The engine build/suffix # was stamped by the Engine plant, the Vins by the Assembly plant at the same time they stamped the tranny..

Cool on the RD suffix Vette 327/300!.

Ok, I think I understand what you're asking..
Here's a rambling version combination of what Noland Adams the Vette guy has told me also what Fran Preve the old Tonawanda plant manager mentioned in some conversations we had about 15 years ago..
Beware as it may conflict w/ info you may find online!.

When the car orders were generated, the parts needed lists were ordered from the various supplier plants and all did their best to provide the necessary materials to the assembly plants slightly ahead of scheduled assembly dates..
Flint Engine plant as in your engine example may have had a batch of correct blocks and parts available to build some but not enough to fill a whole suffix order so they may have built whatever quantity available one day and the balance on later day(s) when the rest of the cores & parts were ready..
A lot always depended on other tasks and orders going on and the parts required to build them all so the build days were often a combined result of available time and everything going on having to jive w/ each other..

Here's where the first in/last out thing comes into play too as a later built engine lands in a earlier built car but an earlier built engine in a later built car because the first into stock before use sits at the back of the stack so last out when assembly production is happening..
Interesting when looking at a few examples is the different stamps used in the gang holders also how old some casting dates are and what engine build and finally vehicle assembly dates go w/ them expecially compared to others that were very fresh from casting through build and to assembly..

Not necessarily your RD suffix but in this era too was the fact many engines were internally the same but the external pulleys/waterpumps/intake systems were different so when the engines were built, in some certain specific suffix applications only the first of the two suffix #'s was stamped so more than one suffix engine could be built from what was made and the second suffix digit was added later to match the external engine parts added as orders were filled to suit..
This is why when looking at some engine stampings the last digit is low or high since it was stamped by itself and not in the gang stamp like the rest of the digits were..

To recap this to suit your question, in an imaginary example of 100 Vettes built in one day w/ the RD suffix, no...the engine build dates would probably be different and again the earlier built cars may have the later dated engine and the later built cars an earlier built engine..

Pretty crazy scheduling at Vette Plants in this era as in some years even the complete w/ interior bodys were built and shipped by rail from one plant to the assembly plant in a different state!.
I remember years ago seeing some cool pics of complete midyear Vette bodies on train cars being shipped from the A.O Smith plant...covered in snow!.

Hope this helps some and doesn't make you more confused?.





-- Edited by Ghost Post at 13:58, 2008-09-15

Just to illustrate Carl, my car, although not a Corvette, was built on March 9, 1973. The sbc engine codes out to February 22, 1973. Two weeks and one day ahead of assembly of the car.

More rambling...

1964 Vette production was slightly over 22,000 units so an average of about 60 cars a day were rolling off the line..
L75 327/300 engine production was the most common engine option at slightly less than 10,500 units between the 4 suffixes used.. Suffix quantities may be known but guessing at an equal average also surmising that they built the required quantities each and every day that's only about 7 units a day that would have RD and your May 15'th build date.. It's doubtful but if they made a batch of RD's in one day to cover a weeks worth that's still only like 50 units..

Usually a few weeks is acceptable for engine build dates preceding vehicle assembly but w/ Vettes it's a finer line as if you check Nolands excellent books his surveys would probably show exactly where assembly production was using that or close to dates..
Keep in mind the previously mentioned bodys being shipped to the assembly plant and it may even be possible to have an original engine build date that's after the build date stamped on the trim tag!.

Yours may be an over the counter or warranty engine since is has a suffix but no stamping and because of that, there's probably someone in the Vette crowd that would love your engine for their '64 that's missing their original motor...but be prepared for scrutiny of the stamping!.
If it's good and depending on what all other castings and dates of waterpumps etc. may be still w/ it, it may be best to consider selling it as you can probably reach a surprising amount for it!.
Probably more than enough to buy a nice BB for the Ventura!?

Did a distributor come w/ it...if so, check the #'s!.






-- Edited by Ghost Post at 17:41, 2008-09-16