I have been watching this thread and agree with everything BVZ and some others have noted. Thank you for the education on this topic.
I am also curious to see if the wipe down of the passenger side reveals any sign of a stamping. If not, then the curiosity would rise in that the 29N1229 does look factory gang stamped on virgin broach marks, and if no other signs of a factory stamp on the block, Then these thoughts come to mind:
A. The 29N1229 could be a factory boo boo as BVZ has noted, but with only two errors.... the 9 instead of 0 and incomplete final two numbers. Even those two errors are pretty large in my mind, especially the 9. I don't know the process for setting the gang, but in my mind I can see the line worker just changing the sequential last digit or so engine by engine, and never touching the front part of the gang letters.
B. Maybe along the way in the last 40 years someone noticed the flaw and started banging on the block to finish the vin (but of course this doesn't explain the ghost 8).
C. If a restamp why would the restamper put the wrong year in, partially gang and mess up the year and last two digits so badly? That part doesn't add up.
Just my 2 cents.
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