Build Date Question

[IronCanine]

Hi guys,

I'm missing the door jam decal like the one pictured below(courtesy of 68panelman). I have no other original documentation other than the door VIN plate and SPID. My Blazer is a 1970 from St. Louis with a VIN ending in 1451XX. Is there anyway to determine the build month so that I can have this decal reproduced by ChipFlyer?

Thanks in advance.

[BKSS67]

I would also like to know if there is a way to tell or at least approximate the build date.

Subscribed

[DeadheadNM]

No expert but I believe the VIN serial number if interpreted against other vehicles from the same plant that year with known dates would help narrow it down - but that's a big effort. Another approach would be to look for date codes on other items original to the truck. These (like date tags on seat belts, dash pad, carpet) won't give the exact month but together may help narrow the possibilities. Check on the back of the instrument cluster for a date code - I seem to recall seeing dates there but may be mistaken. Also, a date code from an engine block or carb original to the K5 would help narrow the choices. Are there date codes on the (original?) steering box or axles? Afraid you'll get close but not be able to nail it with certainty.

EDIT: check the cluster printed circuit for a date that gets you close

[IronCanine]

...Instrument Cluster! Great idea Pete. Otherwise, thinking right along with you. That's why I threw my VIN # out. I was hoping someone was going to chime in with a # close to mine.

My inspection tag under my dash pad said 12/22. Should I assume that means 12/22/69?...or is there another way to interpret it. There were no seat belts or floor covering. The original motor is gone. The quadrajet is from a 72. The front axle has been changed (thinking BOM #)...I don't know if the rear would be similarly trackable.

C'mon you 70 St. Louis Blazer owners...I need you.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

My inspection tag under my dash pad said 12/22. Should I assume that means 12/22/69?

I would say yes.

Keep in mind that is for the component part, so allow time for shipping and handling and that would place the timeframe for your truck build....


....either right after the Christmas holiday or (more likely) after the first of the new year. January, 1970.

K

[IronCanine]

Ok guys...here's my cluster date--12/19/69. Of course I want you 70 Blazer guys to chime in with your VINs but, (and Keith you especially here) do you think January 1970 is the most likely build date...or could it have slipped into February?

[SS Tim]

The original engine block (assembly code) is your single strongest indicator of an assembly date on a vehicle. Basically everything bolted to it (like a carb) is assembeled at an earlier date. Interior parts have fairly long leads and some colors tend to be older stock than others.
Going off a cluster date might give you a close approximation, if it is the original cluster!

At this point what is the point of trying to "reproduce" a number you cannot verify? If you must have a door sticker fine, just leave the date off. If you must "add" a date (at this point that is exactly what you are doing) I'd look for other vehicles to see what their build dates are and try to bracket yours tight.

To do that you'd need to post a thread in all three sub-forums asking who has a Chevrolet VIN number close to yours, say 1000 units up and down, for the 70MY from St.Louis "S". Then you might get a result that will confirm your cluster date conclusion.

To that end I have already checked through my SPIDs for a match and the closest I have is S148607. Unfortunately there isn't a member name or build date I can attribute to it.

If you want to grab a number then 2/70 will probably work as I suspect early to mid-February is very close in your case.

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

... The front axle has been changed (thinking BOM #)...I don't know if the rear would be similarly trackable.

The axle is trackable (if it is original) but again subject to lead times. Here is a clip on identifying it. 1/2 tons are the same format as "Chevrolet" (full size car line).

Originally Posted by IronCanine

...C'mon you 70 St. Louis Blazer owners...I need you.

Remember there were far more Pickups built than Blazers along with other light duty truck models. So you need to look at everything that came down the assembly line with a xxxx0S1xxxxx VIN.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

At this point what is the point of trying to "reproduce" a number you cannot verify? If you must have a door sticker fine, just leave the date off. If you must "add" a date (at this point that is exactly what you are doing) I'd look for other vehicles to see what their build dates are and try to bracket yours tight.

To do that you'd need to post a thread in all three sub-forums asking who has a Chevrolet VIN number close to yours, say 1000 units up and down, for the 70MY from St.Louis "S". Then you might get a result that will confirm your cluster date conclusion.

To that end I have already checked through my SPIDs for a match and the closest I have is S148607. Unfortunately there isn't a member name or build date I can attribute to it.

Thanks Tim. I really appreciate you checking and your insight. I'll check my rear axle tonight, but you are right I can't know with certainty that it's original either. I would have been surprised if the dash pad and cluster were not original to begin with, but the proximity of the dates there tend to support their being original. I also recognize that that is purely circumstantial evidence and any number I put on any sticker based on that would be a guess. My main goal in this thread was to try and find some VINs close to mine and nail down a date, but it is fun play detective with the info you, Keith and Pete have brought to bear....and quite frankly does narrow the search area.

I don't stray too much to the other forums unless I'm looking for parts, but that's good advice too. I'll post there as well and see if someone has one close to mine.

[DeadheadNM]

December 22, 1969 fell on a Monday so that's possible. The cluster date helps us exclude the first half of the year. January or February as stated seem likely. There was a GM worker strike that occurred in 1969 but I do no know how far reaching that was in terms of plant shutdowns or if would have impacted Blazer production (i.e. no K5s for first half of 1970 model year). A post soliciting serial #'s from 1970 K5s (don't forget Jimmys) built in January or February of that year may help. Sleuthing is fun.


Try scanning the K5 SPID thread for 1970 member trucks - may be a good place to start.

[SS Tim]

Again you need to look at all Chevrolet conventional light trucks to really nail down a day or week. This would included C10-30 and K10-20.
It should be easy enough to post clear requests (with a known build date or month) and see what comes up.

But a Jimmy or any GMC isn't going to help due to a different sequence number range being used.

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

But a Jimmy or any GMC isn't going to help due to a different sequence number range being used.

Interesting. To clarify - despite being produced at the same plant, the production serial #s differ between GMC and Chevy?

[SS Tim]

These are created example VIN numbers for a St.Louise built Blazer and a Jimmy for the 1970 MY.

Chevrolet trucks (light duty) used this format KE180S100001 with the first 0 indicating the model year (1970) followed by the plant code S, then a sequence number starting at 100001.


But with a GMC KE114-SZ50001 the S is the plant code and Z is the model year (1970) with the sequence number starting at 50001.

[IronCanine]

Thanks again guys. I posted in the other forums. I'm not going to start another thread here, because I think anyone in this forum who might actually check their VIN has probably already read this and gets the idea...I hope.

...Just in case not...70 St. Louis Blazer guys, please check your ViNs and build dates for me. Thanks.

About to go through the SPID thread now. You guys are the best.

[IronCanine]

I PM'd Zach, who posted the 148607 SPID on the truck thread that you referenced Tim. Hopefully he'll be able to tell us when it was built.

[70jimmy]

The NP205 transfer case has a plate on the front with the exact build date of the case. I have found that it always matches the door jamb date.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 70jimmy

The NP205 transfer case has a plate on the front with the exact build date of the case. I have found that it always matches the door jamb date.

That surprises me, since the tcase is a component part built up by a supplier.

Normally there would be time associated with shipping, storage and moving the part lineside that would eat up several days, if not weeks (depending on physical distance between facilities, production volume, inventory on hand).

Said differently, I would expect the date on alternators, a/c compressors, engines, transmissions, tcase, rear axle, HVAC modules, etc (any major component built up by an offsite supplier) to preceed the vehicle final assembly date by days/weeks/months.

K

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by 70jimmy

The NP205 transfer case has a plate on the front with the exact build date of the case. I have found that it always matches the door jamb date.

That would be awesome if that indeed works out. My transfer case is at the transmission shop along with the transmission. I'll try to swing by today and snap a pic. Thanks for the info.

[IronCanine]

Just got a PM from Steven who has a 1970 St. Louis Blazer with a serial # ending 1389XX with a build date of 12/69. Thanks for helping me close in on this guys.

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by 70jimmy

The NP205 transfer case has a plate on the front with the exact build date of the case. I have found that it always matches the door jamb date.

I don't remember the date code format of the tag on a 205 but the MM/YY on the Blue VIN sticker still leaves a pretty big window for the build date of the t-case and the vehicle to match.

Is the t-case a DD/MM/YY or DD/MM/YYYY format? Or is is simply a DD/MM as well?

[powerdriver 1958]

Knowing old Iron , there's only a 50% chance the transfer is as manufactured

[IronCanine]

Sorry guys I called the transmission shop and my transfer case has not be de-grossed yet. I cannot thank you all enough for your help and insight. One of the great things about this board, beyond being a huge information resource, is the generosity of spirit and supportive tone. No one had to click on this link and help me out...but I'm glad they did. I still don't know what month my truck was built but I'm getting closer thanks to you all.

[DeadheadNM]

Hijacking: can you run year-of-manufacture plates in Georgia?: http://www.chucksplates.com/?cp=&ss=Georgia

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Hijacking: can you run year-of-manufacture plates in Georgia?: http://www.chucksplates.com/?cp=&ss=Georgia

Yes. I've been on the lookout. I've been trying to find one that matches my county...which is tough. Most of the survivors are from the Atlanta area for obvious reasons. The blue was a 70 only tag and it matches the bowtie which is awesome. Tag Dr. ( http://www.tagdr.com ) is very good and right down the road. I've kept an eye on his stock, as well as a few other sites...but I probably won't call him or pull the trigger until we get a running/driving vehicle.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Hijacking: can you run year-of-manufacture plates in Georgia?: http://www.chucksplates.com/?cp=&ss=Georgia

Also, a Blazer should be a J code based on curb weight. The D code tag in that pic was for a sub 3000 lb vehicle....Not that the local tag office would care and no one would know. But what respectable person that spends an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out the month their truck was made...aggravating others in that quest no less...would run a license plate that would be technically inaccurate 44 years ago...I mean really, that guy sounds like a jerk to me.