diff --git a/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook-post.yaml b/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook-post.yaml
index 43c5bc27d6..ac6349ae47 100644
--- a/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook-post.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook-post.yaml
@@ -81,11 +81,17 @@
                 metadata:
                   type: text
 
-    # If we aren't publishing logs through zuul then keep a set on
-    # bridge directly.
-    - name: Get a current timestamp
+    # Save files locally on bridge
+    - name: Get original timestamp from file header
+      shell: |
+          head -1 /var/log/ansible/{{ playbook_name.log }} | sed -n 's/^Running \(.*\):.*$/\1/p'
+      args:
+        executable: /bin/bash
+      register: _log_timestamp
+
+    - name: Turn timestamp into a string
       set_fact:
-        _log_timestamp: "{{ lookup('pipe', 'date +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S') }}"
+        _log_timestamp: '{{ _log_timestamp.stdout | trim }}'
 
     - name: Rename playbook log on bridge
       when: not infra_prod_playbook_collect_log
@@ -95,6 +101,17 @@
         src: "/var/log/ansible/{{ playbook_name }}.log"
         dest: "/var/log/ansible/{{ playbook_name }}.log.{{ _log_timestamp }}"
 
+    # Reset the access/modification time to the timestamp in the filename; this
+    # makes lining things up more logical
+    - name: Reset file time
+      file:
+        src: '/var/log/ansible/{{ playbook_name }}.log.{{ _log_timestamp }}'
+        state: touch
+        modification_time: '{{ _log_timestamp }}'
+        modification_time_format: '%Y-%m%-%dT%H:%M:%S'
+        access_time: '{{ _log_timestamp }}'
+        access_time_format: '%Y-%m%-%dT%H:%M:%S'
+
     - name: Cleanup old playbook logs on bridge
       when: not infra_prod_playbook_collect_log
       become: yes
diff --git a/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook.yaml b/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook.yaml
index 455816c27c..d26f9d3e58 100644
--- a/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/zuul/run-production-playbook.yaml
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
         set_fact:
           _log_timestamp: "{{ lookup('pipe', 'date +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S') }}"
 
+      # NOTE(ianw) : this gets parsed by the post playbook.  If this
+      # is updated, that parsing should be too
       - name: Log a playbook start header
         become: yes
         shell: 'echo "Running {{ _log_timestamp }}: ansible-playbook -v -f {{ infra_prod_ansible_forks }} /home/zuul/src/opendev.org/opendev/system-config/playbooks/{{ playbook_name }}" > /var/log/ansible/{{ playbook_name }}.log'