Z10 black Vinyl Top Car on ebay

[Mr70]

Highly unlikely.
Tags were stamped from the backside,not on top.

[rpoz11]

I understand that! Loosely stated was my choice of description for discussion purposes here only... please. Maybe they were stamped after all options met the criteria installed at the end of a certain location point in the assembly line, stamped, then installed then to continue forward towards line completion?

[Mark_C]

http://www.camaros.org/assemblyprocess.shtml

[rpoz11]

As stated from the GRG page link above:
" Fisher Body built the body shell from the firewall back, and shipped it through a hole in their common wall to the Chevrolet plant, fully painted and trimmed, including the interior, minus the instrument panel, dash and floor-mounted components, and front carpets." Varying from VN to Norwood in their selective processes...
"Body Bank: Receives the body shell from Fisher, assigns VIN and stamps the hidden VINs, separates them by major Chevrolet equipment and option content, and schedules them in "locked" sequence to the Chevrolet Trim Line; specs for each car are "broadcast" to subassembly and feeder lines throughout the plant."
"Body-In-White Final Operations: The cowl tag was installed..."
"When the body was released from the Paint Shop and it was sequenced into the delivery conveyor to the Trim Shop, Fisher's computer generated their version of a "Broadcast Copy" for each car, called a "UOIT" (Uniform Option Identification Tag), which identified the color, trim, and options information for the Trim Shop build of that particular car; that document was placed on the car at the transfer station for worker reference."
"VIN Assignment: When the body entered the area, the clerk entered the body number from the cowl tag into the computer, which cross-referenced back to the "ident number" and dealer order number. This data resulted in generation of the precise specifications and all the Chevrolet parts required for that particular car, prepared the file that would generate the "Broadcast Copy" when the car was released, and assigned the next sequential VIN number."

So as I see it, all was based on VIN assignment requests per ordering by customers thru their local dealers at the time of deposit, for example...So, the TRIM TAG is based upon whatever information was downloaded into GM's database for each specific VIN ran...and I will guess that VIN's not special ordered received a random paint/trim combination predetermined at GM to fulfill production demands/supply????

How does this look to all?

[rpoz11]

So, let's say...in the event of a special order arriving with a predetermined delivery date(Z10's or Z11's , for example), the assembly plant may have been scrambling to fulfill the orders from the Plant Manager and Division requests, so I suppose the #'ing order may fluctuate to help meet the deadlines that were being expected!?
Mark C. : Is it possible to have an "04L" and an "04E" in the same week or two ...based upon your researching? I am considering that if the "E" was used on the assembly line for current cars coming down the line catching up to these cars, could the "L" represent the need to fill the deadline orders so that "E" & "L" were present at the same time due to the fact that the "E" was over there being used simulataneously? This only occurs on the NORWOOD built cars, correct? So, could have any other chassis besides the Camaro use the "L"? As I didnt recall the time line for the Firebird to be added to the mix at Norwood...???

[Mark_C]

The build week code is just a representation of the week the car was scheduled to be built, didn't have anything to do with special orders or anything like that. The 04L may be just a typo that went on for a few days, or it may mean something. Maybe someday someone will figure it out.

Body numbers are assigned as the orders were approved by GM for construction. That means the dealer submitted them to the Zone, the Zone checked to make sure there were no incorrect combinations or discontinued options etc If there were they went back to the dealer for correction and resubmittal. Once they were correct the order was sent to the Factory for Scheduling. At this point the body number (BDY on the cowl tag) was assigned to the car. The number was sent back to the dealer as order confirmation and from then on this was the only number used to track the car until it was built and delivered to the GM side of the plant.


The cars start out on Fishers side with only the body number
identifying it and they start out in a random order based on the options and color combinations available at that time.

The VIN's are assigned in the order the cars are received at the GM "hole in the wall" from Fisher. So if the cars start out in a random order based on the availability of parts the body numbers when compared to the VIN will jump around quite a bit.

That's why looking at a body number is not always a good indicator of when the car was built or whether it matches a certain VIN, at least in 69. You can make generalizations only.

[rpoz11]

so has any Firebirds landed with this L code in that range date timeframe??? Or has there been a recorded list yet made alike what is being done on our Camaros???

[Mark_C]

They do exist, the lowest 69 Firebird VIN from a car made at Norwood that I know of is VIN 9N100448, and it has a body number of 500433 which would infer it is the 448th Firebird made at Norwood in 69. It's an 04L built car, it's the only one I've ever seen (I don't keep track of Firebird info). I guess if Firebirds were first made in Norwood on April 19th 1969 they didn't make a whole lot of them for the first 2 weeks. I don't know how many Firebirds were made each month at Norwood after production got rolling, maybe 600 to 800 a week?

Maybe there are lower VIN's with 04B or 04C dates on their tags, I do't know.

[Kurt S]

[ QUOTE ]
So, let's say...in the event of a special order arriving with a predetermined delivery date(Z10's or Z11's , for example), the assembly plant may have been scrambling to fulfill the orders from the Plant Manager and Division requests, so I suppose the #'ing order may fluctuate to help meet the deadlines that were being expected!?


[/ QUOTE ]
The plant scheduler knew when the cars were required and when they needed to be built. I don't think it was a scramble any different than any other day. There was no deadline for most cars except pacer being at the track. At 900/day, they were barely a blip.....
Order #'s vs build had no fixed relationship.

[rpoz11]

This is the 1st time Ive held and seen discussions on this as thourough as we are attempting. Just how in depth can we document trim tags? Can Judging be performed currently as to the info you support and offfer like you have so far here? Has the JIM guy doing the VIN research thru GM shared, discussed, or offrered any support to you as well as you to him in relations to supporting documenting these cars based upon the efforts currently being attempted???