Thoughts about the date stamp

[jvb6648]

Thoughts on this date stamp, looks a little light to me.

[cook_dw]

Looks good to me.  Is it for sale?

[rsms]

Jim, what is the production date of your 68Z?  I'm also on the hunt for a carb and that date looks really close to what I would think I should have.  I've found a couple of 7A- dates but never a 7B- for my 12/23/67 build car.  If you weren't interested in that carb I would like to know more about it if it's for sale

[cook_dw]

Get in line buddy.  That is why I asked.   

I too have a late Dec 67 68 that I am in need of a carb.  Hence me asking if it was for sale.  What is your car?  PM me so we can keep the chatter off the forums.  Always interested in learning about cars built around the same timeframe. 

[rsms]

LOL,  I wasn't trying to jump in line, just showing an interest.  I also was interested in the correlation of build date to carb date on early Z's.  Everything I've read seemed to point to the carbs being produced in batches and with mine being an early car I don't know if the time frames might be different compared to a later 68 or a 69 Z when they started to produce them more regularly.   PM heading your way shortly cook_dw

[169INDY]

I too have a late Dec 67 68 that I am in need of a carb.  (* Quote Not a wanted Ad

Me X 3

Jim

[ZLP955]

Not making any call on that pictured stamp, but thought the pictures in the following thread over at yenko.net assist in keeping prospective buyers on their toes as to how creative folk have been in turning a service replacement carb into a much more expensive assembly-line correct dated unit.....
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=157658

[rsms]

ZLP955.....  good thread, I hadn't seen that one before.    After looking at the thread over at the yenko forum and now looking at the OP's picture it does possibly look like their is also a shadow numeral under the 4053.  I would hate to say for sure with only looking at the picture.  Big money parts (relatively speaking) sure do invite the fraudsters to get involved, gotta be on your toes all the time.

[cook_dw]

I agree Tim but I have one and have noted several with the same style and date and depth of stamp.  I would feel good about the one above being genuine..  But yes you are correct.  They keep getting better and better every day. 

[jvb6648]

Were all the stamps done at the same time, date just looks different? I own it now, more pics if anyone wants. Car is a 12E build.

[cook_dw]

No they were not.  Well..  Should I say not always.  But usually yes but its not uncommon to see the stamps at different depths.  Without going into too much detail I worked for Holley several years back and I am sorta familiar with their process as it hadn't changed much over the 30 or so years when they did them.  At least certain aspects of their processes anyways.

[ZLP955]

Should have added in my previous post that the 'creative' folk that manipulate date code numbers use service carbs that generally have 4-digit numerical date stamps. The picture Jim posted has a letter ('B' for December) in the date code, which IMHO rules out such tampering.