<VV> Re: Oldest known Corvair? Now VIN information

[Rick Loving]

The VIN number is made up of year, model, body style, plant and number
of car down assembly line.

So for the same year, model, and body style you could have the following
VIN's for a 1960 Sedan...

00769W100037 Willow Run
00769K100037 Kansas City
00769O100037 Oakland

Willow run was the first plant to begin assembly with following plants
starting a few weeks after all the bugs were worked out and production
began to ramp up.

I seem to recall that production worked up to around 13-14 cars per hour
with initial production being slow and building.  This would be a 3
shift operation with the possibility of some weekend work at the start.

So if you say Kansas started 3 weeks  (made up, don't know actual start
of production) after Willow run, Willow Run could have already been on
VIN 00769W104992 (based on ,lets say 16 production days, X 24 hours X 13
per hours) when Kansas was working on VIN 00769K100037.

I am not sure when the start of production was for Oakland or whether or
not it was before or after Kansas start up.

It is true that the Fisher body number would be a better idea of how
soon the car was made but it is not 100% either, as Fisher stockpiles
bodies ahead of the plant and didn't necessarily ship them in body
sequence, they just shipped shells.  It also didn't guarantee that the
plant put them on the line in body number sequence.

All other numbers stated above are guess-t-mates to provide examples as
to what is a known factual situation.

If anyone actually knows the specific start of production dates for any
of the plants and any info regarding a specific VIN and when it was
built please post. 

Rick Loving