Need Help with Partial VIN Engine Stamp

[dtep]

I'm thinking about buying a '69 Z/28.  The engine was assembled in Flint in late December of 1968 and the car was built in Norwood in February 1969.  Everything makes sense except the partial VIN on the engine block.  The VIN matches, but it is prefixed with either 4EC, 4EO, 4E0 or 4EG.  I've looked all over the web and through the Camaro White Pages book, but can't find any clues as to what this might mean.  Thoughts?

[z28z11]

Need a pic. Distance between engine assembly date and the February build for the car seems a little large, but stranger things have happened. Unusual prefix to be sure, if it's really a DZ.

Regards,
Steve

[dtep]

Here is a picture.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be paranoid about the VIN or not so I blanked out a few digits.  Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

[ZLP955]

Are you saying the VIN on the driver's side upper dash is 124379N590xxx?

[z28z11]

With that VIN, it is early February (02A ?) - not too long after mine, a late January build.

I know that Norwood was stamping above the oil filters by late December - I have a 12/30 L78 block that is above the filter, so I know that some (if not all) were the same way at Norwood.

Font on the stamp looks pretty good, though - hard to tell about the pad deck with all of the scraping that went on around it. Jury's still hung for me -

Regards,
Steve

[dtep]

ZLP955 - That is the VIN on the dashplate, give or take some x's.   

Z28Z11 - Actually, the cowlplate shows 02A, which is early February.  I read the same thing about the stamping moving above the oil filter too.  I haven't seen the car yet, but when I do, I'm going to look to see what is there.

I can't remember where I read it, but I saw something that said that if a motor was replaced by a dealership, they would stamp the block but put a dealership number on the front of the VIN.  Has anyone ever seen that?

[z28z11]

Fat fingered me, not proofreading what I write - I corrected the date to 02A. My X77 is 01C - MSO was cut 1/28.

I had a picture of a DZ block stuck somewhere with a prefix code similar to this, can't remember that date of the block, but it seems the code was EGS or ECS - but I can't locate it. I'll keep looking -

[KurtS]

Not a great pic, but the DZ stamp looks real.
The "VIN" is not factory.

No need to be paranoid about the VIN - what would someone do with it?

[dtep]

KurtS - What do you see in the VIN stamp that tells you it is not factory?  I'm not questioning your judgement, just trying to get educated about these things.

[ko-lek-tor]

V1230....born the same date I was!

[bcmiller]

I am interested in seeing the complete engine pad area without anything blurred out. 

[dtep]

Here is the complete engine pad.

[mickeystoys69RSSS]

That is the worst grind and restamp job I have seen.

[dtep]

mickeystoys69RSSS- That's discouraging.  I was thinking that they used a wire wheel on a grinder to clean off the rust and that is what made the arc pattern.  I also see the arc in the rust on the left as well as some of the roughness of the casting close to the VIN stamp.  Maybe I'm being delusional, but I'm trying to decide whether to get on a plane to go see this car or not.  I'm not sure that the current owner is physically able to check the oil filter area for a factory stamp which might give me more information.  Ugh!

[KurtS]

The spacing and font is way off on the VIN. And the format.