Casting dates vs. build dates

[Mr70]

CRG stands for Camaro Research Group
http://www.camaros.org/index.shtml

Many publications have listed similar info..
Any one of Alan Colvins "Chevrolet By The Numbers" books for one.

[Hawkeye]

More great info. Thank you I greatly appreciate your help. That site is full of some fantastic info.
Thanks again.
Marty

[Nova Research Project]

I have started tracking the big blocks and notice a 2 week span between engine cast date and assembly date on average. Then another 2 weeks to body date on the Novas.

Exceptions are always out there I think a long a 1 year difference.

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

My surviver 70 L34 Nova's engine cast date and assembly date are within one day of each other.

[Nova Research Project]

Mr.Nickey Nova;

Too cool. As I said there are always exceptions.

I am sure they worked the stack of blocks First In Last Out.

Greg

[1969L78Nova]

The casting date on my 1969 Nova L78 is Aug 18 68. Engine assembly is March 19 69....8 MONTHS ! Possible ?

[JRSully]

my 70 L78 block was cast Jan 30 70 and built April 24 70, saw another L78 Nova block that was cast A 29 70 and built April 27 70

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

[ QUOTE ]
Mr.Nickey Nova;

Too cool. As I said there are always exceptions.

I am sure they worked the stack of blocks First In Last Out.

Greg

[/ QUOTE ] Greg, cast date Jan.6 and engine build date Jan.7 for a car assy. date of third week of Jan. Even i thought about that one,but the stampings on the block are correct.

[Nova Research Project]

Think of it this way. You have a stack of blocks. Let's say 100. As engines are built you take some off the stack. Lets say 50. Then you get a new batch of 100 castings. Depending on the type of engine and the demand in the plants, you could have a wide difference in dates on a less popular block (396), and a short range of dates for a popular block (307).

I doubt they would haul out all of the blocks in a storage area just to rotate stock.

While there are certain observable norms, it is entirely possible that you can have a block cast the first week of the model year in the last car built that model year.

And there is no reason you can't have a engine built the day after it was cast.

If you could capture enough cast dates and build dates you can come up with an average time to build.

You would probably see the date difference swing back and forth from days to weeks.

This would apply to all of the dated parts used on the car. However there should be certain minimum from assembly date of the part to the assembly date of the car. After all, the part had to get shipped from the plant to the assembly line. It took time to paint, test, pallet, load, ship, unload, stock, move to assembly line, install.

Two weeks for an engine is a good rule of thumb between assembly and install. However there is no perfect number.

Greg