L-88 block broadcast code

[Mark A.]

Hi,
My friend sent me pictures of a L-88 block he has. It has the LO suffix, and the BC is 1 month after the casting date. There is no VIN on the block. The Broadcast code seems to be stamped in the lower right or left side of the engine, directly into the casting. Is this correct for a L-88 block? I have never seen a C-3 block with the Code anywhere except the top right front machined pad. Would like to hear from you guys familiar with these blocks. thanks, Mark

[Joe L.]

Re: L-88 block broadcast code

Hi,
My friend sent me pictures of a L-88 block he has. It has the LO suffix, and the BC is 1 month after the casting date. There is no VIN on the block. The Broadcast code seems to be stamped in the lower right or left side of the engine, directly into the casting. Is this correct for a L-88 block? I have never seen a C-3 block with the Code anywhere except the top right front machined pad. Would like to hear from you guys familiar with these blocks. thanks, Mark

Mark------


The location you describe I believe is an "alternate location" for the engine code. However, I have never seen one so-stamped. Of course, there might be a lot of them that I've never seen. I think the same location is also an alternate location for the VIN derivative stamping. I've never seen one of those, either.

In any event, I strongly suspect that this engine started life as a SERVICE engine assembly and was not originally installed in a car.

[Mark A.]

Re: L-88 block broadcast code

Mark------


The location you describe I believe is an "alternate location" for the engine code. However, I have never seen one so-stamped. Of course, there might be a lot of them that I've never seen. I think the same location is also an alternate location for the VIN derivative stamping. I've never seen one of those, either.

In any event, I strongly suspect that this engine started life as a SERVICE engine assembly and was not originally installed in a car.

Joe,
Yes, he said he thought it was a replacement block. I just thought that was a strange place to put the stamp. If the engine was never installed in a car, than what is the date that they put in the stamp? Is that when the block was finish machined? Mark

[Joe L.]

Re: L-88 block broadcast code

Joe,
Yes, he said he thought it was a replacement block. I just thought that was a strange place to put the stamp. If the engine was never installed in a car, than what is the date that they put in the stamp? Is that when the block was finish machined? Mark

Mark-----


Yes, the date in the stamped engine code is always the date the engine was assembled.

[Norris W.]

Re: L-88 block broadcast code

In the late 80's I bought a '69 Z28 Camaro that was original paint and the seller swore it had THE original engine in it. I was convinced that it wasn't because there was no VIN number on the pad, although there was an assembly date there. We reached a price based on my belief that the engine was not original to the car. Some time later I bought a magazine that had an article on '69 Z28 Camaros and it showed that some had the VIN number stamped in the raw casting above the oil filter. I put mine on the rack and looked and sure enough it was there.

Fast foward about 15 years and I was in a local shadetree restorer's place who had a '69 Camaro he was building and selling to a guy I knew and he was claiming it was an original L78/L89 car with THE original engine. There was something about the stamping on the pad that I was skeptical of, although I don't recall what. Looking back in the same area above the oil pump there was a VIN sequence stamped and it DID NOT match the car or the stamping on the pad. Needless to say it threw a monkey wrench in the car and the seller's credibility. So I've seen a big block and small block '69 Camaro stamped in that area, but have always believed that it was a Camaro ONLY proceedure. I don't know where that conclusion came from exactly, but I've never seen anything to contradict it and in years of buying and owning quite a few big block Corvettes I've never seen a BB Corvette engine stamped anywhere BUT the pad.

[Warren F.]

Re: L-88 block broadcast code

I had two big block '69 Camaro convertibles, one an SS L78, the other a SS/RS L35. The cars were both Van Nuys (Los Angeles) built, one in April '69 the other May '69. Both had the VIN stamped on the rough casting surface of the cylinder case near the oil filter boss.

[John H.]

Re: L-88 block broadcast code

Here's the story on '67-'69 Camaro engine VIN derivative stamping locations - in 1969, it varied depending on which plant and which date.

http://www.camaros.org/drivetrain.shtml#partialVINs