over the counter short or longblocks wouldnt have the model year letter before the engine size
E440 the E would have an "S" for service
as far as what i understand, the vin stamp wasnt done by hand, as far as hitting it with a hammer
it was a pneumatic number stamp gun (sort of looks like an old supermarket metal price gun, where you had to "roll" the numbers to get the price you wnated)
so thats why numbers will always be spaced left to right the same, and on a the same line, even if slanted, theyll al be on the same incline or decline, but the numbers can sometimes be jumbled for up and down if they werent all locked in the same notch
and yes i agree with a previous poster, that it is very commomn to have the exact same stamp irregularities on the engine and trans
the only exception to this rule i have seen, if an engine blows on the assy line, + the engine is replaced prior to leaving the plant, that it got stamped with the body number type font, not the engine / trans stamp font
i asked galen about that and he confirmed that he has seen the same thing
