VIN vs. Fisher body # on cowl tag correlation???

[Verne_Frantz]

JHS,
It gets kind of complicated. If a plant is producing more than one model, such as coupe, convertible, sedan, etc., each body style will have it's own consecutive numbering from Fisher on the cowl tag. The VIN of course is assigned to a chassis in the order of final assembly, no matter which body style winds up on that chassis. There is a correllation of course, but not one where a "difference" in both numbers should be any certain value.
The best way to determine if one number agrees with the other would be to find a known original car built early in production and one late in production. Take the difference in body numbers and the difference in sequential VINs and plot both on the same time line. Then when you find a car with a VIN somewhere within that range, an approximate "expected" body number can be derived. You'd need to plot those production lines for each body style.
Again, it's only an approximation, since the rate of production of one style or another may vary, such as more convertibles in the Spring, etc.
Hope this helps...

Verne

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

[ QUOTE ]
JHS,
It gets kind of complicated. If a plant is producing more than one model, such as coupe, convertible, sedan, etc., each body style will have it's own consecutive numbering from Fisher on the cowl tag. The VIN of course is assigned to a chassis in the order of final assembly, no matter which body style winds up on that chassis. There is a correllation of course, but not one where a "difference" in both numbers should be any certain value.
The best way to determine if one number agrees with the other would be to find a known original car built early in production and one late in production. Take the difference in body numbers and the difference in sequential VINs and plot both on the same time line. Then when you find a car with a VIN somewhere within that range, an approximate "expected" body number can be derived. You'd need to plot those production lines for each body style.
Again, it's only an approximation, since the rate of production of one style or another may vary, such as more convertibles in the Spring, etc.
Hope this helps...

Verne

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto, well said

[JHS]

Thanks for the explanation, I have no knowledge as to how the production line process works so this was a good primer. I just thought it interesting that all of my vehicles fell within the 100 digit range. As I said, never thought of this as a difinitive way to prove a cars cowl tag authenticity but thought the members might beinterested in an old mechanics tale I heard. I am learning quite a bit about the hobby from you guys so thanks.

[firstgenaddict]

Here is a very good "Primer" on the complete process from order acceptance at Fisher all the way through final assembly...
http://www.camaros.org/assemblyprocess.shtml

[Kurt S]

What Verne said is correct (assuming you compare the #'s from the same style code) for 68 and earlier. Starting in 69, the body # was the order confirmation #. The correlation to the VIN becomes much more vague.
See http://www.camaros.org/bodynumbering.shtml for more info.

[deuce-less]

superb information and concisely written, well worth the visit to crg

[Verne_Frantz]

I have read the excellent tech description of the Camaro build process by John Hinckley before and was very impressed. John is one the very few people around today who were around back then and paid attention to how things were done. He is an extremely invaluable resource to our historical restoration endeavours today.

My contribution is only from research by logging many original cars, and it's only most accurate when considering full size cars built at 15 different assembly plants between '58 & '64. Those full size cars amount to over 20 different body styles, not counting 6cyl vs V8, each with their own Fisher sequential number.
Lots of arithmetic........

Verne

[Verne_Frantz]

Kurt,
I haven't read the link you provided, but I just can't understand how the body number could be the order number. Orders came in one after the other for different styles of bodies, so if the number on the cowl tag was the order number, there would no sequential numbering of each body style at all. They would be all mixed together. I don't have any facts or knowledge to dispute that, but it just doesn't make sense that Fisher would not want to sequentially number each style of body, when they always did prior to that time. Is it possible that the record of numbers of each style existed only on paperwork???

[Kurt S]

Verne,
That's correct, there's no sequential # of the body #'s from 69+. 69 Camaro and 69 full-size data proves this out and this is documented by Chevrolet in one of the dealer sheets.
I highly doubt that Fisher had much input into such a change.