VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

[Ralph S.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Jimmy, The papers I collected would have been tossed in the trash at new car prep time. That's why I used to take them

[Ralph S.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

This 72 LT-1 is in the C3 Registry located in Georgia anyone know this car ?

[Michael J.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

The tank stickers I have do not have the lower part of this form (no heavy bold horizontal line and nothing below it), so guess they were not on the tank sticker then, just the copies put in the car?

[Alan S.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Hi,
Another picture from Ralph.
Regards,
Alan

[Ralph S.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

This sheet is from a 1970 VIN 9063

[Terry M.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

The sheets Ralph has were sometimes retained by the dealer in the "deal jacket," a file of paperwork for each car sold. In most cases these were disposed of after some years passed, but some people have been lucky enough to find such a treasure years later.

Jimmy, to answer your question about articles on this subject for pre-1973 Corvettes. I am not aware of any in the NCRS literature. I can't speak for all of the many "buff books" that have existed over the years, but I am not familiar with any articles on the subject. Post 1973 there is an excellent book that is sold by NCRS among others.

[Tom R.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Hib Haverson, in a review of Corvette Buildsheet Book: A Study Guide for 1973-82 Build Records , asked why it did not include 1967-72 buildsheets. My response was that the assumption that 1973-82 production was the same as that from 1968-72, shifts in 1973 with the GMAD buildsheet from that of pre-1973 tank stickers representing the Corvette Order Copy as described above.

Since then, I have many ask about a guidebook that describes in sufficient detail to explain the nuances, as described above, with this group of sales/production documents. The interest is out there as shown with this poster but requires a depository of tank stickers to study, analyze and draw some reasonable conclusions.

[Jimmy P.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Terry, thank you for answering my question about Pre-73 NCRS documentation literatures' availability and mention of the post 73 book. I've had Tom's book "Corvette Buildsheet Book-A Study Guide For 73-82 Records", since I've had my 73 and he and I have gone over my original Buildsheet in detail.
&
Hello Tom, nice to hear from you too, on this topic

[Michael J.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Thanks, the other copies of the tank sticker, with more detail, are interesting. But, I have looked at several dozen '72 tank stickers (the actual ones on the tank), and I have not seen any of the additional detail the ones put other places have as in the pictures above. Has anyone?

[Kevin G.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Thanks, the other copies of the tank sticker, with more detail, are interesting. But, I have looked at several dozen '72 tank stickers (the actual ones on the tank), and I have not seen any of the additional detail the ones put other places have as in the pictures above. Has anyone?

Mike, I just knew the addition of the photos above would cause some confusion.....The sheets from Alan and Ralph above, while very interesting and informative don't relate directly to the question you asked, and will add some confusion to the future readers of this thread.

As I mentioned above, most 1972 Corvette "TANK SHEETS", the ones found glued to the tank (as in the one you're in question about) will show in reverse these numbers.

I do find it odd, that now several high performance, extremely rare (LT-1, ZR-1), 72 examples are being shown or advertised without the numbers present?

[Michael J.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Thanks Kevin, yes I am looking at a '72 ZR1 that is up for auction next month, the PDF file above and yes I am suspicious, but in researching the actual tank stickers, I also find some more modest cars that look the same, no VIN or carbon impressions on the bottom, like these:

[Kevin G.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Thanks Kevin, yes I am looking at a '72 ZR1 that is up for auction next month, the PDF file above and yes I am suspicious, but in researching the actual tank stickers, I also find some more modest cars that look the same, no VIN or carbon impressions on the bottom, like these:

Best of luck in your research, ZR1 cool car! Casting judgment on a paper document over a computer screen can lead to trouble or misleading information. There are sources that can be used to determine the appearance or not, of the carbon copied numbers by comparing cars built just before or after. Perhaps you might reach out to some, that are in possession of such documents?

Again, good luck!

[Michael J.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Thanks Kevin, I have probably the world's best Corvette inspector on the case. But it is very disappointing to have to go through all of this just to buy a Corvette, but after my '67 L71 experience, I have vowed to "not be fooled again".

[Tom R.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Since I'm relatively new to the NCRS is there any past "restorer" articles that go into all this in more detail? (Pre - 73) And more importantly how would I be able to obtain it?

A most interesting thread that continues to have legs. So a couple of thoughts and comments...some of which is known to the posters above.

Al Grenning documented some of the original "structured" thinking on Corvette sales/production documentation. His work was offered primarily through judging seminars at regionals and captured in The Corvette Restorer as a series of two technical papers in 2001 "Part I: Corvette Build Orders 1965-1966" and "Part II: 1965-67 Build Orders." His work described sales documents and how those were used in production and ended up on the tank. Essentially, that is what this thread is about but the copy in "dealer Jacket" illustrates the cautions that should be exercised when looking at pre-GMAD tank sticker or the portrait style buildsheet. Many copies were distributed and as described here, the plant did things to copies that were not done to other copies...such as the dealer jacket or other copies in the sales process. Plant workers wrote numbers( job numbers, VIN sequence) and apparently stamped other numbers as well.

John Hinckley followed from Grenning's work with an article in The Corvette Restorer titled "Numbers and the Missing Link" published Spring 2003. This series of articles are available through the NCRS The Corvette Restorer DVDseries. Hinckley's article introduces us to job numbers and how those hand scratched numbers on Corvette Order Copies (tank stickers) related to body panel job numbers. He also describes the Broadcast Copy and Chassis Copy manifests that were the precursor to the GMAD style buildsheet.

Russo followed in 2006 and later with a series of three articles that looked at 1973-82 GMAD style buildsheets.

To summarize, the GMAD manifest (buildsheet) captures data and practices that evolved from the plant's use of the Corvette Order Copy and the Broadcast and Chassis Manifest with its use in 1973. Eventually by 1975, all the hand scratching on paper ended. It was Wil Cooksey as a process engineer during these years of plant production that introduced several of these practices.

[Jimmy P.]

Re: VIN number on tank sticker in '72?

Tom,
Thank you for adding this information. I will definitely try to get the Grenning articles and the Hinckly articles from the Corvette RestorerDVD Series.
As you well know I have great interest in all this documentation stuff. Another important bit of information I get from this thread is as you point out along with others above that the "actual glued to the tank sticker" document during the years 67-72 did not appear the same or have the same information on it as the "dealer jacket" or other end of the line forms of documentation.
Finally, I would like to thank all those who responded to this thread with all the documents and their knowledge. IMO there is a lot of valuable information here and threads like this are why I am so glad that I became a member of the NCRS.
Happy Hoildays to all!