Cab Date Stamp

[1969guy]

hey there all, I was working on my 1971 C10 Cheyenne today and found something I had never seen before. While stripping some paint on the passenger side floor, I realized there was some stamping on the floor from the outside of the cab. It reads: 2 10 1971 . Assuming that it was the date of assembly, Wednesday, February 10, 1971, I went and checked all the other trucks I have, 5 others, and this one is the only one that has it. Have two 67s, one 68, one 69, the 71, and a 72. I also had at one time a 70 c10 and gmc and another 71 and 72 and dont recall seeing the date stamped in the floor. The only thing I can guess is that it could be from where it was assembled or if it is something else. The 71 Cheyenne was built in flint while all my others are between Atlanta, Baltimore, and St. Louis. If anyone might be able to shed some more light on the subject that would be great and see how many other people may have discovered a build date in their cab.

Thanks

[SS Tim]

Guessing your VIN number is 801xxx or lower.

[1969guy]

Nah it's actually 814xxx. Did the earlier 71's have the date stamped on them? Haven't seen them on any of the pre 71's I have unless its a Cheyenne thing.

[SS Tim]

First it took five refreshes to actually see that picture on my confuser. a friend called asking WTF when he read my reply. So thats that.

Are you sure that is the correct SPID for the cab? Do all the numbers and rivets match as expected including the frame?

The reason I am curious is the Flint 800001 production (concurrent to the 6xxxxx flint truck line) started in early Feb 71. If your truck cab really is 814xxx (first third of April) it kind of shoots my pilot run (inital) production theory down. Clearly it was stamped with a gang holder and the only reason (I can think of) it would be dated is to track a production build or part issue.

[SS Tim]

Since you clipped it off, is your SPID RPO code for the CUSTOM SPORT TRUCK description Z84 or YE9?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

First it took five refreshes to actually see that picture on my confuser. a friend called asking WTF when he read my reply. So thats that.

Are you sure that is the correct SPID for the cab? Do all the numbers and rivets match as expected including the frame?

The reason I am curious is the Flint 800001 production (concurrent to the 6xxxxx flint truck line) started in early Feb 71. If your truck cab really is 814xxx (first third of April) it kind of shoots my pilot run (inital) production theory down. Clearly it was stamped with a gang holder and the only reason (I can think of) it would be dated is to track a production build or part issue.

I suspect it is a date code for the individual panel rather than the completed cab.

K

[1969guy]

The rpo is z84 for custom sport truck (Cheyenne).

Why, if they would date just the panel, would this be the only panel I have ever seen with a date on it?

I did here a story once that GM used to date just about every vehicle including the day and month but they quit because people were skeptical about "monday" and "Friday" built trucks. I guess they thought early week and the end of the week trucks weren't built to the right "spec"

[1969guy]

Sorry realized after my last post some of it was answered. Missed a post before I typed.

And yes the rpo tag matches the vin on the cab.

[CUSTOM/10]

I also had a cab a while back that had a date stamped in that same area. It was the only one I ever saw !

Gary

[1969guy]

Seems rare unless like stated earlier it was dated to check quality control or something like that.

[1969guy]

Gary, do you remember what plant it was assembled in?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 1969guy

The rpo is z84 for custom sport truck (Cheyenne).

Why, if they would date just the panel, would this be the only panel I have ever seen with a date on it?

They might have made a design change to that part; not significant enough to roll the part number but enough that they wanted to track it, for problem diagnosis and resolution.

Originally Posted by 1969guy

I did here a story once that GM used to date just about every vehicle including the day and month but they quit because people were skeptical about "monday" and "Friday" built trucks. I guess they thought early week and the end of the week trucks weren't built to the right "spec"

I'm not familiar with that.

I am familiar wth the Monday/Friday thing but not with GM stopping date codes because it scared away customers. Most potential customers will never know what day of the week their truck was built on.

K

[CUSTOM/10]

Originally Posted by 1969guy

Gary, do you remember what plant it was assembled in?

I don't ! All I know is that it came from the Arizona area !

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by CUSTOM/10

I don't ! All I know is that it came from the Arizona area !

No GM plants down here. Most trucks bought by Arizona locals came out of Fremont CA = Z code. Fremont is across the SF Bay from San Francisco. Van Nuys, CA in the San Fernando Valley north of LA, built Novas, Camaros and Firebirds, South Gate, south of LA, built Chevy sedans and station wagons.
I have a '67 K/10 Suburban and a '68 C/10 Stepside that are Fremont trucks. My '71 GMC Jimmy K/1500 was from St Louis [''S''] and a '72 Blazer rolling [parts] frame has an F code in the VIN for Flint, Michigan. I don't know that they didn't build K/5s at the Fremont plant, but I haven't seen one.
Of course the climate attracts a lot of migrators and so a lot of trucks here now could be from anywhere.

[1969guy]

It would make sense that a warmer climate plant wouldn't build any 4x4 since they're really not needed there. Plus there probably wasn't many people that decided they needed them back then anyhow, so the plant probably didn't need to help keep up with demand. Not like today when people decide they need a truck to go play in the mud and ruin them!

['68OrangeSunshine]

Fremont built my '67 K/10 Suburban. That's a 4x4. Maybe Blazers and Jimmys were a special build?
There's a big demand for four wheel drives in the West. It doesn't just work in snow, but we get it in the mountains.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Fremont built my '67 K/10 Suburban. That's a 4x4. Maybe Blazers and Jimmys were a special build?
There's a big demand for four wheel drives in the West. It doesn't just work in snow, but we get it in the mountains.

Nope. They were a regular production model that flowed down the regular production line.

During my tenure in Flint the ratio was two Suburbans followed by one Blazer/Jimmy.

36 vehicles per hour.

K

[old Chevy guy]

Where I live in New England If that date was stamped on the floor it would have rusted off before I got to see it.

[CUSTOM/10]

Originally Posted by old Chevy guy

Where I live in New England If that date was stamped on the floor it would have rusted off before I got to see it.

That's eventually what happened with mine !!! NH is probably even worse than RI...

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Nope. They were a regular production model that flowed down the regular production line.

During my tenure in Flint the ratio was two Suburbans followed by one Blazer/Jimmy.

36 vehicles per hour.

K

Thanks, Keith. Maybe I don't own enough K/5s. I have one K/1500 Jimmy and a pile of parts that could assume the form of a '72 [Flint] Blazer someday.
BTW, how come the Jimmy wasn't tagged as a ''K/750"? It makes mathematical sense.

[1972k5blazer]

My 71 k20 was built in February I went out and looked and mine has this stamp in the same area

[1972k5blazer]

looks like -1--51-

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

BTW, how come the Jimmy wasn't tagged as a ''K/750"? It makes mathematical sense.

Marketing.

Nothing that the Marketing guys do makes mathematical sense.

K

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Marketing.

Nothing that the Marketing guys do makes mathematical sense.

K

All too true!!!!

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Marketing.

Nothing that the Marketing guys do makes mathematical sense.

K

LOL. You got that right.