In another thread someone was asking about the stenciled 4 speed transmission number, which got me thinking a ways back. I handled engines and not transmissions but I had occasion to visit the transmission to engine station. I was at Dodge Main for a short time, then laid-off. Then picked up at another Assembly Plant, then another. I can't recall a lot of detail but Dodge Main was very inefficient. Actually, they all were. I'm wondering now when/where/how the VIN was stamped on the transmission and the engines. I know both VIN were stamped at the Assembly Plant, when I was there. The engines sat right side up and the hoist man never looked for a VIN number before hoisting it by the intake manifold with the proper engine hook and putting it in a moving engine buck on a conveyor. So he wouldn't see the VIN number by the pan rail anyway, if it was there (and it wasn't yet). Each "Engine" build sheet was taped to the engine buck. Hoist man looked at build sheet and engine part number on tag, (later # was put on valve cover).The build sheet for one vehicle was broadcast all over the plant for transmissions, seats, tires, axles, maybe 25 places. There was a machine at every one of these places that printed the sheets. There were six 440 engines (from Trenton Engine), in each rack. Same with B engines. From Chrysler Windsor or Mound Engine 4 engines per rack. Six cylinder engines, 4 per rack. Later 5 per, from Mexico.
I know the transmission paint number was applied at New Process or Kokomo or whatever Chrysler plant made them. The stenciled number would face up so it could be seen before the transmission was hoisted from the rack for install. The VIN number could be stamped on the trans., in the rack. The 4speed case number was likely spray painted at the foundry, (or at New Process before assembling the trans) as the case stood on its nose. The line speed was 50-75 vehicles an hour everywhere Assembly I worked.
I can't remember where (in the plant) someone stamped the VIN on the engine. It makes the most sense to stamp the engine VIN and transmission VIN at the point that they meet the chassis, or the body - at "body drop", or the station where the engine/transmission was raised into the vehicle. If the VIN numbers were stamped on the transmission pad and engine pan rail just before where the engine and transmission are married, in the plant, the VIN numbers for engine and transmission could be checked to the build sheet here. This was a sub-assembly line NOT one of the Main Lines, so the line could be stopped and out-of-sequence issues resolved. If a Main Line stopped, heads could roll. Non-union salaried could be busted down to Private. We drank heavily after work if the Main Line had stopped, our ulcers were so thirsty. Sometimes we met whoever got fired at the bar after work, he'd usually been there a few hours already.
