factory grease pencil marks?

[bruceman1968]

Originally Posted by EARNHARDT#3

I always think it's funny when I see these markings. That would've been the first thing I did is clean them off when I brought the truck home. But nowadays it's a big deal to see them on there. And then you see people put the marks back on after a respray too.

I'll bet lot's of owners did that. And many of the dealers did to. In the late 70s I had a job at the local Dodge dealership in new car get ready. We not only washed and vacuumed the cars/trucks, we also cleaned the markings off to. Even painted over any paint marks that were visible. The owner of the dealership was a stickler for selling clean detailed vehicles, so we not only cleaned and detailed the new vehicles, we also cleaned and detailed the used vehicles. Back in the day, I wiped off a lot of factory markings from some 60s/70s mopar muscle cars, that were taken in on trade. (Don't tell the dodge boys)

[bruceman1968]

Originally Posted by smbrouss70

OK, I have read through this thread trying to figure out what the markings on my Blazer's firewall mean. I get that the 044 on the firewall, core support, and frame crossmember are a sequence number, and the model number is on the passenger's side firewall, but the markings on the the driver's side don't match the LS9/M20 engine/trans. combo that the Blazer has. That and there is only a "T" on each side of the firewall, not a "2T" like it should have. Does anybody have any input?

Steven, The T is correct for your trim level. Blazers were either base/standard trim or CST trim. There was no mid level trim on blazers, so no 2T should be found on blazers. A "T" would be for standard trim and a "4T" for the CST trim.
I have been finding this to be completely constiant on trucks also. Nothing or a T for standard trim trucks, 2T for Z62 mid level trim trucks and 4T for upper trim level trucks. I have found 4T on both Z84(CST/Cheyenne) and YE9(Cheyenne Super) trim trucks.
Can't tell much about your engine/trans codes. The engine code looks like S9A, which could be short for LS9AA. Maybe the L got worn off or was never there. Can't tell much about the trans spot. Very nice blazer you got BTW.

[DeadheadNM]

Here's the same painters mark on my "new" Fremont built 72 C30:

[bruceman1968]

Awesome, Thanks for posting it. Any chance you have a "D" on the other side?

[DeadheadNM]

[QUOTE=bruceman1968;7317395]Awesome, Thanks for posting it. Any chance you have a "D" on the other side?[/QUOTE

Yes, the "D" is there! It's subtle but there. Can post pic.

[geunther]

I love all the documenting. Of course the Corvette folks have it down, not only putting grease pencil marks back on but making sure the paint is not too good in certain areas and making sure there is overspray where it would have been from the factory.

Ive included my firewall penciling.

Also when I bought my current daily driver I asked the dealer to not do anything to it once it was off the carrier. They, of course, had to check fluid levels etc but they were kind enough to not do any pre-delivery cleaning or removal of stickers, plastic, etc. Yes, my wife thinks I am crazy. Maybe if I keep it for 40 years someone will think it's cool. Though now I worry about leaving the protective plastic on because it may ultimately cause damage.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by geunther

Of course the Corvette folks have it down, not only putting grease pencil marks back on but making sure the paint is not too good in certain areas and making sure there is overspray where it would have been from the factory.

The Corvette guys have it easy: one plant, one shift and a line rate of about 36 jobs per hour.

Trucks can have up to 7 plants at the same time, two or three shifts of production and upwards to 70 jobs per hour.

There's a lot more variation in that scenario.

K

[geunther]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

The Corvette guys have it easy:
There's a lot more variation in that scenario.
K

Yes, without a question. Hopefully I'm up for the challenge. It is interesting seeing the differences by plant.

[bruceman1968]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Yes, the "D" is there! It's subtle but there. Can post pic.

A pic would be great. Thanks for posting. I know most owners wouldn't care about something like painters signing their work. I just think it's very cool and ties the truck to the people that built them. I'm also amazed that they got away with it for so many years. I'm pretty sure the General would not have approved.

[Keith Seymore]

We’ve talked about the variation between plants, and the variation within an assembly plant due to different operators.

What we haven’t talked about is how many different operators might be on the same job, even within the same day. This might be an appropriate place to take a second and do so.

Some assembly plants shut down for “break times”. The UAW required 6 minutes of break time for each hour worked, distributed into a break in the morning and a break in the afternoon (not counting ½ hour for lunch). If that operator never takes an additional break (to use the bathroom, or for a medical issue) then you might only have one person on that job per shift. This is probably what you would expect.

However – some plants use a “rolling” break technique. Said differently: the line doesn’t shut down for break, and there is a staff of “utility men” or replacement workers who go to each job and give that worker a break individually. After that assembler comes back the relief man goes to the next job* and gives that assembler a break, until everybody in the area has been covered - all this while the line keeps rolling. If you had a different relief man covering the morning break vs the afternoon break then you are up to three operators per shift; times the number of shifts (two or three); so you could have as many as 9 people touching those parts for a three shift productive operation.

That assumes the person doesn’t need a quick respite, covered by a different utility man, quality man (the foreman’s right hand man) or the foreman himself (in some cases) at some other point during the shift.

I say all this to say: there could be between 1 and 8 or 9 people performing the same job in the same assembly plant within a given 24 hour period. That introduces a whole ‘nother level of variation.

K

*one nuance to note here is that there was a person (several, actually) who could do any job within a foreman’s designated area. I was able to do every job within my area (approx 27 different operations) – sometimes more than one at once(!).

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by bruceman1968

I'm also amazed that they got away with it for so many years. I'm pretty sure the General would not have approved.

I'm pretty sure, too.



K

[bruceman1968]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

I'm pretty sure, too.



K

[DeadheadNM]

Here's the subtle "D"

[DeadheadNM]

Here's another posted on a recent thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=683170

Look closely - see "Mustard"

[dfwright]

This was on the outside bed front panel on mine.

[bruceman1968]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Here's the subtle "D"

Thanks DH, Here's the same two painters on coleys truck.
Looks like they also painted mgkgmc, Lee H, Rifleman, 70shortfleet and 72Dually trucks. You guys should start a club.

[Okiefromwatonga]

Here is a mark on the firewall of the 69 GMC 5500 im getting

[Cheby72]

I have a 68 GMC ambulance and on the firewall is a series of numbers that span from right side to left side, i would love to know how to decode them and see what they all mean

[davischevy]

These numbers are stenciled on the left frame rail behind the left rear wheel on my 71 GMC Longhorn.

[davischevy]

These grease marks are on the frame of my 72 1/2 ton Cheyenne Super. The first is on the front crossmember and the second is on the rear crossmember

[GAc10boy]

Hi, all. Super informative thread. I believe i have what is the model number on the firewall of my 1967 K/10. It reads KE10704 and should breakdown as a 4x4, V8, 1/2 ton, swb, stepside. The numbers are hard to read but there nonetheless. The spid is hardly legible, only able to make out portions of the vin, so i wanted to be sure i was reading it as others would. Thanks!

[IronCanine]

Digging up this thread because I think all the marks previously identified on this and other threads have been pretty well explained or decoded by Keith and others...except for these driver's side cowl numbers. They have an obvious pattern--but I can't suss out their meaning. Hoping fresh eyes might have an idea.

[mgkgmc]

Thanks for the replies somehow I have missed all these responses to the GMC it is really cool to see other trucks with the same initials and markings. Neat to think the same guy wrote on all these trucks only if we knew who the employee was.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

Digging up this thread because I think all the marks previously identified on this and other threads have been pretty well explained or decoded by Keith and others...except for these driver's side cowl numbers. They have an obvious pattern--but I can't suss out their meaning. Hoping fresh eyes might have an idea.

I think we need someone more familiar with 67-72 than me for those. It's not any kind of code that I recognize.

K

[IronCanine]

Here are stamped sequence numbers on our Fremont donor cab. One is just above the firewall and the other is on the back of the cab just above the bottom. Both are on the truck midline (nothing on the driver's side cowl corner as shown in previous examples in this thread.

...(another shout out to smbrous70, yours was a St.Louis 44, this is a Fremont 44)