1979 L82 Correct Build Date

[Edward A.]

I have a 1979 #437610 and the door MFD. BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP. tag has 05/79 for the DATE. I found this what looks like a plant inspection tag (Form W-514) taped to the drivers door under door panel with the date of 5-29-79, which was a Tuesday. The build sheet top left corner has the date of 06-01, which was a Friday. Why the different date? Was the car final assembled on Friday June 1st as the build sheet indicates or sometime between Tuesday May 29th and Thursday May 31st? Question is: How to tell what actual date the car was assembled?

[Michael W.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

The last car built in May 1979 was 437626. Most likely yours was built the same day. What date is stamped on the trim tag?

[Patrick H.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

I suspect that the build sheet shows a scheduled date, and was set up a week ahead of time. Your car rolled off the line very late on the 31st, and beat the projected scheduling.

[Edward A.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

Where is the date on the Trim Tag?

[Terry M.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

Where is the date on the Trim Tag?

J31 = May 31. That is when that tag was placed on the body, but the car was not completely assembled at that time. That is also likely about the time the white Certification label was placed on the door with the date 5/79. Your car was still being assembled on the 31st and likely didn't leave the assembly line until the first day or two of June. I don't have a 1979 calendar handy, but knowing what days of the week these were would be an advantage. If a weekend was in there the car might have sat on the assembly line, partially assembled over the weekend. Wasn't May 30th Memorial Day back then. No Monday or Friday holidays back then?? I am not sure when they started that Monday/Friday stuff.

[Tom R.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

To summarize what has been said above, the 06-01 is the "expected date of production" set by the zone office. This was the initial date that was set early on when the order was received and confirmed with the dealer. Consider a projected date of production. When viewing this date and the trim tag date (body assembly completed), usually they sync up pretty closely or within a day or two as your data suggests. I have studied and tracked hundreds of these data sets and the anomaly is when the numbers are days apart.

As Terry suggests, it would have been another day or two before your vette completed interior, inspection, testing, chassis marriage and rolled off the factory floor awaiting shipping. May 31st was a Thursday so depending on its place in the production sequence, probably a Saturday work day, it may have finished Friday, Saturday or Monday. The inspection tag for the door panel, I suspect was for the door panel assembly and once completed ship to the Corvette assembly plant for installation. So don't let that date confuse the production date sequence.

Its better to understand dates in relation to the production sequence rather than look for a finite date of production...production is a process rather than a single task...if that makes sense.

[David H.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

Edward,

Your vehicle "shipper" document is available from GM Archives (link below). Shipper info contains RPO, dealer, shipping date, etc for your specific VIN. I got mine years ago when they were gratis - now $50. (model year 1977 and forward). My shipper document matches closely to my build sheet (tank sticker).

http://www.gmmediaarchive.com/?page=1#

Dave

[Edward A.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

The inspection tag wasn't on the door panel it was actually taped to the door, under the plastic lining. So possibly for an inspection of the door assembly? However it does show it was painted so I doubt the door internals would have been installed prior to affixing it to the inside of the door.

[Edward A.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

J31 = May 31. That is when that tag was placed on the body, but the car was not completely assembled at that time. That is also likely about the time the white Certification label was placed on the door with the date 5/79. Your car was still being assembled on the 31st and likely didn't leave the assembly line until the first day or two of June. I don't have a 1979 calendar handy, but knowing what days of the week these were would be an advantage. If a weekend was in there the car might have sat on the assembly line, partially assembled over the weekend. Wasn't May 30th Memorial Day back then. No Monday or Friday holidays back then?? I am not sure when they started that Monday/Friday stuff.

Memorial Day back then was Monday the 28th. So since the tag wasn't placed on the body until Thursday, 31 May then most likely car wasn't completed Saturday June 1st (if they worked Saturday's back then) or Monday June 3rd. Would that be a fair estimate?

[Edward A.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

Edward,

Your vehicle "shipper" document is available from GM Archives (link below). Shipper info contains RPO, dealer, shipping date, etc for your specific VIN. I got mine years ago when they were gratis - now $50. (model year 1977 and forward). My shipper document matches closely to my build sheet (tank sticker).

http://www.gmmediaarchive.com/?page=1#

Dave

Dave,
Thanks for the link. I may end up sending out for it. I also have the build sheet, but it has 1 June and there's no way the car would have been painted one day and completely assembled the next. I betting it was completed more like Saturday 2 June or even Monday 4 June. Fair conclusion?

[Edward A.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

To summarize what has been said above, the 06-01 is the "expected date of production" set by the zone office. This was the initial date that was set early on when the order was received and confirmed with the dealer. Consider a projected date of production. When viewing this date and the trim tag date (body assembly completed), usually they sync up pretty closely or within a day or two as your data suggests. I have studied and tracked hundreds of these data sets and the anomaly is when the numbers are days apart.

As Terry suggests, it would have been another day or two before your vette completed interior, inspection, testing, chassis marriage and rolled off the factory floor awaiting shipping. May 31st was a Thursday so depending on its place in the production sequence, probably a Saturday work day, it may have finished Friday, Saturday or Monday. The inspection tag for the door panel, I suspect was for the door panel assembly and once completed ship to the Corvette assembly plant for installation. So don't let that date confuse the production date sequence.

Its better to understand dates in relation to the production sequence rather than look for a finite date of production...production is a process rather than a single task...if that makes sense.

Tom,

Thanks for that wrap-up. It all makes sense. So in reality the car would not have been completely assembled until Saturday 2 June or Monday 4 June barring any unforeseen circumstances. Good info.

[Michael W.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

and there's no way the car would have been painted one day and completely assembled the next.

On the contrary, most cars were completed the same day or the following day if the trim tag date is being used as the reference. Your own car was counted by GM as being completed in the month of May.

[Edward A.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

On the contrary, most cars were completed the same day or the following day if the trim tag date is being used as the reference. Your own car was counted by GM as being completed in the month of May.

Michael, Much Thanks. That's what I was trying to nail down. If the trim age date and the door sticker both indicate built 5/79, then the car should have been completed in May, no later than 31 May. Trying to nail down which date in May is the question. The inspection tag taped to the inside of the drivers door is dated 29 May 79, so is it is almost for certain that the car was completed on or after that Tuesday the 29th, but for certain before the end of day on Thursday the 31st, correct? That is a three day window then (29-31 May). Why would the build sheet have 06-01 in block 10 SCHED NO. DATE?

[Michael W.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

Trim tag says May 31.

Door sticker says May.

Last car built in May according to GM was 16 serial numbers higher than yours.

Therefore completion date cannot be earlier than May 31 and cannot be later than May 31.

[Edward A.]

Re: 1979 L82 Correct Build Date

Trim tag says May 31.

Door sticker says May.

Last car built in May according to GM was 16 serial numbers higher than yours.

Therefore completion date cannot be earlier than May 31 and cannot be later than May 31.

Thanks. I guess it's safe to say that back then GM was probably pumping out about 200 corvettes a day having produced over 53,000 1979s.