Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

[Jacob A.]

Hello,

Could you guys shed some light on this for me.

The engine in question is a 548 block and the casting date in question is K-10-56 (anybody else have a motor cast on a Saturday?) Doesn 't appear to be JB Weld, and it's a nice clear casting date.

Also, could there be different variations of stampings on the pad of a 57? If so, pictures would be great!

Thanks a bunch in advance,
Jacob

[Adam S.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Hi Jacob, that 548 block is a Towanda cast block for passenger production car use if the "56" cast date is two digits instead of one like just a "6" as you say it is. For a Sat. cast it could be a easy mistake made by a rookey worker or just human era or cost cutting measure not to fix it due to time constraints, as many stories have been told about how things really happened inside the walls of the General back in the day.......just my two cents

[Terry M.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Why would the foundry (either Flint or Tonawanda) NOT work on a Saturday?

[Jacob A.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Thanks Adam,

I made a mistake. The casting date is indeed K-10-6 It is a Flint Block.

Terry, Thanks for your input.

I have no clue... I was under the impression that the Flint Plant would have been closed on Saturdays.

Thank you both for your help, any other input would be most appreciated.

Here is a picture of the stamp pad. The broachmarks where there before I had the engine rebuilt. The rebuilder wanted to shave the deck. I told him he better not get rid of the numbers, he said he would do his best... but obviously the broachmarks are gone.

How can I tell if this is the original stamping, or someone stamped it in the past?

57's #'s matching pad.jpg
SORRY ITS UPSIDE DOWN, I TRIDE TO ROTATE IT, BUT NO LUCK!

[Terry M.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Shutting down a foundry -- think huge caldron of molten iron -- is not such an easy task.

I know there has been discussions on here about Sunday casting dates and I think the consensus was that Sunday night actually was the first shift and counted as a Monday for pay purposes. If you have never worked shift work that will sound odd, but those of us who have done that understand that a shift beginning at 10PM on Sunday can be either first shift of Monday or third shift of Sunday depending on the timekeeping practices at the given location. I am pretty sure the foundries worked 10 hour shifts. Count the dots on the "casting clock." I think there are ten dots. I don't know for sure what the GM foundries did, and I suppose there may have been some differences between them. Perhaps John Hinckley can help us out, but I would not think twice about a Saturday date. A Sunday date is more problematic.

[Alan S.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Hi,
Terry's memory is still in full operation.
Here's the clock and shift arrow from my sb cast on the twilight shift, December 31, 1970.
Working New Years Eve.
Regards,
Alan

[Kenneth B.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Most big foundries worked three shifts & started as Terry said Sunday night at 10:00 till 6:00 in the morning. I would say that it was likely that most ran 6 days a week. Remember that they cast parts for more than just Corvettes. The date tag # were silver soldered on a steel insert tag & was held on by 2 screws. Mistakes happen & wrong # get put in. Also a pattern could have been pulled off the Molding machine to run other castings & they would change the date in the pattern shop. If they found they ran a lot of bad castings the would put the pattern back on & run molds to make up for the bad ones so you could have a block machined before the cast date but it would be rare. Remember that no matter what you did not shut lines down if you could help it. The date & shift clock was not there so NCRS could check dates they were there to tell what shift & time if they got bad castings when they were run nothing else.
KEN

[Jacob A.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Thanks Ken, Terry and Alan!

Anyone else have something to add to this, Mr. Hinckley where are you this morning???

Anyone have anything to say about my stamp pad pictured above?

Thanks,
Jacob

[John H.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Thanks Ken, Terry and Alan!

Anyone else have something to add to this, Mr. Hinckley where are you this morning???

Anyone have anything to say about my stamp pad pictured above?

Thanks,
Jacob

Jacob -

I'm on my third cup of coffee, thanks .

There are always multiple opinions on pad stamps, as it should be. As pointed out by Ken Kayser in his "Countdown To Gold" series ten years ago in "Vette Vues", the second suffix character in 1957 was typically added manually, with a long-shank die character and a hammer, not included in the gang-holder, and wasn't precisely aligned with the preceding characters. Photo below is a typical 1957 Corvette example.


57FHPadOrig.jpg

[Jacob A.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Thanks John! I certainly appreciate it!

It looks like on my stamped pad in question, possibly the E and definitely the G are lower than the rest of the stamp? I'm not sure why someone would have stamped my pad? When I bought the 57 it was dressed with a single 4 barrel carb, and I was told that when it was purchased by two owners ago back in 88 it was set up as a fuelie when he bought it.... if someone would have gone to all the trouble to stamp it for dual quads... woudn't they have put the dual quads on vs setting her up as a fuelie or a singel carbed car?

I'm open to more discussion on this matter if you guys are still interested. Anyone in the Seattle area have a broach buster or any way of knowing for sure if a stamped pad is original or not?

Thanks a bunch,
Jacob

[Scott S.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Jacob, Is the black object in the picture the Motor mount?
Scott

[Jacob A.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Hi Scott, Thanks for chiming in.

Since this picture was taken the water pump has been changed to the correct water pump and the correct 55-58 orange front motor mount.


Anyone ever seen a Saturday Cast Block back in 56-57?

Anyone ever seen a REAL stamped 57 pad with the numbers so straight?

Thanks again,
Jacob

[Scott S.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Jacob, Unless I am totally dis oriented, the stamping looks upside down to me. The F should be at the top.
Scott frozen in the north!

[Jacob A.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

Your right Scott, it is upside down, but it is the picture that is upside down, not the stamp. I tried to rotate it, but had no luck. Thanks!

[Michael W.]

Re: Casting Number Question (SATURDAY CASTING DATE?)

If it helps: