dcamick

Title says in all!

I have been looking all morning for a clear answer to this question. I have always assumed that the block casting date code to production dates were relatively close.

Please help me out!

All the best,
dcamick

Nowhere Man

I would say one to two weeks from block casting and assembly to the cars production. Tonawanda was producing about 250 engines an hour per an old article written by JohnZ. And I would think the rail cars would leave a few times a day going to the many different assembly plant across the county

427 Sidepipes

The following quotes are mainly the relationship between BIG BLOCK casting dates -vs- assembly dates.
If you mean 'production' as the installation date at St Louis, it would be even later.
I believe they are some of the foremost authorities on this topic...

From John Hinckley:
The relationship between the two could be the next day (the Tonawanda Foundry was less than 100 yards from the Engine Plant), or it could be several months.

From Pat Boyd:
The most common span between between casting and assembly of big blocks is about a month with a span ranging between 3 days and 6 months.

nutt

My '69 L78 chevelle was cast late march for a June build. The '66 L72 block is only 1 month previous.

dcamick

Thanks All!

Very Good!
dcamick

Tuna Joe

I was asking the same question awhile ago on the NCRS Tech forum and a fellow actually put up a spreadsheet showing this info.
At the end of the day, there was no first in first out policy. So once a block had cooled, someone could have grabbed it and started building it.

dcamick

I'm thinking that that might be correct to a point, but I would think that as engines came in from the engine plant and were stowed in some order of in and out! That would not change the cycling of blocks to a great degree........MAN, I REALLY MISS JohnZ!!!!!!!

But thanks for the comment!

DonnieP73

I can give you mine.

Block code: J246. Oct. 24,1966
Tonawanda assembled: T1107 Nov. 7 1966
Build date: D23
Nov. 23 1966
St. Louis 1967 L68

Nowhere Man

I seem to recall someone saying the blocks were cast in batches, then alike engine RPO where built in batches. so a odd ball K19 suffix code engine could have a longer range date spread then lets say a Chevelle or Impala 396/325 base engine that would be a very high volume build compared to a Corvette L71 or so

Tuna Joe

I think the time frame is different for small blocks and big blocks too.
Small blocks could generally have a shorter time frame between cast date and assembly.

TheSaint

As Tuna Joe says if the time frame between block casting and build date might be different for small blocks.

I thought a smal block Corvette could have a engine that was casted up to 3 months prior to the build date of the car.

Any here knows the time frame between block casting and build date on small blocks?

Also does this covers all the years of the C2 Corvette? Or is 1963 and 64 different somehow since 1965 was the first year you could get a big block.