1962 door markings
I was disassembling my door and found a ink stamp on the door pillar (Nov 6, 1961) and the job number (478) on the interior skin
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Dino Lanno -
Re: 1962 door markings
When I restored my 63 I had a job no. on one of the doors(drivers) on my car. Must be a common thing along with the toe board and the rear deck..New England chapter member, 63 Convert. 327/340- Chapter/Regional/national Top Flight, 72 coupe- chapter and regional Top Flight. -
Re: 1962 door markings
Your #478 is the Job/Broadcast Number for that car on the assembly line. I like to call it the original VIN for that car because it was the number that identified that car until it received the legal VIN tag. These numbers went from 1 to 500 and then started over again and again to the end of production. Research will show that the J/B# does not follow the sequential numbered VIN for some reason, and you cannot use mathematics to determine a J/B# from a VIN or visa versa with any assurance of a correct result.
You will find this same J/B# number on the engine side of the firewall between the dimmer switch and transmission tunnel. The number was written on the bare fiberglass of the body as it started down the assembly line. I believe this one was the master number, and all others would flow to it on the assembly line. Later this number would be covered over with the under hood blackout paint. This number is about 4 inches high and was originally green but the environment under the hood over time turns this number brown. You can find this number if you CAREFULLY clean this area with cleaner that will not erase grease pencil/green crayon, and CAREFULLY scratch away/remove any still existing black-out paint.
You already found the J/B# on the inside skin of the doors under the trim panel. I am inclined to believe that the J/B# was written on only one door, and that one being the passenger. Did you notice that the J/B# is written on top of the color-coat paint? That means it was put there after the door was painted.
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Re: 1962 door markings
Hey, John M,
I thought I had seen photos of the paint booth line showing doors already attached to the body and painted with the body which included the soft top deck lid, hood and trunk lid. Correct me.
LarryComment
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Re: 1962 door markings
Larry -
You're correct - the body was fully assembled when it left the Body Shop in raw fiberglass, and none of the panels were removed prior to or during painting; hood, doors, top compartment lid and trunk lid were in place and final-fitted prior to entering the Grind Booth.Comment
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Re: 1962 door markings
John,
Could it be that only the inside of the door and edges were painted at the sub-assembly station? How else do you explain the J/B# written on top of the paint? It would make no sense to write these numbers on the door after it was installed on the body. Explain please.
Save the Wave .......... JGMComment
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Re: 1962 door markings
John -
Was the tank cover in place during painting? Was it loose or held in place temporarily prior to the fuel tank being installed. Were the retainers painted?David DawdyComment
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Re: 1962 door markings
Dino -
Similar ink stamped dates are in the w/strip channel of the verticle windshield frame. It's fun to see how these dates map to the other dates found on the car.David DawdyComment
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Re: 1962 door markings
John -
There was no paint in the Body Shop; the doors had to be identified with a Body Shop Job Number so they could be drilled for a power window harness conduit if specified. If there's a job number on top of some paint, it's been "enhanced" at some point in its past.Comment
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Re: 1962 door markings
Purchased my 1962 in April 1965 so there's no doubt in my mind about the originality of it, especially the inside of the passenger door. Since mine is under going a body-on restoration, the door panels are off. I took close look at the job number (either 24 or 74, depending on how you look at it). Since the paint that covers the number is basically a light overspray (mist) , the green crayon number clearly shows through. The number was not written on top of the white paint. Consequently, with respect to my car (since I can't judge anyone else's) the green job number was written on the bare fiberglass door and later in the paint booth, got a misting of paint covering it.
The first photo was taken standing up in front of inside of passenger door, hence the number is upside down. Second photo was taken leaning over top of door so the number is right side up.
Mystery solved in my opinion.
LarryComment
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Re: 1962 door markings
Purchased my 1962 in April 1965 so there's no doubt in my mind about the originality of it, especially the inside of the passenger door. Since mine is under going a body-on restoration, the door panels are off. I took close look at the job number (either 24 or 74, depending on how you look at it). Since the paint that covers the number is basically a light overspray (mist) , the green crayon number clearly shows through. The number was not written on top of the white paint. Consequently, with respect to my car (since I can't judge anyone else's) the green job number was written on the bare fiberglass door and later in the paint booth, got a misting of paint covering it.
The first photo was taken standing up in front of inside of passenger door, hence the number is upside down. Second photo was taken leaning over top of door so the number is right side up.
Mystery solved in my opinion.
LarryComment
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Re: 1962 door markings
Sorry about the double posting of response. Don't know how that happened. If the post wasn't clear first time, maybe it was the second.
LarryComment
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Re: 1962 door markings
John H.,
just maybe only the edges were cut in, as we used to do all the time in the body shop I worked in, because it sure made painting the exterior a lot easier. Can I say I was fishing?? I based my statement on the picture in the above first post which shows an awful lot of paint on the interior skin, more than I have usually seen, and the Job number is still readable. I am now guessing that the red paint is light and transparent enough in this number area that the number still shows through the paint. If you look close at the picture in the first post there also looks to be a tape line and red paint on the rear of the window garnish moulding which probably indicates the addition of more red paint at some point of this doors life. I have gone back and looked at several pictures of door interiors showing the Job number and all numbers are clearly written on bare fiberglass and show a light over-spray of paint if any, as Larry who posted here also says with words and pictures. I stand corrected. Thanks for the info.
What, if anything, was assembled to these doors before sending them to meet the body ?
What, if anything, was assembled to these doors before painting ?
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Re: 1962 door markings
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All these pictures are from one Ermine White 1962 Corvette.
The first picture is the passenger side door. You can see the J/B # 396 written upside- down in green crayon/grease pencil. 396 is over-sprayed lightly with Ermine White body color indicating it was written on bare fiberglass before painting, and in some places you can see the beige color of the fiberglass. This number was only found on the passenger door. Note that all the screw heads are also covered with Ermine White, with the exception of the four screws on the small access plate, indicating a lot of inner workings were inside the door before painting. Were these inner workings put inside the door before the inner and outer skins were bonded together? Also note the bare fiberglass at the top of the door where the Garnish Moulding attaches and all the Ermine White paint surrounding the bare fiberglass patches. Does this mean that the Garnish Moulding was in place during painting? Another note is that the larger access door flanges are also Ermine White, indicating the access doors were not in place during painting. The smaller access door here we did not remove, and which is still in place, is black with no Ermine White over-spray and the screw heads are a cad/zinc (?) finish. Comments?
The second picture is of the instrument cluster showing the 396 J/B # written in green in the dome.
The third picture is of the 396 J/B # written on the dash on the left side of the mirror base. This J/B # was also written in green, and during body color-coat it was completely covered with Ermine White. Later it was also covered with glue and the padded dash.
The fourth picture is a closer view of the mirror base location. Finding this J/B # requires that you find a spot where the paint chips off the green crayon/grease pencil and then follow the chipping paint. Paint doesn’t stick as well to the crayon as it does to the fiberglass. It helps to know the number you are looking for, so if you can find it in one of the other locations first, all the better.
I could add several other photos here but I understand four is the limit for one post.
Save the Wave ……………. JGMComment
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