Factory Production Anomalies

[Terry D.]

Re: Factory Production Anomalies

If you worked at a new car dealership in the 50's 60's or 70's (and prpbably later) you saw factory anomalies. The production line did not stop because someone put on the wrong part or ran out of the part, you put on whatever would work to keep the car moving and it was supposed to be fixed at the dealership. Sometimes it was sometimes it wasn't. As mentioned before human error was involved. I'm sure most have heard the phrase Friday afternoon car or Monday morning car! I too think it makes the car special but also understand the problem it makes for a Judge. Cars have to be judged to a standard and if your car is the exception than just make sure all the other stuff is correct and you car will do fine.

[Dan D.]

Re: Factory Production Anomalies

I've spent my whole life around the car business...both retail and wholesale...30 years as a Pontiac District manager and another 12 with GM training / new car/truck announcements / shows and exhibits. I could write a book about "factory anomalies," and how they were remedied...either at the plant, but mostly at the dealerships. (believe me...a lot of these "fixes" would never be acceptable today. But, I'm too old and I would never get it finished. This hasn't really been much of a problem except with Corvettes because of the records that went MIA with the switch from St. Louis to Bowling Greene. Sure, we all know that there are more than a few "bogus" cars out there...but there are a lot of good straight cars out there that do have some factory anomalies. Bottom line...we have to use common sense...anomalies on a '57 or '58 "fuelly"...step easy...on a regular car...make a thorough inspection, check the available documentation...make a sensible decision. When I was in retail I learned...You will never pay too much for a "good car" and you will never buy a "rat" cheap enough.

[Gene M.]

Re: Factory Production Anomalies

I know of a 67 blue 427 , 400 AC car with a different motor from another 67. Vin numbers were 52 units apart. In TWO judging events no one caught the difference.......and the car scored well. We are only ''human''........trying to have ''FUN'' !

It just seems odd that the owner didn’t mention it to the judges. If only to save loosing the points that is sad. The objective is not to try to get away with it, but rather to restore a Corvette correctly. What happened to sharing information?

[Jack M.]

Re: Factory Production Anomalies

My 1966 L36 (427/390 AC car) built Nov 9, 1965 in St Louishas a factory installed small block coolant tank bracket (no tank) installed on the passenger side front inner fender ... a fellow NCRS member I communicate with also has a 1966 L36 (also 427/390 factory AC car) built Nov 5, 1965 in St Louis .... just 4 days earlier and he too has a small block coolant tank bracket (no tank) installed as well !!.

Peter- I was just rereading some older Restorer articles (A Study of the 450-HP L72 - Part I & II)... they mention several examples of early 1966 big blocks with evidence of expansion tank brackets/rivets and other anomalies. Check'em out: Spring & Fall 2003.

[Darryl D.]

Re: Factory Production Anomalies

If you worked at a new car dealership in the 50's 60's or 70's (and prpbably later) you saw factory anomalies. The production line did not stop because someone put on the wrong part or ran out of the part, you put on whatever would work to keep the car moving and it was supposed to be fixed at the dealership. Sometimes it was sometimes it wasn't. As mentioned before human error was involved. I'm sure most have heard the phrase Friday afternoon car or Monday morning car! I too think it makes the car special but also understand the problem it makes for a Judge. Cars have to be judged to a standard and if your car is the exception than just make sure all the other stuff is correct and you car will do fine.

Exactly! I sold Dodge and AMCs in the late 60s and saw quite a bit of this especially near the end of the model year. I remember getting in a new Dodge Dart that had a Dart emblem on one side and a Plymouth Scamp emblem on the other side. Both cars were built in the same plant at that time.

[Jack M.]

Re: Factory Production Anomalies

My 1966 L36 (427/390 AC car) built Nov 9, 1965 in St Louishas a factory installed small block coolant tank bracket (no tank) installed on the passenger side front inner fender ... a fellow NCRS member I communicate with also has a 1966 L36 (also 427/390 factory AC car) built Nov 5, 1965 in St Louis .... just 4 days earlier and he too has a small block coolant tank bracket (no tank) installed as well !!.

From the 2003 Restorer articles I mentioned, these excerpts may reasonably explain the circumstances behind the BB coolant tank brackets:

What then, could explain this anomaly? To arrive at a plausible explanation, it is necessary to look into Corvette body and body panel assembly methods and the overall context of '66 big block cars within historical mid-year configuration. Consider this - the '66 427 was the first midyear model that did NOT use the fender-mounted coolant tank. The St. Louis plant and the A.O. Smith body plant were ingrained in the procedure of installing the bracket on ALL mid-year Corvettes produced up until this time. When the 427 engine came along, it utilized a new radiator that did not require a separate coolant tank, and thus would have been the first model that no longer required the bracket that had been installed for years on the inner fender skirt.

On page 193 of the Corvette Restoration & Technical Guide, Volume 2, Noland Adams states that clips and brackets were first installed on individual body panel pieces, then the panels were assembled into complete bodies, and finally the bodies were painted inside and out. This was the case at both St. Louis and A.O. Smith.