engine stamps

[fireZ]

Were Flint and Tonawanda engine stamps the same font and size? I have a friendly argument with a young fellow and he says they both had totally differant stamping sets. Thank for your ideas

[JohnZ]

Engine plant stamp fonts were the same size (character height) at both plants, but the font styles themselves varied; although the gang holders were similar, the individual dies were purchased from several sources and weren't always identical. Engine plant stampings must be viewed in the context of when they were struck and compared to other stamps with the same date and suffix stamped on the same day. A gang holder was set up with that day's date and suffix for each suffix type to be produced that day, and was used all day long (two shifts); if 20 different suffix types were scheduled to be produced on a given day, 20 gang holders were set up that morning and placed in a pigeon-hole rack at the stamping station for the operator to select from. Photo below is a Tonawanda big-block gang holder - note the cotter pin that holds the seven individual dies in place in the holder.

[fireZ]

i guess what I am asking is would a small block from Flint have the identical style as far as font and size as a big block from Tonawanda? I am saying they are but by buddy says the big blocks had a totally different font and size of stamp. How did the fonts differ?

[JohnZ]

i guess what I am asking is would a small block from Flint have the identical style as far as font and size as a big block from Tonawanda? I am saying they are but by buddy says the big blocks had a totally different font and size of stamp. How did the fonts differ?

Your buddy is misinformed - as I noted above, the engine plant stamp font SIZES were the same at all engine plants (that was specified by Engineering), but the font STYLES could differ, especially for the number characters, depending on which supplier the dies came from. Nobody in the engine plants paid any attention to font styles - all that mattered was setting up the date and suffix correctly in the holders at the start of the shift.

[fireZ]

Thanks John I have forwarded the reply to the fellow I was having the disagreement with. Thanks Paul

[cjm465]

Engine plant stamp fonts were the same size (character height) at both plants, but the font styles themselves varied; although the gang holders were similar, the individual dies were purchased from several sources and weren't always identical. Engine plant stampings must be viewed in the context of when they were struck and compared to other stamps with the same date and suffix stamped on the same day. A gang holder was set up with that day's date and suffix for each suffix type to be produced that day, and was used all day long (two shifts); if 20 different suffix types were scheduled to be produced on a given day, 20 gang holders were set up that morning and placed in a pigeon-hole rack at the stamping station for the operator to select from. Photo below is a Tonawanda big-block gang holder - note the cotter pin that holds the seven individual dies in place in the holder.

might you have one of those in a size: 69 mid-january DZ. I would only need it for less than two minutes....ok I'll get lost now.

 

[JohnZ]

might you have one of those in a size: 69 mid-january DZ. I would only need it for less than two minutes....ok I'll get lost now.

 

Nope.

[VINCE Z28]

I know it's a old post just found it, look at the 9 in the VIN. Original stamp...

[firstgenaddict]

I know it's a old post just found it, look at the 9 in the VIN. Original stamp...

Yes there are many LOS stampings that look like that, Charlie has a pic of some good examples another that comes to mind is the 9000 mile garnet red car which also has the different size numbers it's VIN derivatives.

[ban617]

 Have a late Jan complete 302