Trying to figure out the history of build sheets. When did the auto manufacturers start putting them in the cars? Is this a musclecar thing? Or is it older than that? Did they put them in every car, or just certain ones that were ordered special from the factory? Thanks
I'll take a shot at this one, not as a Buick expert but as a guy that's worked in GM assembly plants for almost 30 years: I believe build sheets started to be used in the mid 50's, when the option content on vehicles started to vary a little bit (that is, prior to that most of the vehicles were built pretty much with the same options). They were in use long before I joined GM in 1979 and are still in use today. Having said that, it means they were in place prior to the advent of musclecars (it was not a "musclecar" thing). Techncially, they weren't supposed to remain in the vehicles at all; they were just an assembly aid to help the operators know which parts to put on (or which holes to drill), but it was easier to leave them in place than to wad them up and throw them away. That's why you will sometimes find them with a bolt driven through them or paint sprayed over them or two in the same vehicle (or none in a vehicle). K
