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Originally Posted by TRADERMIKE 2012
Question is "How are the Royal Pontiac Blocks Stamped on the upgraded 1967 428 ci Blocks when they exited the shop."
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They weren't. Royal didn't note anything special on the blocks or engines that they touched.
Really the only way to document any work from Royal is if you still had the paper receipt, or a note from Milt Schornack.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TRADERMIKE 2012
And "How did the Pontiac Factory stamp a Special-Order Block
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Same as any other. Any engine that was built received an Engine Unit Number for tracking purposes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TRADERMIKE 2012
1967 YK code HO 428 ci Tri-Power with the # 524886 Cam on the assembly line (purely Hypothetical question) here. Just for example: "If Pontiac installed my Motor in a 2+2 Catalina and did not follow the "Edict" just like other GM Divisions would do in the day. Pontiac and others put out some High-Performance Engine with Tri-Powers in spite to Racers and Dealers wanting them on their show room floors. So, what if..." How would the Factory stamp the Block in this scenario?" All constructive answers are welcome, no derogatory answers please, I am on a Fact-finding mission here.
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They wouldn't have stamped it because they wouldn't have built it. There wasn't a tripower Pontiac in 1967.
These kinds of "spontaneous" things don't just happen, nor do the assemblers "just put on what they feel like that day".
I’d like to deflate this notion a little bit, if I may –
Keep in mind I’ve been in and out of about a dozen GM vehicle assembly plants over the last 43 years; sometimes as a resident and mostly as an “honored guest” (lol) on the new product Launch Team. I’ve followed thousands of special builds down the line, including 3 or 4 of my own personal vehicles.
It would be very difficult to clandestinely add content to a vehicle that was not called out on the build sheet - if there was any amount of coordination involved. Having done this legitimately for a living over dozens of product lifecycles the level of preparation , coordination and logistics to make changes in a production environment staggers the mind. All of the material has to be on hand, accounted for and flowing in order to keep that line moving. Shut the line down for any reason and the wrath of plant management comes down swiftly and like a hammer (…even if you are an “honored guest” …and even if it was not your fault).
The story about “the Corvette motor in Pappy’s pickup truck” couldn’t happen, because there wouldn’t be any Corvette engines shipped to a truck plant (other than St Louis assembly, I suppose).
Add a trailer hitch where it doesn’t belong, or (maybe) substitute an engine of the same size/shape/family as the broadcast item? Possibly, but all the inspectors (a dozen people) would have to be in on the deal too - so you better be a pretty popular and/or charismatic guy because you are not going to get all those people on board if you are widely received as a "dick". Add an option with wiring, coordination across multiple areas or some other complexity? Probably not. It is nearly impossible to do even with a team of dedicated employees who are getting paid to make it happen. For a bunch of impromptu changes initiated on the fly? Even more impossible. If it can get screwed up - it will.
I’ve told the story before about Dimitri Toth's "421 GTO".
Dimitri has worked at the Pontiac Michigan facility for over 50 years. His father worked there before him and, in fact was the guy that cast the prototype GM blocks like the Bath Tub intake and any other experimental intake during the glory days.
Back around ’65 or ’66 Dimitri was getting a car built and it happened to be assigned to the Pontiac plant. He spent the previous several weeks gathering engine parts and creating a really nice modded 421 engine in the Experimental Engine build room. He took great pains to get it ready and staged for the day his car was to be built. As far as he knew all the arrangements had been made.
Imagine his horror as he watched his special hand built motor go in the station wagon six cars ahead of his. He and his team had miscounted, and some grandfather or salesman somewhere probably never understood why his wagon was such a good runner.
Those that know me and my history know I am a "never say never" kind of guy, but having done this professionally and personally - very difficult to do.
K