Decode Mania! Pile O' Cowl Tags...

Discussion in 'The "Paper Trail"' started by 70sportwagon, Feb 26, 2004.

  1. Not sure this is the right place to post this but I too would like to have a tag decoded. Does anyone on the board do that? I have just purchased a car that has some peculiar things. It is a 73 Century that was built in the Freemont Plant in July. That much I know. Being a retired GM worker I also know that July has always been change over time (at least in the 70's)I know that cars built at model change time can be peculiar. The car is peculiar in a couple ways. One thing is that even though it is a Century it has a Regal nose. Also upon opening the hood I can clearly see a 74 cast into the left head of the 350. I am wondering if this could be a car that was built at the end of change over and ended up with a 74 motor? Could the Regal nose have been in the parts bin when it came down the line and because it was change over time it just ended up on the car? Stanger things have happened especially to cars built in July. I have yet to check the numbers on the engine to see if it belongs there or was changed. 40 years anything is possible but the car looks like it came from the factory. Could even be a warrantee engine who knows. I am also in the process of tracking down the original owner. Sometimes just asking them will shed some light. I have the build sheet but don't understand everything I am looking at. I could use some help.
     
  2. Redmanf1

    Redmanf1 Gold Level Contributor

    Try Duane, send him a P.M.

    Nelson

    http://www.v8buick.com/member.php?517-Duane




     
  3. Duane

    Duane Member

    Buick1moretime,
    You will have to do some digging to verify if the date codes on the parts in question line up with the body build date, but I have seen many "weird" things happen during change-over times.

    Once at Carlisle a guy wanted to buy an interior for his 66 Chevelle and said "our" design was wrong on the seats. The car was there so I checked it out. What he had was a very very late 66 Chevelle with an entire 67 interior, including the dash. It appeared the factory had run out of 66 interiors and installed the newer 67 interior instead. Now I had no time to check date codes to verify all this, so we sold him a 67 set-up and he was happy.

    I decode buildsheets, and see you have one for this car, but I can't help you with it. I basically only decode the 64-72 Buick A-body sheets and have nothing for a 73 model. Sorry about that one.


    Guys,
    Also as far as batch codes, I never bothered with them, I had too much on my hands trying to cross reference all the manufacturers codes on the Flint buildsheets to begin to tackle that. (It took me 18 years to get the last code figured out on the 1970 sheets.)

    I do remember Roberta saying something about some of those numbers ending up as headings that were printed at the top of the buildsheets, but never checked into that. They could simply be reference numbers for the buildsheets, I don't know. They are found on GMAD sheets only and my main interest was with Flint so.....................................................
    Duane
     
  4. Duane,
    Thank you for your insight and info. I did talk to the original owner's son today. He was 13 when his mom drove it off the lot at Whittaker Buick in Mn. The car has remained in their possesion the entire time. The answer to the Regal nose was cleared up. The car hit a deer some time ago and they replaced the nose and grill with a 74 Regal (rectangular parking lights) nose that they were able to find. As for the engine, it has never been out of the car. The car was definately built at change over time so I am of the opinion that a 74 engine was used as they cleaned out the last few cars from the line. Working for GM for 30 years I do know that component plants do their change over earlier and since the "74" is cast into the head it would have been cast somewhere around Late May or early June in order to make it through machining and engine assembly and ultimately to a final assembly plant by July and change over. This is a very likely and not that uncommon scenario. Before I retired from Powertrain Div. in 2004 we made torque converter clutches. We would be about 36 hours ahead of the the transmission plant in Flint. Flint in turn would be about 36 hours ahead of final assembly. However; back in 1973 the transmission plant would be at least two weeks ahead of the final assembly plant. When I worked for Fisher Body back in the mid 70's we would be stamping 1976 sheetmetal by June so that the assembly plants would have it in time for model change over in July. It is very likely this car was one of the very last '73's built and got a '74 engine.
    David
     

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