Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

[Oliver B.]

My '77 shows K06 (monday 6, June 1977) as Date Build Code on the Trim Tag.
Afaik the Trim Tag is being embossed with the Date Build Code and then attached to the car at some time around the "marriage" of drivetrain and body, right?

Now what amount of time can be considered between this date and final completion of the car?

First VIN produced in June 1977 was 37029 and the last 41233 (source: "Birthplace of Legends", Licastro). Simple maths result in 175.17 cars per day (almost 10 on every working hour then - quite a lot!) and my car's VIN being right in the morning June 6.

So, is it fair to say, that my car would have been finished on this very same day then?


Another one on the Tag: usually these were left unpainted when attached to the door jamb, but some have been painted (source: "Corvette 1968-1982 Restoration Guide", Prince) - just like mine. Any reason, what may have triggered this difference?

Thank you for answers...

[Tom R.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Hey Oliver...we'll break it down question by question.

My '77 shows K06 (monday 6, June 1977) as Date Build Code on the Trim Tag. After the Trim Tag is being embossed with the Date Build Code and then attached to the car at some time around the "marriage" of drivetrain and body, right?

Trim tag is attached at the completion of body assembly. At this point, no trim and chassis under assembly the other side of the plant

Now what amount of time can be considered between this date and final completion of the car?

First VIN produced in June 1977 was 37029 and the last 41233 (source: "Birthplace of Legends", Licastro). Simple maths result in 175.17 cars per day (almost 10 on every working hour then - quite a lot!) and my car's VIN being right in the morning June 6.

Licastro's "Birthday" book,at least for later C3 years, is an extrapolation that may not reconcile with actual production data...of which does not exist. It's an estimate and no more. Corvettes would have had another day or two of assembly. And remember production increased dramatically during the late 70's versus early 70's.

So, is it fair to say, that my car would have been finished on this very same day then?

Most unlikely but others may have a different perspective.

Another one on the Tag: usually these were left unpainted when attached to the door jamb, but some have been painted (source: "Corvette 1968-1982 Restoration Guide", Prince) - just like mine. Any reason, what may have triggered this difference?

When Prince wrote the book, he relied on the NCRS tech quides but since than we've learned that by 77, tags were painted. To accommodate the increase in production, the station was moved from end of paint booth to a location between paint booth 1 and 2. Thus these tags were painted with no primer but a coat of lacquer. Thus, paint easily flakes off as we've noted on the judging field

[Oliver B.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Wow, lots of info - thanks at first!

Interesting, that 77s had the Tag painted... When I started with the hobby, all sources stated that the Tag should be stainless unpainted... So much more important, that I never tried to scratch the paint off in order to match originality!

Oh-kay, so it's still hard (or impossible?) to say, how much longer it took at the plant to finish the car after completion of the body assembly?
Any more input on this by someone else???

Well, I do not have the "Birthday"-book at hand, but as far as I remember, the production figures stated came from some "official" source. But as said, I as well might be wrong.
Anyway, a calc on Licastro's figures proves very much right with my car's Date Build Code on the Trim Tag...

I appreciate this wealth of info in the forum!!!

[Stuart F.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Where this issue really can get testy is when you compare individual dated components build dates to the body/chassis build date. That can vary based on what the component or assembly is, were it may have been built, etc. To this day, I believe it is safe to say, we're still learning and a lot of judging issues in this regard are either subjective or based on the latest/best information compiled.

Stu Fox (Brian's Dad)

[Harmon C.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Lots of cars were repainted in some areas after the trim tag was installed in the 70's. The repaints happened before the body drop so no one knows how many times if any it took to meet the standard for paint.

[Oliver B.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Actually all my car's components fit perfectly as all of them date earlier than the date on the trim tag... No big surprise, because only the water pumps seems to have been replaced before I bought the car, and after that I only had to replace the AC-compressor (the original still in the drawers to have the front seal replaced some day).......

[Tom R.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Interesting, that 77s had the Tag painted... When I started with the hobby, all sources stated that the Tag should be stainless unpainted... So much more important, that I never tried to scratch the paint off in order to match originality!

And that's the case for early C3s. Too often these sources made assumptions based on early C3 production knowledge, for late model C3s without the benefit of new research, study and knowledge.

[Oliver B.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Coming back to my original question, any more input about how much time may have been between Build Date from Tag and actual finishing of the car?

[John H.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Coming back to my original question, any more input about how much time may have been between Build Date from Tag and actual finishing of the car?

Could have been near the end of the shift following the one when the tag was installed, or during the one after that.

[Michael H.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Coming back to my original question, any more input about how much time may have been between Build Date from Tag and actual finishing of the car?

Oliver,

In most cases, the actual completion date would most likely be one WORKING day AFTER the date on the trim tag. It's possible that some cars were completed on the same day but that would depend on the time of that day that the tag was stamped/installed on the body.
If the tag happened to be installed first thing in the AM, it MAY be possible to have completed the car on that shift, although I doubt it.

I have the assembly plant blueprint/floor plan and I know how many minutes each body/car spent at each station and how fast it moved (feet per minute) so I may be able to come up with a more accurate estimate.

The first round of body/paint repairs was performed BEFORE the body was locked into sequence and before it had a trim/VIN tag. Once the body/paint was accepted, the tags were installed and no more paint repair/touch up was done until the other end of the assy line when the car was mostly complete. (this process probably changed somewhat during the time/years that the trim tags were installed before body color but I don't remember how that goes)

[Harmon C.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Michael
I posted about the same question on 10-16-2007 and must have misread the answer about repaints. I'm gald you have set the record straight. Would I be correct in saying after the trim tag was installed the car then flowed to the end of the assembly line when the car was mostly complete with no stops or bank off areas.
What I was after was the number of stations between trim tag instalation and the end of the final line.
Thanks Lyle

[Michael H.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Michael
I posted about the same question on 10-16-2007 and must have misread the answer about repaints. I'm gald you have set the record straight. Would I be correct in saying after the trim tag was installed the car then flowed to the end of the assembly line when the car was mostly complete with no stops or bank off areas.
What I was after was the number of stations between trim tag instalation and the end of the final line.
Thanks Lyle

Lyle,

Yes, and there was a good reason why it was done that way. During the body build, prime and paint operations, the body is only a "job number" in the assembly plant so the actual VIN number has no meaning at that point. In fact, it hasn't even been issued at that point.
The bodies are only identified by the job number so if the sequence isn't followed exactly, it isn't an issue.
It becomes an issue, though, as soon as the body/job receives it's VIN tag. Once sequenced by VIN, that sequence would have to be followed exactly because by that time, the engine and frame are about to receive their VIN numbers in another section of the plant.
All of the selected components are fed into their respective lines in the same exact order as the body number so, if the bodies arrived in some random order, it would completely screw up the order of all of the sub assemblies. Another good example would be the wheels/tires that are mounted/assembled in an entirely different building and sent to the assembly line on a conveyor in the exact order that they will be used on the line. They come one at a time and are only accessible on the line one at a time so if the body order has to be exact.

In other words, if some repairs are required on the body/paint, it has to be done prior to being locked in sequence.

Once the body is installed and all of the "numbered" components are installed, it's no longer critically important to keep the cars in their exact VIN order. Some (most) head off to the paint repair area and become out of sequence.

It's an incredibly complex system but it worked.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Michael
Thank you for this information. I worked at an assembly plant and understand what what you are saying about the different lines and the parts flow. I hope you are able to provide information on how may cars their were on the lines between the trim tag installation and when they rolled off the final line.
Thanks
Lyle

[Oliver B.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Michael,

got me a bit puzzled now - you say that the trim/VIN-tags have been attached after painting/repairing/repainting the body! So, then the trim tag would not be painted the body color but left blank?

And concerning completion of a car, as they have been working two 9hrs shifts (in the late 70s), it MIGHT have been possible the car has been finished the same day, if it had the TT attached early in the morning, but more likely the next day (not the afternoon shift), right?

Thanks for a clarification.

Oliver

[Tom R.]

Re: Time between Date Build Code and completion of the car?

Michael:

After reading Oliver's confusion with his last post and after I re-read this your post, I'm not sure what time period your referencing but believe I disagree.

Michael,

got me a bit puzzled now - you say that the trim/VIN-tags have been attached after painting/repairing/repainting the body! So, then the trim tag would not be painted the body color but left blank?

The first round of body/paint repairs was performed BEFORE the body was locked into sequence and before it had a trim/VIN tag. Once the body/paint was accepted, the tags were installed and no more paint repair/touch up was done until the other end of the assy line when the car was mostly complete. (this process probably changed somewhat during the time/years that the trim tags were installed before body color but I don't remember how that goes)

We know without reservation that tags in late model C3s were painted with one coat of body color, no primer. We see this beginning in 75 and through the end of St Louis production.

I interviewed a plant engineer who supervised the paint shop in the 70's and described where the tag installation station was moved to accommodate production. His recollection reconciled with field observation of Bowtie cars and paint on the trim tag and reflected in the late model C3 technical reference guides.