Julian Date Codes vs Cowl Tag Build Dates

[enio45]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: frankk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ed my own car is a 04C build date. I have it written down it would have been the week of April 21-27. I know I did the research on this at least 10 years ago but do not remember how I arrived at that conclusion. </div></div>

Frank - with your info this seems to define the third full week of April defines 04C and the date range u defined. If that is the case - then there must be a 03E as i elaborated on in the above post.

[ZLP955]

Eddie, with no YH production from late Feb to mid-April, and (as far as I'm aware) no Z28 production issues caused by a shortage of 15&quot; wheels, Kelsey-Hayes must have produced a large number of YH coded Rallys in the February run. Assuming that the April wheel production dates were scheduled based on monitoring demand for those wheels through March, it's unlikely that stocks would have been allowed to fall too low. This is purely my own opinion, but I would think that an 04C car would be more likely to have the late Feb wheels.
The question of build dates for 04C is key to that opinion though; my reading of the 1969 calendar is that 04C is the week commencing the 14th. My 04A LA car has a Fisher body scheduling number on the trim tag 'Bxxx' and from the NCRS shipping data, the official production date is April 1, 1969. That said, April 28th-30th would be the 5th week and I've not seen an 04E trim tag before (though that doesn't mean there aren't any), unless those dates were counted in 05A?

[enio45]

Tim, agree totally with your analysis on the YH dates. Likely dated wheel is Feb 24 YH's. Incidently, these feb wheels are the hardest every to find.

Ref the build date interpretation - also agree that is key to the analysis. The 04C car falls right in the middle of this understanding - putting 4-19, 4-20, or 4-21 wheels on is right at the edge of possibility.....no one can argue with the Feb wheel date, that fits with the dated parts prior to the build.

Interesting on your car - the 04A build and the ncrs production date seems to imply the 04A date on the trim tag is defined as the end of the week, not the beginning of the week.

One more point to ponder - the end of march build - march 31st is on monday - so is the cowl tag build date 03E or 04A?

[enio45]

might not have the ncrs info available......but that would be a good ref point.

so , on the ncrs doc, the production date is the date which means ...........??? start, end or ship?

[70 copo]

Eddie,

This may help. I posted this over at the CRG previously:

For Norwood the production date was forecast in the production planning review meeting that occurred 72 hours prior to production. For those of you with &quot;Echoes&quot; on the book shelf have a look at pages 90-93.

Fortunately the production scheduling superintendent is still with us and I asked him about the vehicle shipper vs the production date.

He stated without hesitation that &quot;the holding lot could hold better than 4000 cars at any one time and it typically took two days &quot;or more&quot; to get the car shipped&quot;. &quot;Even more days were required if the car was held up at repair either outside in the holding lots, or inside at AGR&quot;.

&quot;For vehicle shipping purposes the shipper must be very accurate as to the ship date when the shipper takes possession of the product. This is the &quot;production date&quot; as referred to on the shipper&quot;.

In a good faith effort to understand the relationship between the dates on the Body Plate (called the trim tag by the hobby) researchers and have tended to rely on the shipper info from NCIB and now the NCRS to establish the build date of the car and in so doing discount the date applied to the body plate.

OK: First off the shipper date is the date when the car was considered &quot;released to the shipper&quot; -- and all production/repair was technically complete. In the period 1967-1970 the date of production on the body plate in relationship with the ship date could be influenced by any one of the following:

A production hold at the Fisher body bank
A production hold off line at Fisher in body shop, Paint, hard or soft trim.
A production hold at the Chevrolet body bank.
Chevrolet repairs after production at AGR
Chevrolet repairs after production in the post production holding lots

[Keith Seymore]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 70 copo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Eddie,

This may help. I posted this over at the CRG previously:

For Norwood the production date was forecast in the production planning review meeting that occurred 72 hours prior to production. For those of you with &quot;Echoes&quot; on the book shelf have a look at pages 90-93.

Fortunately the production scheduling superintendent is still with us and I asked him about the vehicle shipper vs the production date.

He stated without hesitation that &quot;the holding lot could hold better than 4000 cars at any one time and it typically took two days &quot;or more&quot; to get the car shipped&quot;. &quot;Even more days were required if the car was held up at repair either outside in the holding lots, or inside at AGR&quot;.

&quot;For vehicle shipping purposes the shipper must be very accurate as to the ship date when the shipper takes possession of the product. This is the &quot;production date&quot; as referred to on the shipper&quot;.

In a good faith effort to understand the relationship between the dates on the Body Plate (called the trim tag by the hobby) researchers and have tended to rely on the shipper info from NCIB and now the NCRS to establish the build date of the car and in so doing discount the date applied to the body plate.

OK: First off the shipper date is the date when the car was considered &quot;released to the shipper&quot; -- and all production/repair was technically complete. In the period 1967-1970 the date of production on the body plate in relationship with the ship date could be influenced by any one of the following:

A production hold at the Fisher body bank
A production hold off line at Fisher in body shop, Paint, hard or soft trim.
A production hold at the Chevrolet body bank.
Chevrolet repairs after production at AGR
Chevrolet repairs after production in the post production holding lots </div></div>

Well said.

This is what the back yard in Flint looked like.

This photo should also help explain (a) why we could physically lose vehicles in the yard, and (b) why we could run some vehicles out of gas shuttling them between the various repair areas.

K



PS: I drove by there last night. It still looks like that. Edit: Except the trucks are newer.

[Kurt S]

It's the date GM considered it an assembled, saleable vehicle and was valued as such on the books.
What's the VIN of the car we're talking about?

[Hotrodpaul]

The engine in my X-77 Survivor 04C Z-28 has an assembly date of V0409DZ, so figuring about a week to get to Norwood Ohio and ready for installation would put it around 4-16 to 4-22? My old L-78 04C Camaro SS from the POP had engine assy date T0417JH and it was 400 cars earlier build than my Z-28. Go figure...

Paul

[enio45]

Members, thanks for the discussion and insight to the dates. Good feedback - however, can anyone determine or knows the answer to the following issue:

As stated above - when the cowl tag build date is selected for production, so like the end of march is 03E (which is a monday) then is the rest of that week that falls into April (Tues - Friday) is the car considered an 03E car or 04A? Im assuming they are using the cowl tag date as the beginning of the week, not the end of the week?

Thanks again - after this ill stop and don't want to beat a dead horse!!

I can see in the pic above, how a car could get lost for weeks out there in the pasture!!

[mockingbird812]

My understanding Eddie is that the trim tag date reflects the date that the assembly of the car begins. If your car's assembly is started on Monday, 31 March, it will have an &quot;03E&quot; trim tag regardless of what day it is completed. The NCRS date appears to be the date the car is shipped.