If you are trying to work out what number plate you should have on your 1958 car then you need to work out what letters and numbers there were in those years, My December 1956 FE had original GOA 001 and my November 1959 FC had original HBA 592. It sounds like your car is going to fit in between these.

The body of my car is dated March 57 and is US built. So by the time it would have landed and sold it would have been mid-year, and I estimate the number plate (Victoria) would have been GR* ***. Does that match up with your data?

I was a NSW pit inspector for many years and still have makes and models books dating back to the twenties.

By my book the chassis number appears to be on the left front door pillar.

1956-104 sample chassis number is 56-1019-HS60815
1957-104 sample chassis number is 57-1019-HS63010

These cars had 6 cylinder engines.

I also have info on V8 models if required.

Mal.

Thanks, Mal.

What is the V8 info you have? All of the Australian CKD Chevs were 6s. Just a few 567s came already assembled as special order cars and had the V8s.

Was HS the code for Sydney? (Holden Sydney?) I have seen one other VIN tag with those initials recently.

Yes, the 56-1019-etc and 57-1019-etc. marry up with my understanding of the chassis numbers.

Do you know what the first digit after the HS initials refer to? Or is it a 5-digit sequence? Between those numbers shown there is a difference if 2800, which might correlate to the total number of 567 Chevs sold in Australia in each of those years – estimated at about 2000 per year.

Anyway, FE chassis number 6-5725M is made around 1st September 1956 and has reg starting around GNO.
FE chassis number 7-5725 does not exist obviously as the number is now in the ten thousands rather than the thousands. FC chassis number 8-5725 exists and was made around 13 June 1958 with reg starting GUL.

Based on these calculations, the chassis number on my car was not done in sequence.

Could not have been a '56 build – too early.
Is definitely not a 7 as the first number of the PSN.
June 1958 is too late for the assembly – early 1958 at best.

Thanks, Ken.

Best advice is that GM put out about a total 2000 CKD cars per year nationwide for 55-6-7. So maybe 500 or a bit more from Melbourne?

The stamping of that first digit (after the 'M') is unclear, but it is definitely a character that has a round top and a round base, so either a 0, 3, 6, 8 or 9, based on the shapes identifiable from the other numbers.

By the looks of the tech spreadsheet, the FE PSNs all started with a digit for year of manufacture – 6, 7, or 8 – followed by a number starting from 1000. So the number 61001 would have been the second FE built in the plant, and was a '56 manufacture. Then the FC PSNs started with the letters 'FC', followed by a similar number starting from 1000. Is that correct?

So then the question would be: Did the Chevs have their own sequence, or did they fall into the last 4-digit sequence of whatever was being produced at the time?

Therefore, chassis number 71234 might have been a 57 FE 1234th off the line, while number 71235 might have been a Chev frame stamped a few minutes later. 

Thanks, Ken.

The first digit in the PSN is definitely a round shaped dight, so not a 7. A number of the 57 had their first registrations in early 58, so 8 is a possibility.

Now, based on what you said about the FE and FC numbers, am I correct in thinking that there as a sequence for each model? If so, that means that not all Melbourne plant cars ran in the one sequence? So GM re-started at 1000 for each model? And that would indicate that the Chevs (and others) were not included in the sequence.

But I know that there were not 4000+ Chevs put together out of the Melbourne plant – it would have beem Fishermens Bend, not the new Dandenong plant, btw. So that may indicate an ongoing sequence via some other criteria – either for Chevs over a number of years, or all non-Holden cars for a period.

Does this seem logical?

Cheers

Hello!

I've a chassis from a Melbourne-assembled 57 Chev.

The PSN (Plant Sequence Number) is part of the chassis number – M [?]5725. [First digit is unclear – could be a 6, 3, 0 or 8 – most likely a 6.

Would anyone know whether these numbers were in sequence for everything that was built at Fishermens Bend? Or did they have a separate sequence for non-Holden vehicles?

If anyone has a chassis number for a 57 FE with a number close to the above, I'd be interested to know, and know what the first registration date of your vehicle was.

Just coming to the end of a restore project on my car and am trying to get some data that will lead to discovering what the first registration number of my car was.

Cheers

Yep, I have a bunch of those old Chev ads too.

'Full of spunk'? Well, yes ... maybe.

Thanks.

So you man the ad was published January 56 or January 57?

My steering conversion was done privately using local (Australia) parts – dash and firewall. Those elements from the original care were unpicked and they new ones welded in as per factory. Then it was all put to an Australian RHD chassis with equivalent steering.

Thanks for the Rare Spares tips. I knew there were some decals about the place, but not that many! Nothing as good as the Muirs version, though.

Mine's a 57 2-door hardtop – right hand drive and being restored original.

Tell me, do you have a date for that newspaper ad from Mentone listing the 56? Was that from that year?

Anybody know which Melbourne Holden dealers also sold Chevs back in the mid 50s?

Have a 57 Chev that I want to recreate a deler sticker for the rear windscreen. And want something cool like for the Muirs Holden stickers of the same time.

I am looking for two Nasco exhaust extensions circa '57 – the earlier fan shape, not the later straight shape. Nasco part no. M31755.

See reference:

http://www.fefcholden.org.au/techinfo/nasco/trimstyle/exhaustext.html

Are they available repro? (Do not ned to have the Nasco badges on them.)

Cheers

And for those who remember my previous topic (16778) on this:

Yes, the rubber connection pieces were found!

Hello!

Well, I used to won a nice 62 EJ. Actually I had two of them. But this question is about a 57 Chev to be fitted with a Smiths 'Beehive' heater.

I have the heater all restored etc. and have figured out where I want to mount it. But now I am wondering what sort of fixtures I should use in hooking it all up to look right for the times.

It looks like we need some sort of 3/4" 90˚ elbow join to connect into the rubber fittings on the heater body. And then some heater hose, preferably with GM markings on it. And standard wire clamps to close it all together. (Will use the same sort of elbow joins to connect the hose to the duct unit under the dash.

Any tips?

Cheers

All sorted now. Thanks for looking.

Need the two rubber parts for the sides of a Smiths 'beehive' heater:

One is for the duct connection, the other is a plug (I think).

Thanks FC427.

The units that Norm is doing do not have any vent holes – the mould has them sealed up. (In any case, I understand the cases are not ready as yet.)

And just to be sure, it is just the rubbers that I am after. (I might not have been 100% clear on that in my original post.)

After much searching, I found a great 'beehive' heater to put in my 57 Chevy. (Thanks to some tips from FEFC members!(

Even though it looked good, I thought I would have it re-cored and have the pipes shifted to be positioned closer to each other.

Only problem is, the radiator place has lost the two rubber parts that attach to the unit. One goes to the vent duct. The other looked to be a seal.

I know! I should have taken them off beforehand, but I thought it would be wiser to keep it all together in the box with the mounting bolts etc.

Does anyone know if these are available repro or NOS. Even good second hand?

Cheers

John