need the experts help with stamp pad

[daves87gn]

gonna post in the orphans but just want to confirm stamp is good first,

stamp pad V0425DZ
block cast 3956618
cast date C109
all he can get off the vin is 19n64384, hes gonna try and get the missing number with better light

[z28z11]

One thing that sticks out is the fact the block has been decked - the lines you see running across the pad are feed lines from the milling cutter's carbide inserts. Pretty distinctive, they differ from the factory decking in that the lines from the factory broaching process run the length of the block, not sideways across the deck. They are also more indistinct than milling lines.

If it's a restamp (which it appears to be), the stamp is pretty decent. The stamp indentations are usually pretty shallow, so a .010 - .015" pass usually removes them. It could be original, but it would have had to have been stamped pretty deep to remain that visible -

My opinion - other agree or dissent ?

[Mike S]

  I can't comment on the correctness of this stamping but I wanted to say you can have a block decked and still retain the stampings providing the decking process doesn't take too much off vs. the depth of the stamp.Most original stampings will have a very-very slight ridge along the characters edge from the metal displacement of the imprint force. Any decking, providing it doesn't take the stamping totally off, will usually even out the slightly raised edge (as this photo looks) depending on the deck cut depth.

Mike

[daves87gn]

I emailed the pics to Kurt, and he also informed me that the block has been decked but that stamp was good

waiting on owner to see if he can get the missing digit for the vin, then i'll post in the orphans section

[x77-69z28]

I would say the missing digit is "3". Which would make it 634384. Strikes me as odd that the block sat around for six weeks before being assembled. Mine is less than a week.

[BULLITT65]

did you extrapolate that based on stamp date?

[VINCE Z28]

Guys if you ever need your motor decked make the machinist stops before it gets to the stamp pad. I had a 396 decked and I told him under NO circumstance was the stamp pad to be touched. To his credit he stopped it before the pad.

[BULLITT65]

Lucky you I had the same instructions to my machinist, he botched it .... it got somewhat fixed but was preventable

[daves87gn]

sorry, not my block, found it for sale at reasonable price and might buy, unless we can reunite with car

[69Z28-RS]

Lucky you I had the same instructions to my machinist, he botched it .... it got somewhat fixed but was preventable

When I rebuilt my Z28 engine (in 1976), I was very afraid to leave the block at the machine shop.. they wanted  to do a 'clean up' cut across the deck...  The machinist told me they would stop before they hit the pad, but I put a piece of duct tape across the pad, and wrote "DO NOT REMOVE" on it...     fortunately they didn't machine the pad..     I hear so many unfortunate stories, that I actually HATE to leave any of my 'stuff' anywhere with anyone. .. the 'I'm sorry's' don't undo their damage...

[Mark]

did you extrapolate that based on stamp date?

Stamp date would make that an 05A built car, and the VIN would be after 19N64XXXX.  Missing number is probably the last digit.

[Steve Shauger]

Lucky you I had the same instructions to my machinist, he botched it .... it got somewhat fixed but was preventable

When I rebuilt my Z28 engine (in 1976), I was very afraid to leave the block at the machine shop.. they wanted  to do a 'clean up' cut across the deck...  The machinist told me they would stop before they hit the pad, but I put a piece of duct tape across the pad, and wrote "DO NOT REMOVE" on it...     fortunately they didn't machine the pad..    I hear so many unfortunate stories, that I actually HATE to leave any of my 'stuff' anywhere with anyone. .. the 'I'm sorry's' don't undo their damage...

I was also very nervous about having machine work done on my orig Z engine (which happens to be the same date as Gary's)So I had called Jeff my engiene builder to remind him to NOT deck the block because it would remove the assembly stamping which ties the block to the car. He started to laugh and said you’ll always be able to identify this block as yours because SHAUGER is stamped under the timing cover. I never recall Radar @ K & G Speed (who did machine work for me in 1978) stamping my name.

[x77-69z28]

did you extrapolate that based on stamp date?

yes, and by my car. My car is 05A, and my vin is 639xxx. My block is also an 010 block. The way they were cranking out camaros, I doubt a block would sit around for six weeks before being built. As I said, my casting date to assembly date is less than a week.

[BULLITT65]

"I was also very nervous about having machine work done on my orig Z engine (which happens to be the same date as Gary's)So I had called Jeff my engiene builder to remind him to NOT deck the block because it would remove the assembly stamping which ties the block to the car. He started to laugh and said you’ll always be able to identify this block as yours because SHAUGER is stamped under the timing cover. I never recall Radar @ K & G Speed (who did machine work for me in 1978) stamping my name. "
[/quote]

Yes but your name stamped on the block does diddly to hold any value if they machine the number off of the pad....

[z28z11]

  I can't comment on the correctness of this stamping but I wanted to say you can have a block decked and still retain the stampings providing the decking process doesn't take too much off vs. the depth of the stamp.Most original stampings will have a very-very slight ridge along the characters edge from the metal displacement of the imprint force. Any decking, providing it doesn't take the stamping totally off, will usually even out the slightly raised edge (as this photo looks) depending on the deck cut depth.

Mike

Look closely at the edges of the stamp, and you get the suggestion the feed lines actually roll downward into the lines of the stamp - to me, that indicates the stamping happened after the decking took place. The stamps should be sharp faced, which tends to not deform the material as much as standard character stamps do. Still, not saying this is definitively the case here, it only suggests it. If the block was decked only a few thousands, the stampings might survive intact, but in most cases it will lighten it up considerably (if not completely lift it).