Look what I found

[J and M Machine]

I found this inspectors mark while cleaning the dipper tray on a Model A engine we are reassembling.
I thought it was interesting enough to post. As it survived after all those years in acidic oil.

[Gary WA]

Very interesting! Thanks.

[James Rogers]

Very cool! I would have to keep that for a keepsake.

[FL&WVMIKE]

J & M Machine ..........................
I bet that is the first that has seen the light of day for decades !
I don't understand how it survived. That might be unique !
MIKE

[JimK1930A]

How cool is that!
Worth a photo for framing and reference too!

[Steve Wastler]

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Pretty cool, I wonder if they all had that stamp....

[darrylkmc]

Looks to me like that inspection stamp was placed on the metal prior to forming the tray.

Darryl in Fairbanks

[Don/WI]

I would guess that the inspection stamp was for the sheet of steel that was used when stamping out the dipper tray. Not an inspection stamp for the dipper tray itself. Just a thought. Don/WI

[Mike V. Florida]

That is way cool.

[[email protected]]

Like Don/WI said; It's fairly obvious the stamp was put on before the part was formed. It was an Empire inspector that stamped the raw matl when it was still a sheet. The pan was probably formed in a punch press out of a sheet the pan manufacturer (possibly Ford) purchased from Empire. That would tell me that there's a chance that there are more of them out there but not every pan is going to have the stamp on them. There are probably 6 or 7 more out there that came from the same sheet of steel. What a fantastic find.

[J and M Machine]

Yes That's correct as the stamp of "Empire" was stamped by Inspector 8 as a sheet from what I could read it says Mansfield Ohio.
I have never seen this before on any Ford product as I thought they made all of their own materials rather than buying it through third party sources. Hence Rouge river comes in as raw material goes out as a car. So I may guestimate that the dipper trays were made outside the Ford walls?

[Roadster62]

Wonder if the sheet of steel was shipped as a 4x8 or cut to size ready for the punch press?

[Aerocraft]

The Empire Steel Company still exsists in Mansfield, Ohio. Gar Williams

[Roger V]

I used to live about ten miles north of Empire Steel in Mansfield. It was one of the bigger employers back then.

[Stinch]

I'm amazed how clean that dipper tray is. The spares I have are stained black with some metal visible. Almost a shame to put it back in the engine. Not often inspector stamps are found on these old cars.

Rich

[peters180a/170b]

Put it on ebay>>>>>> L.O.L.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Stinch

I'm amazed how clean that dipper tray is. The spares I have are stained black with some metal visible. Almost a shame to put it back in the engine. Not often inspector stamps are found on these old cars.

Rich

I was wondering the same thing as Rich. I can't figure out how it is that nice. I'd say it should stay out of the car and be used as a show 'n' tell part.

[J and M Machine]

The reason that it's so clean is that we washed it in our "Jet Spray".
The solution is alkaline "Sodium Hydroxide" will remove the fingers with the prints.

www.jandm-machine.com

[329s]

I agree with some of the upper post...replace it with another and frame the one with the mark on it or you will never see it again!

Pluck