F or V in late 66 Engine Suffix code?

[Carr C.]

I have a customer that is looking at a 1967 Corvette. The car was built late August.

The engine suffix code is F0817HT, everything appears to be correct. (block casting number, block date code, sequence, etc.)

What is the consensus on when 67 suffix codes changed from an F for Flint to a V for Flint? Is the F correct for a late '66 built '67?

Thanks!

[Joe L.]

Re: F or V in late 66 Engine Suffix code?

I have a customer that is looking at a 1967 Corvette. The car was built late August.

The engine suffix code is F0817HT, everything appears to be correct. (block casting number, block date code, sequence, etc.)

What is the consensus on when 67 suffix codes changed from an F for Flint to a V for Flint? Is the F correct for a late '66 built '67?

Thanks!

Carr-----


I suppose it's possible given the very early build of the car and engine. However, I think it's unusual. I believe that cars with August engine build dates and VIN numbers within the first 100, or so, of 1967 have been documented with "V" for the engine prefix code.

[Cecil L.]

Re: F or V in late 66 Engine Suffix code?

FWIW
Chevrolet Dealer Service Information Bulletin 67-I-2, Number XV, dated Oct. 4, 1966 titled "Chevrolet Passenger Car and Truck Identification Information", shows both codes "F" for Flint Motors and "V" for Flint Engine. It doesn't explain the distinction but might seem to imply that both codes are there due to some engines being stamped before the transition, which seems likely to have occurred before the date of the bulletin.
There is a statement under Rear Axle and Transmission Numbers that says "On some early built 1967 vehicles, the 1966 serial number may appear".

[John H.]

Re: F or V in late 66 Engine Suffix code?

FWIW
Chevrolet Dealer Service Information Bulletin 67-I-2, Number XV, dated Oct. 4, 1966 titled "Chevrolet Passenger Car and Truck Identification Information", shows both codes "F" for Flint Motors and "V" for Flint Engine. It doesn't explain the distinction

The distinction is that the "Flint Motor" plant was the old six-cylinder engine plant downtown, which always used the "F" prefix from the 20's until the plant was closed in the 70's. The Flint V-8 plant on Van Slyke Road also used the "F" prefix from its first engine in 1955, but having two plants both using the same prefix confused the Chevrolet warranty chargeback system, and the Flint V-8 plant prefix was changed from "F" to "V" at the start of the 1967 model year to make sure that warranty engine failure costs were charged to the correct engine plant.

[Joe L.]

Re: F or V in late 66 Engine Suffix code?

The distinction is that the "Flint Motor" plant was the old six-cylinder engine plant downtown, which always used the "F" prefix from the 20's until the plant was closed in the 70's. The Flint V-8 plant on Van Slyke Road also used the "F" prefix from its first engine in 1955, but having two plants both using the same prefix confused the Chevrolet warranty chargeback system, and the Flint V-8 plant prefix was changed from "F" to "V" at the start of the 1967 model year to make sure that warranty engine failure costs were charged to the correct engine plant.

John-----


Yes, using the same code for both engine plants for over 10 years was a totally DUMB thing to do. It's not like GM had, even corporate-wide, so many engine plants that there was such a "shortage" of alpha characters that they could not have assigned all a unique code from the get-go.