C1 birthdate???

[John F.]

Question on a 62. The birthday calculator says 8/14 and the engine pad says F0815RC. Would that be acceptable?

[Ian G.]

Re: C1 birthdate???

The casting date on the block should be within 6 months of the VIN birthday and the stamping should be no less than 2 weeks prior. So if the birthday is really AUG 14 and the stamp is AUG 15, that is not typical. Even if we assume that the birthday is off by a day (which is possible since it is all mathematical estimation anyway) it still would have been stamped on the day it was completed. Seems like a fast build to me :P

Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

My stamp was 3 weeks prior to birthday on what I believe is my original block for instance.

[John F.]

Re: C1 birthdate???

The reason I am asking is that this appears to be car #29. Is the birthday calulator that accurate? This would have been the 29th car built in 61 for the year 1962.

[Gary C.]

Re: C1 birthdate???

443 cars were produced in Aug '61 per the 61-2 JM end of month final serial numbers. The birthday book and Rob's C2 birthday, which shows Aug 14 probably use average production per day to calculate their birthday dates. JMTCW, Gary....

[Ian G.]

Re: C1 birthdate???

If your care was made in the first 2-3 days, and the August 61 calendar shows 23 working days (assuming no strikes) that means the birthday book s estimating 19.26 days. So your car would have been built on day two by the estimate. But its likely production started off slowly, just a few cars per day at first I'd think, so in reality that would shift it a one or more days later IMO.

That would make your numbers match up, assuming it was practice to start stamping engines on day one of production and not before. For the first few days, the dates could potentially be very close. This is all conjecture on my part. Guys who worked the lines are on this forum and will have better insight. In any even you would "have some 'splaining to do" on the judging field.

[John F.]

Re: C1 birthdate???

I plan on looking at this car in the next couple of days. I am taking a Judging Manual with me and hope to check as much as I can or get to. What are the obvious I should be looking at? I would only sell my current 62 for a more original.

John F

[Richard M.]

Re: C1 birthdate???

My prior '62 #483 had a engine cast date H251 (Aug 25, 1961)
and a assy stamp 100483 F0828RC (Aug 28, 1961). Car was built approximately September 15, 1961, nearly 2 weeks later.


For the #29 to have a one or two day spread? Anything is possible........

FYI early '62's had no black paint in the valleys of the rocker moldings, and a unique upper tip on the cove grilles.



Rich

[Stephen R.]

Re: C1 birthdate???

It seems to me that since the birthday book is just an "estimate" of build date and you have actual numbers, your numbers validate the birthday book (within a reasonable degree of certainty) not the other way around.