engines without plug wires etc.? Maybe they had 'test' wires to put on? Thanks in advance, just trying to put the proper sequence together!
Dan

[Jack H.]

Re: Searching for dated parts for engine assembly

It's a LONG story, but the hot engine test stands at Flint/Tonawanda 'knew' the configuration of the engine they were testing and supplied the 'missing' components necessary to run the engines (coolant, fuel, oil flow, spark, Etc.).

Way back when this was done (assign engine by type to a give hot engine test stand) on a semi-automated basis. Around the late '70 era, further automation was employed to have mid-level computers 'talk' to the main engine test scheduling system, know the configuration of the next engine coming down the line, send an overhead 'picker' to grab it, move it to a computerized hot engine test stand with open bay availability, hand it off to that test stand and return to pick it up with pass/fail record of the test results obtained....

[Anthony C.]

Re: Searching for dated parts for engine assembly

So that would mean the intake ,exhaust manifolds,water pump,distributor,and starter were assembled on the engine at the Tonawonda engine plant?Everything else was supplied at the St.Louis plant carbs,alternator, power steering pump(if called for) smog pump,etc.

[John H.]

Re: Searching for dated parts for engine assembly

So that would mean the intake ,exhaust manifolds,water pump,distributor,and starter were assembled on the engine at the Tonawonda engine plant?Everything else was supplied at the St.Louis plant carbs,alternator, power steering pump(if called for) smog pump,etc.

The starter was installed at St. Louis. Look in your Assembly Manual - anything there with a part number callout was installed at St. Louis.