Hello, The "serial number" metal tab on the inside driver's side door jam of my 1949 Chevy Panel truck is : 5GP - E 18016. Can someone decode this? Thanks!
Tom, Your 1949 Panel "serial number" breaks down as:
5 = Kansas City Assembly Plant GP = 1949 3100 Series (1/2 ton chassis) E = May (month assembled) 18016 = 17016th truck assembled at the Kansas City plant for that year (the first truck assembled started with serial# 1001)
This information was found using the 1949 Chevrolet Truck Data available from the GM Heritage website. A screenshot of the 1949 serial number info is attached below, but is kinda hard to read. I attached a snap of the 1948 serial number sample info as it is virtually the same as 1949, just easier to read.
Last edited by Peggy M; 01/06/20241:45 AM.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
You are at least a decade too early for the engine type to be in the VIN. I have never seen a vehicle that encoded the trim level, colors, options, etc in the serial number.
It is just that. A serial number. In 49 it wasn't even a VIN.
Oh ok - I get it now. Do you know how many total were made in 49 ? Mine could be the last one made...
I don't have numbers for total production in 1949, but an LMC catalog I have says that about 41000 1/2 ton GMC trucks were built. I'm pretty sure that far more Chevy trucks were produced than GMCs. Yep, according to this post there were 201,357 1/2 ton Chevy trucks built in 1949. So yours was far from the last one made. That and your truck was built in MAY, so yours wasn't even in the middle of the production run.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
If we do some simple math we might be able to answer this question.
There were 10 assembly plants in 1949 with about 200k 1/2 ton trucks made total, that makes the average about 20,000 per plant. Your serial number is 17k making it about 3k from the end.
Mike B
Mike Boteler
1956 Chevy 3100 Resto Rod 1952 Willys M38 Army Jeep 1983 Jeep CJ7 Laredo 1984 Jeep CJ7 +++++ Silver Spring, MD
... If we do some simple math we might be able to answer this question.
Gotta love "simple math."
~ Peggy M 1949 Chevrolet 3804 "Charlie" - The Stovebolt Flagship In the Gallery "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." -- Winston Churchill
Simple math has a lot of assumptions stacked together. Feel free to tell whatever story you want about where in the line it was, but just keep in the back of your mind that there is no way to actually know.
But the serial number indicates that it was built in May, so there were still up to 7 months to till the end of 1949 yearly production. Since there was a mix of pickup, cowl/cab & chassis, panel, suburban 3100's built, it's possible that his Panel might have been the last one produced in MAY, but NOT in 1949.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
But the serial number indicates that it was built in May, so there were still up to 7 months to till the end of 1949 yearly production. Since there was a mix of pickup, cowl/cab & chassis, panel, suburban 3100's built, it's possible that his Panel might have been the last one produced in MAY, but NOT in 1949.
Just a note, model year production normally ended in late August or September (not all plants shut down at the same date) with the next model year being introduced in October.
Mike B
Mike Boteler
1956 Chevy 3100 Resto Rod 1952 Willys M38 Army Jeep 1983 Jeep CJ7 Laredo 1984 Jeep CJ7 +++++ Silver Spring, MD
Just a note, model year production normally ended in late August or September (not all plants shut down at the same date) with the next model year being introduced in October.
Mike B
That was true later (80s+), but had they started that trend in the 40s/50s? It was my understanding that they had not.
That was true later (80s+), but had they started that trend in the 40s/50s? It was my understanding that they had not.
1936 model cars and trucks were introduced on October 1st 1935. I believe this was the first year Chevrolet made the change. The 1935 models were introduced in January 1935 making it a 9 month model year.
Mike B
Mike Boteler
1956 Chevy 3100 Resto Rod 1952 Willys M38 Army Jeep 1983 Jeep CJ7 Laredo 1984 Jeep CJ7 +++++ Silver Spring, MD
