Guys, hopefuly one(or more) of you can help me decipher some crayon marks that I found in the storage area of my 72 vert. On the floor behind the compartments I found the number"461" and "A/C". The A/C is easy as the car has the optional A/C. But the 461 is giving me problems. In addition, on the back of the storage area(where the vents are blocked off) are what appears to be several letters or numbers and the last one being "C". I count about seven characters but I may be wrong. Please help.

 

The "461" is your job number. Corvettes were assigned a "job number" when they began their trip down the assembly line. Assigned job numbers ran from to either 0-500 or 0-999, I think, and were repeated. They were intended for assembly plant use only, and are completely unrelated to the VIN or any other numerical documentation the owner received.

You will also find this same job number on the front face of the luggage stop bulkhead right behind the seats, the left lower fire wall behind the splash shield, on the rear surface of the passenger compartment bulkhead (drop your tank to see it), and maybe one other place that I can't remember. You may also find the last two digits of this job number under the blackout in the front of the right wheel well. The job number told the assembly line workers to install those options which had been ordered on this particular car.

You will find crayon "reminder" marks all other the car in areas where the assembly line workers would need to install some component associated with the option. For example, the A/C in the rear floor area probably told the workmen to delete the astro ventilation valves and install the block off plates, and to install the AC wiring harness, ducts, vacuum controls, etc. Sometimes in the area where you found the "A/C" and "461", you will also find "437" for a coupe, and I presume "467" for a convertible. These particular marks were made when the body was just a floor; assignment of the "437" or "467" determined which fiberglass panels would finish the car.

If you want to tell us what other marks you found, we may be able to help you figure it out.


[Modified by Chuck Sangerhausen, 7:22 PM 4/23/2002]


[Modified by Chuck Sangerhausen, 8:15 PM 4/23/2002]

 

Chuck, thanks for the quick response. The other marks I found were an "X" and a "130" under the passenger side heat shield on the lower firewall. I have had the tank out before but cant put my hands on the numbers and/or letters I located under the deck. I still would like to know what all the letters/numbers were that have been almost erased over the years underneath the blocked off vents. Who knows, maybe its the cure for the common cold or cancer :lol: Thanks again, Scott

 

My car is a 70, and I personally have no experience with the "X" and "130", but they are almost certainly option related. It's simply a matter of figuring out which options. You may also find crayon marks under the driver side splash shield...mine had "PB" (power brakes) and "UA6" (My car has the anti-theft alarm, an option in 70, but standard equipment in 72.)

Well, if you want us to guess at what the marks mean, VM, you're gonna haf to tell us what they are...we ain't clairvoyant here. :D :D :D Probably not a cure for the common cold or cancer. If we knew that answer, we would already have sold it to the pharmaceutical companies. :D

For what it's worth, I don't remember my car having any marks at that location, but we may be able to recogize what the numerical sequence means.


[Modified by Chuck Sangerhausen, 8:12 PM 4/23/2002]

 

Chuck, thanks again for the insight. The marks on the under the vents are unreadable. Erased with time. I will look further throughout the body and see what else I can find. Scott

 

Well, all right VM, if you want me to do "The Great Karnack" routine, I will give it a shot. The first envelope, if you please. :D :D :D

Actually, curiosity got the better of me. I went out to the garage, got a flashlight, and double-checked the rear plenum area on my car. Sure enough, there are a plethora of marks. I don't know if I have ever seen these marks before, but I don't remember them and I didn't previously take pictures of them. I expect your plenum marks were originally similar to these, but maybe overlapping as to appear as one long string of characters.

Driver Side: Written "right-side-up" from the rear of the car, the last two digits of the job number "26" (my job number is "426") written in wide white crayon. It appears that the last two digits of the job number were used in the body assembly area (Remember the last two digits that I mentioned under the front right wheel well blackout?).

Very near these marks in yellow crayon is a sharp, thin-lined date , "7-5", which I believe to be the date of manufacture for the fiberglass plenum panel, or July 5, 1970.

In the same area, but in wider yellow crayon and written "right-side-up" from the passenger compartment, is another date "7-22-2". I believe this date has to do with when the rear plenum panel was actually bonded to the body, or when the rear body was built. It means July 22, 1970, 2nd shift. My trim plate shows an assembly "build date" of 7/30/70, which makes 7/22/70 seem pretty reasonable for a body build date.

On the left side of the plenum, written "right-side-up" from the rear of the car are the letters "TC" in wide white crayon. This was apparently written at the same time as the "26" on the right side. I believe these to be the inspector or supervisors initials.

Also, I found some marks, "26 AC", on the underside of the upper deck surface inside the passenger compartment. Again, these are the last two digits of the job number and the reminder mark for air conditioning.

There are also some floor area marks, which I had previously documented, consisting of "437" (coupe) on the right side, and "UA6" and "AC" on the left side. It should be noted that these last marks are written "right-side-up" from the rear of the car, and therefore were in place before the body was completely assembled...it is physically impossible to have done it later after the body was finished.


[Modified by Chuck Sangerhausen, 8:10 AM 4/24/2002]

 

Chuck, May I sing at your next wedding? :lol: You (and this forum) are the greatest. Where else can you go to get these kind of questions answered? Thanks for the information and I hope I can return the favor some day.

 

VM, my baweh, Mark Twain once said that the only sure things in life were death and taxes...in my case, I can add one more...NO MO' WEDDIN'S. Les' jus' say iffn this one don't work out (not that it won't, it's looking very good right now :D ), I'm too disinterested to go looking for more trouble :D :D :D

But, if you have a cure for the common cold, you could drop that info in the mail. :jester

 

My 72 also had an X on it under the heat sheild, from what I learned over the last few years-the X is a inspection mark that was put on on the line by a QA/shift mgr. Hope this helps, Larry

 

Thanks Larry :seeya

 

FYI I've collected with help, a bunch of photos of grease pencil markings and build sheets from the early sharks. If you have your build sheet you might find the job # written on it in pencil. The links and details are online here: http://corvetteforum.net/c3/1970registry/JobNo.html If anyone else would like to contribute to the Registry pages, feel free to contact me at Juliet@annapolis.net ~Juliet