DZ 302 186 heads

[Lukes 69 z28]

My 69 Z28 has the original engine dated I-8-9,010 block stamped VO908DZ .The original heads are missing. Does anyone have this same dated block and stamp so I could get the correct head dates? Build date of car is Norwood 09C  1969. thanks

[firstgenaddict]

A few weeks before the assembly date maybe a month being that it is an early car. 

[Dusk Blue Z]

Wouldn't a I-8-9 block make it a late car? A couple of weeks or so before should be OK.

Mike

[firstgenaddict]

duh.... I knew that when I read it and got distracted at work... then wrote the response...

[melav8r]

I would say H 30 9's give or take a few days, typically 10-14 days before the engine assembly date is ideal, nothing set in stone on that one, just don't go any earlier than a month and not later than about 5 days prior to the engine assembly date. : )

[JohnZ]

just don't go any earlier than a month and not later than about 5 days prior to the engine assembly date. : )

Actually, it can be closer than five days between casting and machining/assembly; his block was cast on September 8th, and assembled the same day. Although it's not the "norm", we've documented a number of Corvette small-blocks from Flint that were cast and machined/assembled on the same day (cast early on the first shift at Saginaw, assembled late on the second shift at Flint). More "normative" separation, however, invites less scrutiny.

[melav8r]

just don't go any earlier than a month and not later than about 5 days prior to the engine assembly date. : )

Actually, it can be closer than five days between casting and machining/assembly; his block was cast on September 8th, and assembled the same day. Although it's not the "norm", we've documented a number of Corvette small-blocks from Flint that were cast and machined/assembled on the same day (cast early on the first shift at Saginaw, assembled late on the second shift at Flint). More "normative" separation, however, invites less scrutiny.

John,
Are you saying you have documented heads cast the same day as the engine assembly?.

[Lukes 69 z28]

A while back a person told me he had the same build date and had H-29-9 heads .I just wanted a second opinion on another Z dated and  stamped the same as mine.

[KurtS]

Are you saying you have documented heads cast the same day as the engine assembly?.

I don't recall if I've seen the same day, but the day before for sure. Intake (cast iron) can be the same way.

[crobjones2]

Actually, it can be closer than five days between casting and machining/assembly

John
What was an average time from casting to assembly?
Did Chevrolet run the engine shop 7 days a week?

I ask because I thought my head - assembly time was short - cast on a thursday and assembled on a monday

Thanks for any insight you can provide
Chris

[JohnZ]

Actually, it can be closer than five days between casting and machining/assembly

John
What was an average time from casting to assembly?
Did Chevrolet run the engine shop 7 days a week?

I ask because I thought my head - assembly time was short - cast on a thursday and assembled on a monday

Thanks for any insight you can provide
Chris

Foundries never shut down - the melt cupolas ran continuously, although pouring of castings was normally a six-day operation on two 10-hour shifts; the Saginaw and Tonawanda foundries each produced about 55,000 castings per day for their respective engine plants. The Flint and Tonawanda engine plants ran the machining departments on three shifts, and assembly on two shifts, producing about 5500 engines per day each (one every 12 seconds).

Castings "typically" were machined within 2-10 days, although it could be much longer depending on inventory and demand for specific castings; production scheduling and inventory control in the 60's was nowhere near as precise as it is today.

[Lukes 69 z28]

Thanks for the help everyone,but I would still like to talk to someone who has a car that is dated close to mine.

[KurtS]

A while back a person told me he had the same build date and had H-29-9 heads .I just wanted a second opinion on another Z dated and  stamped the same as mine.

Sometimes you gotta be happy you got a first opinion. That's kinda looking for a needle in a haystack.

They should be close.

[melav8r]

Foundries never shut down - the melt cupolas ran continuously, although pouring of castings was normally a six-day operation on two 10-hour shifts; the Saginaw and Tonawanda foundries each produced about 55,000 castings per day for their respective engine plants. The Flint and Tonawanda engine plants ran the machining departments on three shifts, and assembly on two shifts, producing about 5500 engines per day each (one every 12 seconds).

Castings "typically" were machined within 2-10 days, although it could be much longer depending on inventory and demand for specific castings; production scheduling and inventory control in the 60's was nowhere near as precise as it is today.

Is there a way to identify which foundry a block was cast, ie: Tonawanda vs Flint?

[JohnZ]

Is there a way to identify which foundry a block was cast, ie: Tonawanda vs Flint?

Definitely. The year portion of the casting date code on a Tonawanda block is two digits, and it's only one digit on a Saginaw casting (like C 3 9 on a Saginaw block, which would be C 3 69 on a Tonawanda block. Also, Saginaw/Flint blocks had a 1/8" NPT square-head plug in the front of the block, just above about 11 o'clock on the timing cover; Tonawanda blocks didn't have the hole or the plug. Photo below.