REAR END DATING AFTER BUILD DATE OF CAR

[Verne_Frantz]

Kevin,
Those things happen all the time. The build date on the cowl tag is the week when the "Body" was built by Fisher, not when the car was final assembled on the Chevrolet line. Most times, the bodies make it to the Chevrolet line within a couple days, but sometimes a body is "banked" until an order comes in for a car with that equipment and color. Or, perhaps there might have been a problem with the body, and it needed rework before it went to Chevrolet. By that time, the mechanics with the chassis were "current" to the time, much later than the original body build date.
Verne.

[Kurt S]

[ QUOTE ]
Kevin,
Most times, the bodies make it to the Chevrolet line within a couple days, but sometimes a body is "banked" until an order comes in for a car with that equipment and color.

[/ QUOTE ]
Verne,
Gotta disagree with you on this point. Every body had to have an order associated with it before it could added to the schedule to be built.

[Verne_Frantz]

Kurt,
Thinking through that point again, I would be inclined to say you are correct. It would be hard to believe they would build a car - then try to sell it to a dealer for stock, or wait for an order.
Let's consider a possible circumstance: If the body had problems that prevented it from making it to Chevrolet in time to enter it's sequence on the line, what were their possible options? Perhaps it was faster to take another partially finished body and complete it to the spec for the order. If so, that left the first body waiting, after repair, for a similar order before it could be used. Otherwise, I imagine, it would have to be scrapped.

This would be a lot easier if I could find that time machine I misplaced......

Verne.

[Mark_C]

Try this description of the assembly process. It gives a good description of what happens after a car is scheduled to be built.

CRG Assembly Process Description

[Verne_Frantz]

Mark,
Thanks very much for the reference to John Hinckley's fine article. I had already been in contact with Mr. Hinckley a few times on some production history issues. He's is a great source of information regarding what actually happened at the plants. He helped me with some details regarding the pilot car research I recently did on a '64 Chevy Impala.

Verne.
Verne.

[Unreal]

Cars were not scheduled to be built, until all parts were scheduled for delivery. In other words, Fisher would not assign a body number and start a car with the expectation that the body would be pulled off to the side to wait on an engine, or rear, etc.
In the real world, though, sh!t happens. Delivery dates for parts or assemblies get missed. That's when mismatched dates occur. The rarer the assembly, the more likely the occurance. eg. BE rear.