Frame stencil date vs trim tag date

[Tom R.]

This past weekend judged chassis for the 1978-82 class and looked at a Pace Car with a frame date of (stencil) of 4.3.78 while the trim tag date code was H07 (April 7th). This was a 986 mile vehicle with obvious markings of originality including the heavy rust on driveshaft, struts and exhaust pipes. Apparently, the vehicle sat up somewhere for an extended period.

I've never seen such close approximation between frame date and body date code but recognize its possible...obviously. I can only imagine that the stack of frames came in and this one got picked for the H07 body. I want back the next day to confirm because the previous evening, reviewing my notes, thought I wrote it down wrong. What's more interesting is that another Pace Car with body date H17 had a frame stencil date of 3.29.78.

Comments and insights appreciated how the factory worked with chassis buildup that makes this possible.

[John H.]

Re: Frame stencil date vs trim tag date

This past weekend judged chassis for the 1978-82 class and looked at a Pace Car with a frame date of (stencil) of 4.3.78 while the trim tag date code was H07 (April 7th). This was a 986 mile vehicle with obvious markings of originality including the heavy rust on driveshaft, struts and exhaust pipes. Apparently, the vehicle sat up somewhere for an extended period.

I've never seen such close approximation between frame date and body date code but recognize its possible...obviously. I can only imagine that the stack of frames came in and this one got picked for the H07 body. I want back the next day to confirm because the previous evening, reviewing my notes, thought I wrote it down wrong. What's more interesting is that another Pace Car with body date H17 had a frame stencil date of 3.29.78.

Comments and insights appreciated how the factory worked with chassis buildup that makes this possible.

Tom -

Nobody in the plant paid any attention to dates on anything; all that mattered was part numbers. Midyear frames came in stacks on flatbed trucks from across the river in Granite City, and C3 frames came in stacks on rail cars from Milwaukee.

They were unloaded onto an outdoor concrete receiving pad just outside the beginning of the Frame Line, and were brought indoors, two or three stacks at a time, by the hi-lo driver. All he cared about was to have both part numbers (manual and automatic) available at the head end of the line, and he might grab the first stack off the rail car instead of bringing a stack that had been previously stored further away on the frame pad. His only "inventory control" rule was not to shut the Frame Line down for lack of the required frame.

[Tom R.]

Re: Frame stencil date vs trim tag date

...and he might grab the first stack off the rail car instead of bringing a stack that had been previously stored further away on the frame pad. His only "inventory control" rule was not to shut the Frame Line down for lack of the required frame.

John

I would have to suspect this is more than likely what happened...thanks.