I'm restoring my 68 GTX and looking for pics of unmolested 68 engine compartments. Looking for correct markings, labels and inspection markings. Also looking to see if anyone knows where to get the "OK" stamp that was on passengers side inner fender well. Thanks in advance for any info.

Which assembly plant was it built? My 68 GTX was made @ St. Louis around the end of May, and didn't have the OK stamp. Did have some grease pencil marks around and about, including an unusual (never seen it) mark next to the hood bumper that resembled either an "A" or a star. Also, I am interested in knowing if the driver side valve cover on yours had any marks, as mine had so much grime on it from the PS pump misting it over the years that I inadvertantly removed all the paint when I tried(carefully) to clean it. Any markings that was there originally were lost. Let me know.

68 gtx drop top....

anudda

The placement of that Emissions decal is interesting...I would have thought it would have been on the drivers fender like so many other cars.

I'm knee deep in a 68 GTX resto myself...So-o-o-o-o much to learn when you yourself didn't take apart the car!!

Paint OK '68 Sat'l

The larger '69 pad that may be the reason for moving the emission label to the driver's side

MikeR

Never noticed that before now i have to order a new one

Learned something new on the emission label. I'll have to get a new one also. Mine has the Midland style booster. Any info on labels or tags? I know the later style boosters has a decal on them.

When cleaning the orignal parts the drivers valve cover had the number 16 on the end at PS pump. Looked like hand written with black marker. There was also a 3 digit number on fire wall near heater hose's. It was in yellow, maybe grease pencil. 5?? maybe 567? Pretty worn off. I'll check my vin to see where it was built. Car is orignal black with blue interrior.

Man, I wish my valve cover had come clean without destroying that mark! The reason being it is so visible when you open the hood - I would even be willing to trade it for some other marks that I do have, but in out-of-the-way spots. Does anyone know what these marks on the valve cover mean? Assembly date of the engine? Auto or manual trans? Special equipment? Anyway, the paint on my pass side inner fender just foward of the wiper reservoir still bore the faint outline of the emmission decal, (by way of the old adhesive still on the surface)affirming that it is the correct placement on at least my car, dougsmopars. Does yours still have the OK stamp in place? No trace of mine at all - I wonder how it was left off. I do have the inspectors stamp that was punched through the fender tag as it was bent up going down the assembly line, maybe the OK paint stamp was superseeded by this other inspection? There were no marks on my firewall, but that is pretty neat that you found them - any ideas what they mean? (maybe the last three digits of any of the optional components installed?)Lastly, the paint in the engine compartment in general was very rough-textured in mine,as though an inordinate amount of overpray found its way there somehow. One of the many restoration mistakes I have seen in this area is to try and make it the same gloss as the exterior. In most of the original engine bays I have seen, the paint here is very sloppy.

The 3-digit number usually on the right/passenger's side valve cover are the last three digits of the engine part number. If it's a Lynch Road car and you have the fender tag for a '69 is shows that number as the first set of numbers on the second line from the top. It identifies the engine, transmission and heater or A/C which determines things like the firewall (A/C or heater firewall), the floor pan (4-speed or Auto, bucket seats, etc.) and who knows what else Body-In-White needs to know.


I've seen the 3-digit number on the front of the right valve cover too.

MikeR

orignal paint was under the hood was not that great. Not sure what the markings on firewall mean. I've seen them on other unmolsted orignal cars. Mine didn't have any numbers on right valve cover but did have the number 16 on front of left valve cover. "OK" stamp was not on mine. Maybe that was only done in sertain plants. I'm gonna go over the garage this weekend and get the numbers off vin plate and get more info on build specs for the car.

A12- were the last three digits of the engine part number placed on the 68's as well? 68 and 69 fender tags differ considerably, as I think there is only the engine code 83 for the HP440 stamped there in 68. Mine was a St Louis plant car, and I am interested to find out where dougsmopars car was built, as his "16" on the left valve cover would substantiate the practice at this time/location- if indeed his was built there also. Would be a "G" in the 6th place of the VIN. Anything else used but a black marker there? I wonder if it was placed at the motor assembly plant (michigan)instead of the car plant, as every other mark is usually white or yellow on these cars (rear end nonwithstanding- they had a whole range of colors to work with).

Nope no engine 3-digit part number on a '68 fender tag that I've ever seen...sorry.

Vin is RS23L8A------

Dougsmopars - "A" in the 7th (not 6th -I can't count) spot indicates that your car was built at the Lynch Road plant, so not much on my car will apply to yours. I have manual brakes, so I also cannot confirm any decals on the Midland-Ross type power booster. One source I have does list the correct finish as being cadmium gold, so you might want to verify that on yours. BTW, a zinc-dichromate finish is much the same finish, and should be a little easier to obtain from your local plating shop - I have a 1gal zinc tank that I use for almost every bolt, bracket, washer, clip etc. that I pull off the car, and has proven to be a cheap and extremely helpful way for me to restore these parts at home. If a gold finish is called for, I just dip the freshly zinc-plated part in the chromate solution, wash and dry. Comes out perfect every time, and has been a real lifesaver for my OEM parts. As for the marks on the left valve cover, A12's remarks are interesting, a one source I have lists the shortblock assembly for HP440's as 3462615. If the practice in 68 was to list the last two digits, it might be that your 16 is a 15 - you might want to check on that. Or, it might have something to do with the date the engine was assembled - your date code on the block (if original) might help there, but is based on a 10,000 day calendar so I'm told.

My booster is orignally a plated part. That has been restored by Dewey Boosters. Excellent job by the way. Could be a 15??? Marking was very worn after 42 years. I have pretty much everything under hood restored. Just looking for info and pics of detail things. Marking, labels,decals any info on inspection markings. Any info on getting the "OK" paint inspection stamp. Thanks