[74SDformula]

This may have been discussed before so if so maybe someone can direct me to that thread. I have seen a number of blocks that were cast in late '71 or early '72 with some small stampings by the distributor hole. Would really like to know what the reason was for this. Here are a few photos.

[74SDformula]

Another block.

[ponyakr]

Obviously, the YS is the block code on the front of the block, just under the front of the passenger side head.

Have never seen any of those small stamped marks by the dist hole. Possibly put there by a machine shop ???

Some blocks don't have anything by the hole. Some have a cast 2-digit number. Sometimes this number is the same year the block was cast. Sometimes it is the following year. And sometimes it's neither one. The 2nd pic below shows a block cast in '77, which has a cast #74 by the hole. Then a '71 cast block with a #71. Then a '73 cast block with a #74.

[johnta1]

Those are YS blocks.

Interesting on the stampings.

Wonder if they are for something like keeping track of casting boxes (or whatever they are called)?
Line # and box number?
Maybe having a problem and trying to see which one it was?

Strike problems?

All guesses on my part.

[John V.]

Looks to me like some sort of date coding. Date the Engine was assembled perhaps or maybe the date the Block was machined?

Possibly something that PMD wanted to track for a time during the '72 Model Year if it's only been seen on '72 Model Year Engine Assemblies.

No idea what the 1st character "A" might indicate (Assembled?) or whether they might all show the A or not.

But after that, I'd say the second character is the Calendar Year ('71 or '72), the 3rd character is a letter for the month (K for Nov on the Sept cast block) and C for March on the March cast block, then the 4th and 5th characters are the day of the month.

On the I281 cast block, the date is "02" but the characters were accidentally stamped upside down. On the C212 cast block, it is "25".

So the Sept 28, 1971 cast block shows a stamped date of Nov. 2, 1971 and the March 21, 1972 cast block shows a stamped date of March 25, 1972.

If you can find other examples you can check if the 1st character of the stamped code is always "A" and then check if the stamped date is always AFTER the block cast date.

Just a guess based on your sample size of 2 blocks and with one of them seemingly mis-stamped with 2 of the characters upside down. With only these 2 examples to study, that's what I come up with.

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by ponyakr

Have never seen any of those small stamped marks by the dist hole.

Then a '73 cast block with a #74.

If this is one of your blocks, please look at it closely.

[John V.]

HFR, good eyes, haha! I blew the pic up and can see an "A" and possibly some other nos.

If nothing else, suggests the stamping by the distributor hole might not have been limited to 1972 Model Year blocks. The J203 cast block would have become part of a 1974 Model Year Engine Assembly.

Guys with large stashes of early '70s blocks should keep an eye out for similar stampings.

[marxjunk]

internal tracking is what i was told..ive heard everything from location of the engine inside the plant to an assemblers code