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Circular tag punched with number 123, bolted directly to right front of 239 Y-block... anyone know what it's for? Not even sure of the material. It's flimsy like it could be leather?
Last edited by 55RoundTwo; Aug 9, 2019 at 01:26 PM.
Just to be clear, I wasn't questioning the foundry tag answer, just saying I wouldn't have guessed that. I would concede to Kevin as being a better source than I of correct info on the 53-56 trucks. I can see that as being an id tag or inspection report tag of some kind at assembly, and it makes sense it would have stayed with the engine to delivery. In case of a warranty issue it could be tracked back in time to see if it could have been a correctable problem.
So what happened to my tags? My 54 239 was rebuilt so it was discarded if it stayed on that long. But my 55 239 was never rebuilt as far as I know. If they are leather could they deteriorate and fall off?
So what happened to my tags? My 54 239 was rebuilt so it was discarded if it stayed on that long. But my 55 239 was never rebuilt as far as I know. If they are leather could they deteriorate and fall off?
Good question. I'm not 100% certain of the material yet, but I'll be taking it off soon and maybe I can get a better idea. Maybe they just get all greasy and fall off. Maybe original owners rip them off, or a mechanic removes them the first time the truck is serviced... who knows. If it ends up being more like a gasket material, I think a lot of them fall off over time.
In a sense, yes. I've been in a number of foundry and die cast operations around the world. The notion that any of them would affix a tag of any type - let alone something flimsy - to a casting, isn't supported by my experience. Now, I'll grant that the automotive industry has its own unique practices and this may be one. But we also can't forget that under the hoods of our vehicles are many bits of metal with numbers cast into their exteriors.
