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Is 4.5 months prior to car production considered date code correct for engine block?

4mulas

4mulas

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What make a block date code correct? How much before car production would be considered date code correct? 69 B body

Thanks!
 
Depends on what plant it was built at and what engine it is. It could be anywhere from weeks to years depending on the backlog of available castings at any given time. The 1966 run of Hemi blocks lasted well into 1968 production IIRC. So YMMV depending on when and where your car was built.

To be most accurate you would want to find a car built at the same plant around the same time as yours, or even better, a handful of them. Now depending on your combination someone here may know but we would need more information. For example, all A12 cars were scheduled for the same production day and all the engines likely came from the same batch of castings so the date range for those engines is likely common knowledge.
 
I had a 71 383 HP block that was cast in 68 and was assembled in 1970 for the 71 model year, so I’m sure a couple months before your SPD is perfectly acceptable.
 
I have a 11-9-69 440 block that came from a 71 Chrysler 300.
 
Three months is the rule of thumb for most parts - rarer parts may be a lot longer gap. :)
 
nitro_rat said:
For example, all A12 cars were scheduled for the same production day and all the engines likely came from the same batch of castings so the date range for those engines is likely common knowledge.
Click to expand...

69 A12s had two different SPDs with production ranging over about four-five months.

I don't have personal access to the details but given the number of engines assembled and the range of A12 engine assembly dates, I don't think research would support the blocks coming from the same batch of castings.
 
4mulas said:
What make a block date code correct? How much before car production would be considered date code correct? 69 B body

Thanks!
Click to expand...

A stated earlier, it depends on the application.

With a high volume block like a 318 or 383, inventory turned over much quicker than other assemblies likely leading to a more narrow window than something like Hemi cars where a casting could be 1-2 years ahead of the SPD.

What are we talking about? /6 Coronet? 318 Charger? 383 HP Super Bee? 6bbl Road Runner? Hemi GTX?
 
Just a lynch road 440 4 speed car. Thinking the 4-4.5 months is acceptable. I actually don’t care but if I’m doing a car and things like date is important to buyers and I have the option to do it, it makes sense and protects the investment a Bit better
 
4mulas said:
Just a lynch road 440 4 speed car. Thinking the 4-4.5 months is acceptable. I actually don’t care but if I’m doing a car and things like date is important to buyers and I have the option to do it, it makes sense and protects the investment a Bit better
Click to expand...

Non numbers matching is non numbers matching.

How does one quantify the value difference between 'date correct' and not?
 
318s and 383s can be cast and assembled pretty close to vehicle build date my 383 is cast early 7/67 and car is built 8/23/67. It’s the original to the car trans is pretty close too.
 
4mulas said:
Just a lynch road 440 4 speed car. Thinking the 4-4.5 months is acceptable. I actually don’t care but if I’m doing a car and things like date is important to buyers and I have the option to do it, it makes sense and protects the investment a Bit better
Click to expand...
There is only one engine that can possibly make any car more valuable than a similar car. When I say similar I mean comparable condition in all aspects, paint, mechanical etc. That engine is the original other than that it goes down from there. Obviously you would want the same cubic inch and vintage.Just my opinion others are free to differ.
 
There is a Mopar guy on YouTube (Thack) that said he used to drive past the engine foundry on the west side of Indy and would see stacks of palletized engine blocks stacked like cord wood outside the plant waiting their turn to be needed.
 
Are we talking casting date or stamped assembly date?

If someone cares, not me, and an engine has a casting date before, and an assembly date after, does the amount of whining that it's not 'date coded' go up exponentially?

And before/after what, the Scheduled Production Date or the unknown actual Production Date, or the Shipped Date?
 
There is no disputing that the incorrect motor is incorrect.. ( think machinist and a go- no- go gauge).. however,,,,,,,, I'd be much more pleased with an E440 HP built a month before the 1969 charger RT ' assembly date than a 1978 motorhome engine. ( insert your own cars details here)
No real way to quantify other than smiles.
 
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