<VV> Engine code XXZ?

[BobHelt at aol.com]

Old age is catching up with me.....I forgot to mention an  important fact 
concerning these engine codes.
 
That fact is....that Chevrolet did NOT put these codes on The  engines for 
our benefit!!!
 
They just never had the customers or the "field" in  mind.
 
These engine codes were a form of FACTORY BUILD SHEET  INSTRUCTIONS for the 
assemblers, telling them what components were to go into  each engine. 
 
Regards,
Bob Helt
 
 
In a message dated 10/2/2012 7:15:47 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
hallgrenn at aol.com writes:

Dale,
 
I wasn't disagreeing with you, just thanking Bob for the answer.  My  local 
Chevy dealer used to pride themselves on the fact that they sold the  third 
highest number of Corvairs on the east coast (but still frequently  didn't 
have mechanics who could properly fix them in the later years) and  their 
parts manager--Mr. Disney--had unmarked bare crankcases (he called them  
"blocks") on the shelf when they cleared out their Corvair inventory in the  mid 
'70s.
 
Bob


-----Original  Message-----
From: Dale Dewald <dkdewald at pasty.net>
To: BobHelt  <BobHelt at aol.com>; shortle556 <shortle556 at earthlink.net>
Cc:  HallGrenn <HallGrenn at aol.com>
Sent: Mon, Oct 1, 2012 11:19  pm
Subject: Re: <VV> Engine code XXZ?

Hello Bob, Tim and  Bob,

At 21:27 10/01/2012 -0400, _BobHelt at aol.com_ (mailto:BobHelt at aol.com)  
wrote:

Hi Guys,
Please allow me to clear up a few  things here for you all.

Chevrolet made available  lots of complete engines and engine parts for 
service. If you will take a  glance at Group 0.000 in your favorite Corvair 
Parts book, you will see  listed some almost complete replacement engines 
available back then from  your Chevrolet dealer. Also if will look at some of the 
preceeding pages you  will notice instructions for modifying and completing 
these engines for  Corvair applications. These are the engines that 
received a code "like" XX  and XXZ. Please see my book THE CLASSIC CORVAIR  for a 
listing of these  codes and applications (as best we know).

Please excuse  me for not correctly referencing the title of your book, 
although I did  correctly cite the page number.  FWIW, I have read The Classic  
Corvair cover to cover and some sections multiple times.


But 
In  addition, just glance at group 0.030. there you will see a listing for 
JUST  A BARE CRANKCASE.  And also a couple of listings with Crankcase,  
crankshaft, and a CAM. Note that the book tells you to change the cam for  
certain apps. Now these partial engines could grow into any type engine so  
mostly these CRANKCASES RECEIVED NO CODES at all. Apparently, once in a  while 
the mech may have devised his own code often starting wirh  "CE............"

The recently rebuilt engine my '65  Greenbrier was built on one of these 
service replacement blocks with no code.  Ken Hand suggested that we use this 
block once it was discovered that there  was a defect in the RU code (110hp 
MT) engine block that was original to the  vehicle.


In a message dated 10/1/2012  3:08:05 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, 
_shortle556 at earthlink.net_ (mailto:shortle556 at earthlink.net)   writes:

Hi Dale, 
So you're saying it was up to the  "flat rate" line mechanic to stamp the 
numbers into the replacement  engine?




No, it depends on the  circumstances.  If a replacement engine (crate motor 
- typically with  cylinders and heads) was being installed, it would 
already have an XX, XXZ,  etc code from the factory. A bare block or sub assembly 
typically did not have  a code.  I do not think there was any specific 
directive to mechanics to  stamp code numbers.  I would imagine some did but most 
would not consider  that activity a valuable use of time.



And since you think  some did not (lazy?) there are some engines out there 
with no stampings at  all?


Yes, the engine in my Greenbrier was  built on a "non code" block salvaged 
by Ken Hand.  It came from a car he  parted out. The neat thing was that 
this block had all of the features needed  to make it into a 1960, EM, LM, SW 
or FC engine.



I don't remember seeing an  engine without any markings. Anybody  else?


This was not the first "non code"  engine Ken has come across.



Timothy Shortle in Durango  Colorado 81301




Matt Nall writes:
I've  got one with no stampings..  Currently built as a 140 pg engine.   
Was in the car when the PO  I purchased from got  it.

They are out there.

Dale Dewald
Hancock,  MI