1971 Manufacturing date

[Mike E.]

On the attached pictures (both from the same very original car) it appears that there is a discrepancy between the trim tag date (September 14) and the blue door sticker (November 1971). I'm pretty sure I know why, but would love to hear your input.
Mike

[Edward C.]

The blue sticker shows November 1970. Maybe 6-8 weeks after manufacture. I would think that’s the “In Service” date, meaning when the car was sold to the first owner. That would be my guess. Maybe? Car was built in Sept, sold several weeks later in Nov. Never really checked out the blue stickers too much. I am curious what the answer is.

[Patrick H.]

I'd like to know the dates on other components, especially mechanical/chassis. I suspect that they line up with a November build

Most likely scenario is that the body needed repair before body drop, and it was weeks between the trim tag application and the actual installation on a frame to make a completed unit, as it took that long for the repair to occur and the body to be fed back onto the line.

[Mark F.]

On the attached pictures (both from the same very original car) it appears that there is a discrepancy between the trim tag date (September 14) and the blue door sticker (November 1971)< Mike, the blue sticker looks like 1970 to me (also as Edward points out). I'm pretty sure I know why, but would love to hear your input. Mike

STRIKE ?
if you agree the sticker date is 11-70 and not 11-71 as you say above...

Here's what AI says:
[sic]...Yes, there was a strike that affected the St. Louis Corvette plant in 1970, as part of the...larger 1970 General Motors (GM) strike. The national UAW strike lasted 67 days, from September 14 to November 23, 1970, causing a significant halt in production and affecting the 1970 model year < note AI is incorrect here - it should say affecting the 1971 model year IMHO, which started later than usual and was cut short.

Oddly enough if AI is right, it would appear that Trim Plate was made the same day of the walkout ?

[Mike E.]

My description should have said 11-70!! My apologies. Mark, you are right. The car started down the line on September 14, and the strike began that night at midnight. It sat on the line until the strike was over. The last car off the line before the strike was #2226, 34 cars before this one. All the components were August and September of ‘70. Engine cast August 28, assembled September 9. I have documented #2485, built 2 days later in November, and the dates are also very early. Both cars had 1100950 alternators dated 0H12. (August 12).

[David H.]

On the attached pictures (both from the same very original car) it appears that there is a discrepancy between the trim tag date (September 14) and the blue door sticker (November 1971). I'm pretty sure I know why, but would love to hear your input.
Mike

Mike

There was a Strike during September - November in 1970.

Dave

[Mark F.]

My description should have said 11-70!! My apologies. Mark, you are right. The car started down the line on September 14, and the strike began that night at midnight. It sat on the line until the strike was over. The last car off the line before the strike was #2226, 34 cars before this one. All the components were August and September of ‘70. Engine cast August 28, assembled September 9. I have documented #2485, built 2 days later in November, and the dates are also very early. Both cars had 1100950 alternators dated 0H12. (August 12).

Hey, no problem Mike
imagine the dust on those cars before they got to the final roll-off

[Patrick H.]

Ah, another strike. Forgot about that one.

[Michael H.]

Mike

There was a Strike during September - November in 1970.

Dave

Yes that strike lasted for 67 days, from Sept 14th thru Nov 20th. That strike idle 400,000 UAW workers at 145 plants across the US and Canada. My original 30K mile 1971 Chevelle SS 454 was built in Arlington the second week of December. The car has many parts dated July thru early September including the engine which was cast on July 9th and assembled Sept 8th.

Mike

[Ed D.]

To add another dimension to the date issue: My trim label on my 72 is listed as May 15 and the blue label says April 15. I understand the blue label was the last thing added to the car after assembly. The trim tag or the blue label have never been removed. May 15 is the correct assembly date for the serial number [21344]. This was never pick up in the cars 12 Flight Judging, PV or Founders award.
Ed

[Terry M.]

To add another dimension to the date issue: My trim label on my 72 is listed as May 15 and the blue label says April 15. I understand the blue label was the last thing added to the car after assembly. The trim tag or the blue label have never been removed. May 15 is the correct assembly date for the serial number [21344]. This was never pick up in the cars 12 Flight Judging, PV or Founders award.
Ed

Nor apparently was it picked up by the inspectors in St Louis.

Astute judges are aware that feces occurs.

[Owen L.]

To add another dimension to the date issue: My trim label on my 72 is listed as May 15 and the blue label says April 15. I understand the blue label was the last thing added to the car after assembly. The trim tag or the blue label have never been removed. May 15 is the correct assembly date for the serial number [21344]. This was never pick up in the cars 12 Flight Judging, PV or Founders award.
Ed

My '72 (20284) shows May 2nd body and May '72 blue label. Were the blue labels hand-typed? The mistyped 5 in my VIN seems to indicate this.
IMG_0482.jpg
IMG_0483.jpg

[Jon H.]

It was the GM 67 day strike. My unrestored 71 LT1 was stuck on the assembly line and had a number of factory deviations, including holes in the headlight bezels for the washers and the headlight washer hoses cut in the bundle. The engine stamp was V0825CGZ and it was a November build car.

[Terry M.]

My '72 (20284) shows May 2nd body and May '72 blue label. Were the blue labels hand-typed? The mistyped 5 in my VIN seems to indicate this.
IMG_0482.jpg
IMG_0483.jpg

Owen
Per the 1970-72 TIM&JG: "1970 & 1971 Certification labels had the VIM impressed using the Protect-o-Plate. In 1972 the VIN was typed onto the blue label."

The format of the 1972 label is significantly different that the 1970-1971 labels. Other details of each of the labels are given in the manual.