The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Engine out, what's this #75 on the firewall???

Hey Gang,

Yanked the old 235 out in preps for the V8 transplant and wondered about an etching I found on the firewall. I'm used to seeing chalk markings on 55-57 Chevy cars having this and it being the interior code color. I have also seen this on the underside of the hood as well. This is original paint and untouched truck to boot besides the old motor being swapped out. Is this a line sequence number, exterior paint code, anything of significance for the restorers out there? I'll post a pic later. Anyone else see something like this? Thanks!

Cheers
Dave

not uncommon to find markings under the hood from the assembly line, nothing of significance

Bill

may not be anything of importance... but pretty darn cool that its still there!

Hmmm, found some other marks but not like this one. And looks like my paint code for Windsor Blue is 1402 which when ordered, was a 3-digit code of 522. So no leads there....

Nothing significant? I don't agree with that comment. Well, maybe with this Demolition Derby marking I do. I'm heavily into Mopars and every paint blop, mark, or dab means something as the cars came down the line. Nobody puts a random mark on a car in a factory "just because". They all have a meaning whether it's an inspection is complete, a fluid is serviced, or a part is inventoried.

Now, whether or not this is actually a factory marking or not, that I don't know. Not sure what it would mean, and why so big? That leads me to believe someone did it after the fact, but who knows? That's why I was checking to see if maybe someone else ran into this and it was on their trucks too. Maybe this was the Farmer's way of labeling his cars on his ranch!

Here's the pic


75th car down the line? 75 bolts hold the front end together? 75th hunk of crap sitting in Joe's cow pasture????

Cheers
Dave

The problem with the markings (there are other posts on this) is that unlike muscle car era markings there is no "key." There is very little really known about the line process for most of these trucks. This is further compounded by a door tag that has only a serial number with the most basic information on it. So while interesting to be sure, and I have had a couple trucks with similar marks there is not much to be gleaned from them. As your last line states there could be a lot of reasons for the 75. In looking at the fixed link and your number it does not look like any of the ones on trucks I have owned or some that have been shared in previous posts. The ones I have seen tend to be more thin lined and look like quick, china marker scribbles (white or yellow).

KMAC

as Brad points out, regardless if there is/was any meaning to the markings found under the hoods of some trucks for the assembly line workers, they're of NO "significance to restorers", us, or a museum, there is no "numbers matching" game in old Chevy trucks .... and I'd say that particular mark has nothing to do with the assembly line [and your link has doubled http, doesn't work - here it is]

Bill

This was discussed a while back. My 57 GMC Bigbolt has all sorts of markings on the firewall: STD, which meant standard tranny I guess. HEATER, which I guess meant it got a heater. T372, got no idea. 1394 ?? 189129 ??

Brad and Bill,

Thanks Men! I wasn't sure if there was a reference manual for these truck like the muscle car world has, so apparently there's not much info to be gained. Gotcha. That's why I was asking. I too have found them more grease pencil like, versus this large, what appears to be, etched number. Thanks for fixing my pic link. For future ones I'll take out the extra http!!!

I appreciate the help gents....

Cheers

As big as that 75 is, I'd go with the "Joe's pasture reference." As far as markings on firewalls (in general, but not the one in the picture), they would be insignificant to someone whose truck does no still have them. If mine still had them, I would be stoked!
Carl

75

The year the previous owner yanked out the 216 and put the 235 in.

You need to replace the marking with 2014, for the next guy.

...in the past couple weeks I read an article in the Old Cars Weekly written by a fellow who had worked at GM for many years and I think on about every job there to "move up to his position" years later.
In it he mentions folks who put "their mark/number" on the inner fenders which signified the work was done and read to move on. He mentioned also that to avoid getting down and looking under the inner fender the guys on the line would use a mirror to make sure it was there.
I may not be quoting exactly as it read and I'm thinking about just typing it in later if I can't get it to copy good enough to read.
It proves the point that the markings really mean little except to the ones on the assembly line.

That's what I was referring to on the inspector's stamp. They do mean something and I agree, I'll have to put a '14 on the firewall next after the repaint!!!!

Just spent a few hours, a few wire wheels on the drill, and a LOT of elbow grease/parts cleaner, and now I have a steering box and pitman arm again! Good grief...it's like they used this truck as a truck!

Cheers

I've got 'em on my '51 too. Figured they were some assembly markings.

http://i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a562/Coneboy99/image_zpse03fe74b.jpg

WOW!!! That's just like mine. So that leads me to believe it's definitely a inspector/line marking of some sort. Wonder if it was the sequence of the trucks down the line? Interesting to think about (well, for me anyway!). Pretty neat, and thanks for posting that.

Pretty neat to see these markings survive all these years. When I disassembled the 51' I did, after removing the gastank, I found a line worker's paper coffee cup under the tank. Funny, it says, "Fire safety is YOUR responsibility" and it's under the tank. I found one under the carpet of a 68 Charger I did as well. Neat to find stuff like that, especially from 1951 or so!!

Cheers

While I have never seen them like that they are certainly similar. Very interesting to see if anybody else has wide markings in that location? They must have been to catch someone's attention being that size and in that spot.

KMAC

wonder if boths those trucks came out of the same plant?

after having the body of my sub blasted I could see the outline of a large number 26 on the roof. Never did find out for sure what it meant.


Weeds

I was thinking the same thing. From my Mopar side of things, certain plants did certain things other plants did not. Neat to see this. How many plants were there for these trucks? I'll check my VIN and see where mine was made and post up later.

Cheers

Mine is from Janesville, WI

Well if you go by serial number codes there were 13 during the AD years? This production in some years would have exceeded 300,000 units total.
1-Flint
2-Tarrytown
3-St. Louis
5-Kansas City
6-Oakland
8-Atlanta
9-Norwood
12-Buffalo
14-Baltimore
20-Los Angeles
21-Janesville

Later codes include:
P-Pontiac
W-Willow Run

KMAC

Coneboy,

Ditto. Janesville plant for me too! What month was yours built and what color is it? Mine was September and it's Windsor Blue. I found a few more pics on the net of the same style markings, so trying to figure out what they might mean just for my curiosity. Neat stuff!!!

Cheers

Mine has a 12 in the same location. Not a color code because it says "transport" on the underside of the hood which signifies the lower body color of transport blue.

Greg,

What plant was yours built at and what year/style is it?

Cheers

Dave

H54K It is deluxe cab with two tone interior and exterior. It also has something written behind the voltage regulator that I am having trouble deciphering. It either says Hayes, or Trans, or Thanks...Really hard to tell. Also my 12 is not the thick print as your examples. It is just a rough grease pencil written in white "12"