54 stamp pad and numbers

[Lynn L.]

Please evaluate this stamp pad. Car vin 2519, engine cast date B-26-4 head date L-16-3. I believe orig motor, but the YG appears individually and more heavily stamped. Appreciate frank reviews. Lynn

[Jerry P.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

send me an e mail address an I wiil send a pic of my original stamping car# 2042 palmermda@aol.com

[Randy G.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Mine has the same look: "the YG appears individually and more heavily stamped." The 6th and 7th numbers on mine don't line up with the first five numbers as yours don't either. It's interesting that the "G" on yours looks like the stamp bounced or has a second lighter strike below the primary hit.

This is supposed to be an original engine stamp but I'm sure the experts will chime in. This picture was taken when I first got the car years ago. I have since rebuilt the engine...so please pardon the grease/dirt in this photo.

[John S.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Please evaluate this stamp pad. Car vin 2519, engine cast date B-26-4 head date L-16-3. I believe orig motor, but the YG appears individually and more heavily stamped. Appreciate frank reviews. Lynn

appears to be originally a passenger car block. first 5 numbers are stamped together. this is so the set could be used on 100 cars before changing. then next two numbers are individually stamped. the remaining code should have been ganged stamped. the G appears to be stamped later. this pad number ending in Y would of been on a passenger car.

[Randy G.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Here's one from Russ' web site where the F54YG appears to have been gang stamped. Only problem is, look how tall the pad is. Because the pad is cut in the block at an angle, the pad will get taller (wider top to bottom) if it is surfaced to clean off the original numbers to ready it for restamp. Also, wasn't the broaching of the pad on these done perpenicular to the deck of the block?

[Tim E.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

I would agree with John's conclusion about the passenger car block. I have a 3935911 block with a stamp of 0232436F54Y in my '54. The original engine froze and cracked in 1963 and was replaced with this block by a dealership. It is common for a G to be added to the F54Y passenger car block to "make" a Corvette block. There is an internal difference between the 2 (search the archives).

Exceptions exist, but generally, the engine serial number increases with the VIN. From my research:

VIN 2375 has 0555091F54YG
VIN 2378 has 0577542F54YG
VIN 2542 has 0601233F54YG
VIN 2637 (mine) had 0606379F54YG

I would expect yours (VIN 2519) to be roughly 059xxxxF54YG.

Tim

[Randy G.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

I would agree with John's conclusion about the passenger car block. I have a 3935911 block with a stamp of 0232436F54Y in my '54. The original engine froze and cracked in 1963 and was replaced with this block by a dealership. It is common for a G to be added to the F54Y passenger car block to "make" a Corvette block. There is an internal difference between the 2 (search the archives).

Exceptions exist, but generally, the engine serial number increases with the VIN. From my research:

VIN 2375 has 0555091F54YG
VIN 2378 has 0577542F54YG
VIN 2542 has 0601233F54YG
VIN 2637 (mine) had 0606379F54YG

I would expect yours (VIN 2519) to be roughly 059xxxxF54YG.

Tim

Noland Adams' book lists many with some out of sequence and all over the place. For example:

VIN 1306 has 0299141F54YG
VIN 1328 has 0670747F54YG
VIN 1381 has 0318502F54YG

VIN 4316 has 0646530F54YG
VIN 4408 has 0958399F54YG
VIN 4409 has 0958378F54YG
VIN 4554 has 0646788F54YG

That's probably why the NCRS is pretty flexible (6 months) on blocks, etc.

[John S.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Noland Adams' book lists many with some out of sequence and all over the place. For example:

VIN 1306 has 0299141F54YG
VIN 1328 has 0670747F54YG
VIN 1381 has 0318502F54YG

VIN 4316 has 0646530F54YG
VIN 4408 has 0958399F54YG
VIN 4409 has 0958378F54YG
VIN 4554 has 0646788F54YG

That's probably why the NCRS is pretty flexible (6 months) on blocks, etc.

i would not believe #1328 has it's original motor. noland' s list of 54s probably has at least half the cars with replacement blocks. i would expect to see a list of motors that that resemble the list nolan shows for the later 53s were the block numbers show that a shipment of consecutive number blocks was delivered to the plant were the cars were assembled.

[Jim L.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Here is the pad from the engine in #3300. Original engine, never been out of the car.

Jim

[John S.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Here is the pad from the engine in #3300. Original engine, never been out of the car.

Jim

jim, spent 5 minutes trying to figure if the first number was a 8 or a 3. looking at other pad numbers i realized the first number is 0! this pad reminds of the eye exam test with the hidden numbers.

[Jim L.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

jim, spent 5 minutes trying to figure if the first number was a 8 or a 3. looking at other pad numbers i realized the first number is 0! this pad reminds of the eye exam test with the hidden numbers.

I take full blame for the poor photography that makes the pad hard to read. I know how to do better.... I really do (I have studio strobes and soft boxes) ... but using the on-camera flash in a dark garage... well, that's as good as it's gonna get.

The number, as I read it off the high-res, full size image is:

0727213 F54YG

Jim

[Randy G.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

i would not believe #1328 has it's original motor. noland' s list of 54s probably has at least half the cars with replacement blocks. i would expect to see a list of motors that that resemble the list nolan shows for the later 53s were the block numbers show that a shipment of consecutive number blocks was delivered to the plant were the cars were assembled.

Just curious how slow sales numbers for the '54's play into the numeric order. As you know they stopped production of the carbs for at least a month around April of '54, so older carb tags ended up on newer cars, and from what I was told parts from vendors started piling up at the assembly plant as they tried to decide where to put the cars and parts that were sitting around.

Thanks for the pic, Jim. Russ' pictures of #3300 makes it my favorite reference car.

RG

[Randy G.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

There is an internal difference between the 2 (search the archives).
Tim

Tim:

I am archive challenged, I guess. I couldn't find anything. Can you help?

Thanks,
Randy

[Jim L.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Thanks for the pic, Jim. Russ' pictures of #3300 makes it my favorite reference car.

RG

Randy, that's right kind of you to say. The car sure doesn't look like much, but (a) it's all there and (b) it is as tight as a drum and a joy to drive. It's been in our family for 40 years this month; my Dad was the 2nd owner. In 1998, after I inherited it, my son and I (with some help from fellow NCRS members) DROVE it from Georgia to California.

A bit of trivia.... the passenger side door is a cloth door, like a '53 might have.

Jim

[Randy G.]

Re: 54 stamp pad and numbers

Randy, that's right kind of you to say. The car sure doesn't look like much, but (a) it's all there and (b) it is as tight as a drum and a joy to drive. It's been in our family for 40 years this month; my Dad was the 2nd owner.

A bit of trivia.... the passenger side door is a cloth door, like a '53 might have.

Jim

Mine is #4400 which is supposed to be an early July build. Both of mine are cloth but I have quit saying anything is original to my car anymore. The transmission case and bellhousing sections are dated within one day of each other and were cast less than 2 months before the supposed build date of the car so I'm going to claim that as a victory at least! And the leaf spring dates and 241 cylinder head are even money with the tranny. Only issue is the block is a very late "A". It's within the 6 months of the build date but John and Tim have ruined my day re: the pad.

Randy