latest Jim M. Chevy records rumor

[MotownMadman]

Jason,
That was a nice gesture thanking Jim for his work. He is aware of this thread but is a very busy guy who is focused, one concern is for every question he may answer it will only create a 100 more and it this point even he does not have all the answers. Considering he is the one responsible for the Pontiac documentation it will be likely the Chevy documentation will be similar consisting of build sheet, option codes, originating dealer etc. Have patience gentlemen and lets give him room to breathe, the info is coming, I speak to him on a regular basis so I will keep you updated as to the progress. If all goes well it wont be long, now you know what to tell your wife to get you for Christmas! Jim is a great guy who is putting forth a dedicated effort on this project, all those with genuine cars will be overjoyed at the results.
Thanks,
MotownMadman [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img]

[SuperNovaSS]

Motown,

I did not in any way mean to incinuate that I wanted Jim to respond. I just felt that with all the questions that had been asked on this thread not many have mentioned all the hard work he must be doing. Everyone needs a pat on the back from time to time. Its funny the way words can be interpreted in threads like this. So, once again I will say, you're doing a great job Jim, take a breather and have a beer!
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]

Jason

[MotownMadman]

Jason,
Amazing how things get crossed up. I was actually paying you a compliment for your sincere thanks. Being one of the greastest Chevy buffs of all Jim completely understands the serious collectors as from this site and their excitement at the idea of all the speculation being laid to rest. I am just as anxious as anyone else, this is like Indiana Jones finding the Lost Ark of The Covenant or the Holy Grail. I have a few cars myself that have been like the who dunnit butler mystery. There are many cars out there that dont fit with the common production practices of the time, many are assembled camp fire stories, while others may be special order one off examples which will change the accepted way of thinking. I was sincerely thanking you Jason for taking the time to say thanks, that is the kind of thing that makes it all worth while for Jim. With Pontiac as an example, this is really not a great profit effort, after expenses and paying rights the profit does not come near the effort. I would think that the primary motivation to Jims actions is knowing he is making a difference in cleaning up this hobby a bit, as well as elevating the pride we all have in our true classics. I thought it was rather classy on your part when you posted your note of thanks. I remember feeling the same excitement a few months before I got my drivers license, and a few months before legal drinking age. It is almost like being a little kid again at Christmas time going nuts waiting to open the presents. Jim just loves the Santa Claus bit, a little to skinny though, but just give it a few more beers.., whoops, I mean years! I know youre grinnin Jim! Plans changed, I will be seeing Al first of the week, but I will see you this weekend at the races.
Thanks,
Motown [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

[scuncio]

I sure hope all this comes to be. What a significant achievement. I think it would be just fascinating to search through the records from Chevy's glory days. I'm sure the feeling of brining these docs to light is plenty rewarding, enough to make up for the huge time investment it requires. Thank you Jim!

[budnate]

Motown,
I have one question, what kind of fee is there going to be to Document a car???


Thnx Bud.

[MotownMadman]

Bud,
I cant say as it is not my project, but if I had to take a stab in the dark I would guess it would be similar to the Pontiac project of $35, but it could be more as it may be a great deal more research. I would not think it would matter much considering the values of the cars in todays market, what would it be worth to document a classic vs always having the speculation that it may not be real? How much more is a documented car worth over one that is not? The fact that the info becomes available will cut the existing numbers of every model by eliminating the counterfeit, so everyone who owns a real car benefits as values go up when the number of existing cars go down. A gold spanish coin was worth 20 times as much prior to Mel Fisher finding the Atocha, so many coins were found they ended up on home shopping club. As supply decreases, demand and value increase, thereby making the documentation of the true cars priceless in the overall market. I have several I will pay whatever it takes to document. Jim and his crew are not out to make money, they are out to make the hobby more legitamite and honest. That is hard to put a value on. I have no way of knowing the cost, I am just standing back and cheering them on. Everyone benefits except the guys building fake cars. It dont get no better than that.
Thanks,
Motown [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]

[budnate]

That sounds fair or maybe a great Deal!, I was just a little concerned that it may be like a grand or whereabouts, That may not phase a guy with a 100K car but it sure makes the guy with 20K car Hurt, It sounds like you speak for Jim a little when you say he is not out to charge a arm and a leg but more to get the Info out to all of us?.
Motown thnx for taking the time and keeping us updated, like a few guys have described
I have been anxious to see what he has found, and Hopefully Document all the great cars we have, once and for all!!!

[Bill Pritchard]

[ QUOTE ]
I am just standing back and cheering them on

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif[/img]

Motown, thank you for your efforts in keeping us up to date as best you can. It really is appreciated [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

[Z28DZ]

On page 71 of the June '03 Hemmings is the "Parts Locator" article about "Past History Search" info for your car. The writer seems to indicate on pg. 72 that Chevy USA may have info available ( I called the 800 # and was told no specific info on cars over 10 years old, but they do have the "restoration" info pack available for Camaros, which I have). There is some good info and contact #'s for reference material.

[dcarr]

This sounds very interesting - just what we've all been waiting for. I joined this board just to participate in this discussion. For all the work involved, I hope that Jim Mattison & company do make a good profit from this endeavor - he/they deserve it.

I've corresponded a few times with Alan Colvin (we both own the same type of car - a 1971 GMC Sprint SP-454). This is exactly the type of thing that Alan would be interestd in (and good at). So it wouldn't surprise me if he is in on it too.

As far as the records go -
One theory I've heard is that the US Government has records on all motor vehicles including the VIN, options installed, color, etc. Auto manufacturers were required to report this data to the government, and the goverment used the data for "law enforcement" purposes among other things.

That sounds plausible. For example, the FBI was able to eventually track down the Oklahoma City bomber based upon the VIN found on the axle housing of the Ryder truck used.

The topic of "fake" cars has always been of interest to me. My expertise is in Chevelles & El Caminos. I always get more than a little miffed when I see a fake car passed off as real. Especially when people pay high prices for a "rare" car and they believe that it is genuine just because it came from some celebrity's collection. I suspect that a very high percentage of the cars in celebrities' collections are fake because most of them purchase their cars at these big auctions (were a lot of fake cars are sold, I believe). For example, last January there was a '72 SS-454 Chevelle convertible up for auction in Scottsdale. The TV commentators stated how the cars in the auction were thoroughly checked out and legitimate. That '72 Chevelle sold for over $35,000. A real one is quite rare and worth that. But I happen to know that the car auctioned had a 350 V8 VIN.

A while back I put together a site with info on how to tell a real '68-'72 SS Chevelle or El Camino from a fake one. I believe my site has the best and most accurate info available on this topic. Of course, once the JM data comes out, it will be the ultimate source.
My Chevelle SS identification site is located at:
http://www.chevelles.com/shop/ss_ident.html

I wonder if the JM data will provide insights on production totals for various cars. For example, wouldn't it be great if we knew how many '69 SS-396 4-speed Chevelle convertibles were built !? Once again, lacking concrete data, I came up with the next best thing. I did a lot of research and estimating on how many of the various '68-'72 Chevelles were built with each of the different engines. Here is the result:
http://www.designscomputed.com/auto_...ody_68_72.html

I'd sure like to have all the GM data to do more automotive publications like the one above !

PS:
Mowtown, If Jim is having difficulty interpreting some of the '71-'72 Chevelle data, I may have a useful clue. After studying Chevrolet's '71-'72 Chevelle & El Camino RPO totals report, I discovered that the GMC Sprint production totals were lumped into the Chevelle production reports.