Quote:
Originally Posted by Bet Winner
I am uncertain about an engine build date, but my 1C Judge's heads/intake are Oct. '68, block and the 941 distributor are Nov. '68. The 28273 carb is Dec. '68, and the alternator is Jan. 3, '69--just prior to the car's assembly. I still believe items installed at the build plant are often dated closer to the car's assembly date. But I assume you have seen the opposite, Keith.
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Bet Winner, the dates of the engine castings & the factory use of the Fall dated 1941 distributor on an early RAIII engine is the absolute norm. The 1941's were also the factory installed distributor in a BUNCH of '69 WT engines installed in late Fall of '68 and the early Winter, factory uses well before the RAIV engine was released. Over the last 30 years, I've noted the mid to late J and early K casting dates on nearly a dozen original early '69 usage WS & YZ engines.
There's a thread on this forum somewhere where there is a notation of when the first non Judge availability of the RAIII engine was, & believe it was only shortly before the actual builds of '69 Judges. My own observation is what we're seeing with all the mid to late Oct & early to mid Nov dated blocks, & "48" head castings, on these engines is the result of a very well thought out engine building & stockpiling by Pontiac in anticipation of the release of the Judge. The very first '69 YZ engine I noted this on was in the early 90's. Original late J, early K casting dates on the original engine to a March built (non pattern) Judge built out of Lakewood Plant. Had its original K dated 1941 distributor as well.
Every time, I read a poster's "generic" date range recommendation for engine component dates, am sorry I have a good chuckle & think back to factory built deals like these early '69 RAIII builds. Similar deal when there is a "my Master Parts Book lists this distributor in an early '69 RA III engine" topic. Its time to get ones head out of the parts books and listen to hands on guys , i.e; Master Parts Books didn't build the cars, they listed Service parts for the original cars.