Author Topic: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?  (Read 23342 times)

yankeechaser

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #15 on: October 18, 2013, 01:22:06 AM »
Lots of interesting questions raised and some others answered.  thanks everyone
Bo
68 07B Z/28 Nor Le Mans w/houndstooth, headrests & gauges
67 03C 4N LOS RS/SS 4 speed plum w/gauges
68 05E Z/28 NOR British Green 714  no tach or console

69Z28-RS

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #16 on: October 18, 2013, 03:27:46 AM »
Rick, of course this is just me thinking this all out in my head and I could be wrong. I'm sure if others are reading this they are calculating too. Seems to me the VN plant can be figured out to the day but the NOR plant is a bit more difficult to pin it down.

I'm not so sure about this, as I understand it, Norwood produced Camaros on a regular production schedule, whereas VN produced other cars, and produced Camaros on a much lower rate.. so was their production *spurty* or regular on a very low rate?  I'd rather extimate Norwood production based on VIN than try to estimate VN date..  :)
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william

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2013, 05:46:02 PM »
Norwood gets tough to estimate starting April 1969 when Firebird production moved there. For a short period no Camaros were built. VN isn't difficult. Chevrolet published the last VIN produced by month for all plants. That combined with VN broadcast sheets showing the date printed [after body fab] makes it possible to closely estimate production. There was a work stoppage there so some cars with May body tags were final assembled much later. For reasons unknown Norwood broadcast copies are not dated.

The production rate at VN for Camaros was not constant. The 57/hour at Norwood was the max rate and they didn't always hit that number. They also worked some Saturdays.
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69Z28-RS

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #18 on: October 21, 2013, 07:20:18 PM »
I'm just trying to make sense of all the numbers...

At 57/hr, they would have had to work more than 8 hr shifts daily to meet the production achieved, as shown in the table below.   (8x57=456, 9 x 57 = 513, 10 x 57=570, 11 x 57 = 627, 12 x 57 = 684, etc...)  

Were they always working two shifts over the entire prod year?  Adding or stopping shifts would seem difficult to do based on manpower?
The impact of adding Firebird production can hardly be noticed....?
 
Norwood Plant         
Month End   work days   Daily avg
   ramping up..?
30-Sep-68   20   607   
31-Oct-68   23   791   
30-Nov-68   20   1076   
31-Dec-68   21   863   adjusting to meet demand?
31-Jan-69   22   897   
28-Feb-69   20   872   
31-Mar-69   21   782   
30-Apr-69   22   615   adding firebird prod?
31-May-69   21   629   
30-Jun-69   21   652   
31-Jul-69   22   232   ??
31-Aug-69   21   435   
30-Sep-69   21   684   back to demand rate?
31-Oct-69   23   666   
10-Nov-69   19   210   69 prod ending
09C 69Z28-RS, 72 B 720 cowl console rosewood tint
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william

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #19 on: October 22, 2013, 12:21:00 AM »
Based on Canadian import records it is known that cars were built at Norwood and shipped late August 1968. Production start-up probably began Monday, August 19. There are many details to attend to so production is nowhere near capacity; less than 2,000 cars were built during the 10 days of production. Chevy did not publish the last VIN for August ’68 so the data is extrapolated by working backwards. The first two ZL1 Camaros were delivered to Gibb Chev on Dec 31, 1968 putting their final assembly on the last day of 1968 production December 27, 1968. Last car built in ’68 at Norwood was N569987.

1968 estimated work days for Norwood were Aug 10, Sep 21, Oct 21, Nov 24, and Dec 20.

1969: Jan 22, Feb 20, Mar 18, Apr 20, May 20, Jun 20, July 10, Aug 15, Sep 19, Oct 25, Nov 5.

From Oct ’68 through March ’69 Norwood operated at capacity; 57 units per hour, 912 per week. As of April ’69 that dropped by 25% due to Firebird production moving there. No Camaros were built April 6-12. The first two weeks of May ’69 saw production again hit 912/week, the last time that would happen as production capacity was shared with Firebird through the end of production.

VN appears to have started a bit earlier with cars thought to have been assembled as early as August 12-there are some 08A body tag dates. Knowing the last VIN for each month and with about a dozen broadcast copy dates one can re-construct a reasonably accurate calendar through April. That’s when the stoppage hit; the last few cars may have been built as late as early July. The peak months were Jan and Feb with production hitting 250-280 Camaros per week.
 
It’s a work in process-as more data becomes available I see how it fits-and thus far it usually does.
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69Z28-RS

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #20 on: October 22, 2013, 04:13:36 AM »
Thanks William for the extra information.  I had built myself a spread sheet using the end of month figures but using the actual last day of the month.  I will attempt to improve that using the information you've just provided.  :)
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MyRed67

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #21 on: October 22, 2013, 04:21:33 AM »
 I have an 11A build LOS Camaro Coupe that has A638 in that position.  I was told on here about the Body Scheduling code.  It was only used on LOS cars, the letter was used to indicate the "build" day of the month; A was 1 st., B was 2nd., C - 3 rd., etc., etc..  The letter was supposed to revert back to A on the 1 st. build day of every month, I was told this did not always happen as planned.  And the 638 would not have been just for Camaro, but for all models built.  So my my car "should" have been very near the end of day Nov. 1 st.
1967 Camaro  LOS  11A
Original Engine   Z - Tribute
Mike C.    NW - Illinois

KurtS

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #22 on: October 22, 2013, 05:18:28 AM »
Remember, that's the scheduling code, not the production sequence. They could and did pull bodies ahead or behind by a few days.
That is, most Axxx cars would be built a given day, but some would be before or after.
You can have a 10B car with a Lxxx tag and a 10C also with an Lxxx tag. They have the same scheduling letter, but were produced different days.
Kurt S
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TODD

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #23 on: October 22, 2013, 12:17:26 PM »
So Kurt any idea what a 1/2 code "build" day of the month would be on a 10E Los Angeles Camaro?
I have sent you my 69 Z/28 data previously.

Todd

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #24 on: October 23, 2013, 12:53:31 AM »
Yes. They somehow used up all the build day letters that month in 69. Never seen it happen before or after.
But they needed to use something after Z, so they used symbols.
Kurt S
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HOT3O2

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #25 on: October 23, 2013, 03:35:49 PM »
Todd, Is that "1/2 code build date" on the trim tag?

Rick
69 RS/Z28

TODD

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #26 on: October 24, 2013, 01:24:32 AM »
Yes;
 Here is the tag, my theory is it was built on Halloween plus it's orange :)

1968RSZ28

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #27 on: October 24, 2013, 02:09:01 AM »
Here is the tag, my theory is it was built on Halloween plus it's orange :)

You've found the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

 :)

Paul

JohnZ

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #28 on: October 24, 2013, 03:36:57 PM »
I'm just trying to make sense of all the numbers...

At 57/hr, they would have had to work more than 8 hr shifts daily to meet the production achieved, as shown in the table below.   (8x57=456, 9 x 57 = 513, 10 x 57=570, 11 x 57 = 627, 12 x 57 = 684, etc...)   

Were they always working two shifts over the entire prod year?  Adding or stopping shifts would seem difficult to do based on manpower?

They worked two 8-hour shifts. 16 hours x 57 per hour = 912 per day.

Adding or dropping shifts was a manpower training and quality nightmare due to seniority-driven "shift-bumping" - it wasn't done.
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HOT3O2

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Re: 1969 California trim tag code mo 44 ?
« Reply #29 on: October 24, 2013, 06:42:56 PM »
Thanks for the picture Todd. I've never seen anything like that before.
Rick
69 RS/Z28