Chassis number '57

[johnonetrillion]

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

[mcl1959]

I have thought about this but have never really had much opportunity to look at early chevs much.
If the sequence does follow the FE sequence then the first digit of your number should be 7 (to signify the year 1957)
On an FE the M comes at the end of the sequence rather than the start, so this is an indicator that maybe the numbers do not line up.
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.
Hope this is of assistance to you.
My personal feeling is that the chassis number sequence was different fro Holden Che and Vauxhall and all the other makes that may have been assembled at the time.

Ken

[johnonetrillion]

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

[johnonetrillion]

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. 

[mcl1959]

First question. No there was only one sequence for FE which included all sedans, wagons, vans and utes.
It started at 1001 for the first chassis FE then again at 1001 when the first FC came through.
In 1956, 1957 and 1958 the year was the first digit of the chassis number.
In 1959 the Letters "FC" were the first part of the chassis number.
Second question. It does seem possible since as you say, there weren't that many chevs assembled during 1958. How many do you think there may have been?
It really may depend on whether the first digit on your chassis number is an 8 or something else

Ken

[johnonetrillion]

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.

[johnonetrillion]

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.

[mcl1959]

I suspected as much, would be interesting to finally workout how the chev number system works

Ken

[MalFE]

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.

[GOA350]

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.

[johnonetrillion]

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.

[johnonetrillion]

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?

[MalFE]

                                                                                                                                                                   I can't help with decoding the number.

Info I have on V8s
Bel Air 1955 with engine number suffix T55GA chassis prefix VC55T
Bel Air 1019D 1956   "        "         "     T56ZB     "         "     C56T
Bel Air 1039D 1956   "        "         "     T566A     "         "     VC56T

Registration horsepower 45 for the V8s

Don't have any more V8s listed till 1960 (Bel Air & Impala)

Mal