1957 FI question

[George W.]

Were there any EN coded 57 FI's?
Colvin's lists this code as unverified.
I am looking at a 548 with a stamping of F802EN.
I'm not really interested in the block other than weather there were EN's produced/installed in Vettes---but there is a '60 FI unit on this engine that I am interested in.
Has a '57 passenger metal air box air cleaner also. Can anyone tell me how to identify if the air cleaner is original or repro?
Thank you,
George

[John H.]

Re: 1957 FI question

Were there any EN coded 57 FI's?

George -

Ken Kayser's extensive research on the subject indicates that no "EN"-suffixed engines were actually built.

[Loren S.]

Re: 1957 FI question

In Ken Kaiser's book, page 369, he states: "Chevrolet Flint V-8 somehow managed to build a few RPO-579 283 HP engines early on Tuesday May 21st and stamped them F521EN. One of the engine blocks has survived, however it was completely disassembled and separated from all its components, making it impossible to know exactly how it was assembled. Therefore, it is not known whether this engine was installed in and RPO-579D Air Box Corvette or in and RPO-579C 283 HP Corvette." See also page 374 of his book, where he states this engine assembly was declared inactive on July 12, 1957.

He has a picture of this stamp pad on page 369. You might want to send a picture of the stamp pad to Ken Kaiser, this could be a significant find. Or maybe it was just a mis-stamp by a hungover worker.

[George W.]

Re: 1957 FI question

Thanks for the replies,

The one photo I have of the stamp pad is not great. I will try to get a better one.

I have been advised that the last character (in this case the "N") was not stamped with the gang, resulting in a noticeable separation/angle/non linear stamp---comments?

George

[Loren S.]

Re: 1957 FI question

It was normal for 57s to have the last character individually stamped; however, that could raise a question as to whether it was mis-stamped by a tired worker on August 2, 1957 (a Friday), or if the "N" was stamped on a base 4BC passenger block by a misguided restorer decades later. The picture in Ken Kaiser's book of the F521EN stamp looked like the "N" was part of a gang (i.e. all 6 characters stamped at once), for whatever that is worth.

[George W.]

Re: 1957 FI question

Thanks Loren,

I was going to purchase Ken's book, but I sold my '57 to "Iowa" Roy and kind of lost the interest.

I should have a better photo later today.

G.

[John H.]

Re: 1957 FI question

I inspected this '57, presented as the "one-and-only" EN-engined car by the seller, for a client in October, 2005; turned out to be a very obvious re-stamp. The owner lived in a 26,000-sq.ft. home with garage space for 22 cars.

[Alexander C.]

Re: 1957 FI question

Wow, that's crazy obvious!!!!!

Thanks for spreading the info about a fake!

[Alan W.]

Re: 1957 FI question

I guess I'm green on the restamp issue.
Why is it obvious a restamp?

Two options in life steal or GET A JOB!

If you were going to be a thief why would you work so hard to restore a car to be a cheap crook?

Alan

[Edward L.]

Re: 1957 FI question

I guess I'm green on the restamp issue.
Why is it obvious a restamp?

Two options in life steal or GET A JOB!

If you were going to be a thief why would you work so hard to restore a car to be a cheap crook?

Alan

If the engine was assembled on February 25, the stamp should read F225EN, not F0225EN. Two digit months started in 1960.

[George W.]

Re: 1957 FI question

The engine block has the casting date H 1 7.
Would it have been possible to have an assembly date (on the stamp pad) just one day later? (stamp pad is F802EN)
G.

[William C.]

Re: 1957 FI question

Quite possible, blocks were delivered from saginaw to Flint (about 50 miles) in multiple truckloads every day, all day long.

[Dan D.]

Re: 1957 FI question

I have a 1962 870 block that was built 1 day after the casting date. I bought the engine new so I know it is real. I asked this question on the forum about a year ago and everyone said it was very possible. I have another 870 block that was cast June 28 (F282) and assembled July 2 (F0702RE), so they ran very close back then. Also the 1 day could be close to 2 days if the block was cast early in the day and assembled late the next day. -Dan-

[George W.]

Re: 1957 FI question

Thank you.
Hope to have better photos of the stamp pad soon.
Are there "time" casting on these blocks?

[John H.]

Re: 1957 FI question

Thank you.
Hope to have better photos of the stamp pad soon.
Are there "time" casting on these blocks?

George -

Not on '57 blocks - the "casting clock" started about seven years later.