Casting date lead time for date correct block 1968

[wasco]

What's the general pattern regarding lead time for an engine? Say the car was built April 8, 1968 (St. Louis - if the assembly line matters) - would the block have a casting date two weeks-ish earlier? A month?

 

[dadsbee]

Could have been mid 67, who knows. Cast, cast, cast.. stack, stack, stack. Last in was the first out most likely.

That said, my Wife's #'s 67 383 Barracuda Formula S engine was cast in January and built in March for an April built car.

My 69 Bee engine wasn't cast until early February '69, built Feb 26th for a SPD on the car of Feb 25th. Exhaust manifolds weren't cast until Feb 27th!

 

[eldubb440]

it's not so much about the casting date as it is about the assembly date

 

[toolmanmike]

Yep, LIFO. (Last in, first out) they didn't rotate their inventory like they do at the grocery store. Could be a few weeks to a few months prior to the assembly date.

 

[mr_belvedere]

I believe there are a few things that factor in here…. The cast, cast, cast-stack, stack, stack certainly plays a part. Worked in an iron foundry, seen this first hand. Don’t get too caught up in casting dates on blocks. Pay more attention to the engine’s assembly date stamped into the engine block for the appropriate model year. Unless a block has been restamped, I guarantee the casting date will precede the assembly date. So it seems the time window between engine assembly and scheduled production date would matter most for a ‘correct dated cylinder block’.

Question for anyone that may have an answer/was there-
Did Chrysler have multiple engine assembly plants? Did Mound Road only serve the Detroit area auto assembly plants? Did St. Louis have engine assembly? Could there be additional time lapse if engines were trucked to St. Louis from Detroit?

I have a Lynch Road built ‘67 GTX- scheduled production was 9-13-66, engine assembled on 9-6-66. The block was cast on 4-25-66.
My ‘68 RR (also Lynch Rd.) Scheduled production 11-9-67. Engine assembled 11-6-67. Haven’t looked at a casting date yet, but I know it will precede both of those dates as it is a numbers matching engine/trans.

Hope these examples help!

 

[monaco66coupe]

lots of variation,

I sold a 1974 440HP engine from a totalled charger (this was in 2012)and the cast date was June of 1971.Chrysler clearly had a lot of leftover blocks, as the vin# was correct for the charger. It was also a forged crank engine.
I still have the 489 Suregrip from that car.

 

[turbine68rt]

As mentioned, the cast date can vary widely. I have a SPD of 4/23/68. The block was cast March of '67. Assembled 4/17/68.

 

[cosgig]

I had and sold a 383 cast in 1968 that was assembled and stamped for a 1971 model car.

 

[pnora]

I always hear about these supposed blocks cast years before the car was built but have never seen any proof.

 

[turbine68rt]

Here's one with a 13 month difference.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Bought a Hemi from a 68 GTX cast 10/10/66. My 66 Satellite block cast 1/21/66 engine assembled 2/20/66 scheduled production date 3/8/66.

 

[1STMP]

440 blocks stacked outside
for seasoning.