I'm with you. In my opinion it's too close to worry about it being anything but a factory screw up.
I agree. It was mainly implemented to thwart the growing car theft problem that picked up in the mid 60’s. Both of my 70’s, Charger and ‘Cuda 4 speed cars must have had the reverse lock out at one point. Neither one has that junk now, and if they still have the key buzzers, they were disconnected when I bought the cars in the early 80’s.
Ok, not trying to argue here at all. Just remember, these stamps were not done by a machine, they were done by the three shift workers at the plant along with whover took their place during coffee breaks, vacation, sick days, shift overlaps, etc. This is NOT and exact science even tho lots try to turn it into that. If a tool was lost or broken, they didn't shut down the entire line to get a replacement, they just moved on and used what they had. So in this guy's case, who knows what happened? Answer is no one, just enter it into the database as another version of the numbers on a block.
You get it. Very true. Just workers trying to get thru their shift and probably resenting the new 'job' they got stuck doing. This was new for 68.
Sorry, just saw who posted this. Lol. I misread what you had typed but my post is just a generic response.
There is a PK number on the side of the transmission just above the pan rail. That will tell more about it. Also look on the side of the bell there might be a VIN number. I suspect it was swapped out at some time.
I have found that if the VIN is stamped on the engine, the trans is as well because they were stamped at the same time.
No reason to feel bad... Your post pointed out a very likely scenario... The tool broke or got misplaced.... I can't believe Hamtramck free hand stamped every engine... Typically most manufacturers who are stamping a number on every item going out the door used something like this.... Or something even more precise.... Free handed takes much longer
I spoke with a guy who worked at the St. Louis assembly plant, and he said something about them stamping the 68s by hand on the engine assembly line. The engines were assembled with accessories and trans bolted onto them on a separate line. When the engine and trans were combined, a guy at the end of the line stamped each digit twice, engine and trans. He had some time as the line didn't move quickly. In 69 the stamps look a bit different but even some of them look like they were hand stamped. Jmho
