Engine Assembly Order

The following assembly for Flint and Tonawanda engine plants is general in nature as small variations were usually made from year to year.

* Early (1965) big block engines were stamped further to the right on the engine pad due to the large plug in the end of the cylinder head after assembly at Tonawanda. This caused problems for the final assembly plants in stamping the partial VIN identification. Later the engine ID information was stamped on the left of the pad before the heads were installed allowing the right side of the engine pad to be used for the car's partial VIN to be stamped.

Two broach cutters are shown in this photograph. The cutter on the left broaches the pan rail and the upper half of the main bearing bores. The block is flipped over, registered and clamped on the pan rail, and the one on the right broaches the deck surfaces and the top horizontal surface between the decks. Each lateral row of cutting blades in each broach is set about .001" deeper than the row ahead of it. The block is clamped solid on its pallet and the overhead broach has about a six-foot stroke longitudinally across the block surface; one pass for the pan rail and one pass for the decks and top and it's done. Fresh blades in the tool left hardly any broach marks at all; as the blades wore, the broach marks became more visible.