sean1997

This is what I have for 1955: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 405] <tbody>[TR] [TD]Plant[/TD] [TD]Body Tag Code[/TD] [TD]Serial # Code[/TD] [TD]Start[/TD] [TD]End[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Flint, MI[/TD] [TD]G[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]244927[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]South Gate, CA[/TD] [TD]BC[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]087498[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Linden, NJ[/TD] [TD]BL[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]093179[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kansas City, KS[/TD] [TD]BK[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]094934[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Wilmington, DE[/TD] [TD]BW[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]068057[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Atlanta, GA[/TD] [TD]BA[/TD] [TD]6[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]070979[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Framingham, MA[/TD] [TD]BF[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]037771[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Arlington, TX[/TD] [TD]BT[/TD] [TD]8[/TD] [TD]001001[/TD] [TD]049469[/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE]

Unfortunately I don't have that information, just the serial number ranges for each plant.

The 225 was never available in the Electra 225: 1959 Electra 225 introduced 1964 225 CID V6 introduced (discontinued after 1967) 1975 231 CID V6 introduced (discontinued in 2008) 1979 last year the term "Electra 225" was used 1980 252 CID (4.1 L) V6 introduced (252 discontinued after 1984) 1980 the first year any V6 (the 252 CID) was available in the Electra 1985 first year the 231 CID V6 (now called 3800 V6) available in the Electra

Fisher body style number 4419 is the same as Buick model number 41, there was no model 45 in 1937. Total model 41 production was 85,195 (82,440 for the domestic market and 2,755 for export), the highest for any model in 1937.

Body tag is hard to read but I think it says: BUICK MOTOR CO. FLINT, MICH. 1937 MOD. 41 STYLE No 37-4419 BODY No 63689 TRIM No 301 PAINT No 500 MO. DAY YEAR BODY BY FISHER 1937 = 1937 model year 41 = Buick model 41 = Special 4-door sedan - trunk back, 5-passenger Style No. 37-4419 37 = 1937 model year 4419 = Fisher body style number 4 = Buick 4 = Series 40/Special 19 = 4-door sedan - trunk back, 5-passenger BODY No 63689 63689th 4419 built at Flint, MI TRIM No 301 = Trim 301 = Taupe Mohair Fabric, available on models 41, 44, 46, 46S, 47, 48 PAINT No 500 = solid Imperial Black

[TABLE=width: 322] <tbody>[TR] [TD]U7 = Power Windows[/TD] [/TR] </tbody><colgroup><col></colgroup>[/TABLE] [TABLE=width: 225] <tbody>[TR] [TD]Z4 = Automatic Trunk Release[/TD] [/TR] </tbody><colgroup><col></colgroup>[/TABLE]

Production order sheet, if it was complete, it would look like this:

Here are some more Buick IBM punch cards from 1947-1974, not specific to the Riviera though.

Well it's quite an honor and very humbling to be nominated for the Buickman award. I got interested in Buick's because my Grandfather always owned a Buick and wouldn't buy any other car. As an engineer, I've always been interested in what numbers can tell me, so that got me into Buick decoding. It's a bit like solving a mystery. There aren't many reference books on Buick decoding and most books contain errors and sometimes what Buick said they did isn't what they actually did. So to understand Buick decoding better, I've found the best thing to do is to collect data from various sources and then compare that to actual car data. Over the years I've collected a large amount of information related to Buick decoding (chassis manuals for most years, Buick parts books, paint chips, wholesale car order forms, and many industry reference books like Ward's Automotive Yearbook, Branham Automobile Reference Book and Sanford Evans data books) and most of it I converted to electronic form and put into an Excel tool that I use to help me with the decoding and to compare it to data from actual cars. My Excel tool contains about 40 custom functions for decoding 1932-1980 U.S. and Canadian built Buicks. It will automatically decode U.S. and Canadian Buick car and engine serial numbers, trim tags (trim codes, paint codes, top codes, option codes, date codes, etc.), Protect-O-Plates, engine production codes, and more for 1932-1980. Currently I have info on about 8,700 Buick cars and about 3,500 pictures related those cars (trim tags, VIN tags and stickers, P-o-Ps, build sheets, IBM punch cards, window stickers, miscellaneous paper work, etc.). In my tool I've also compiled lists of trim codes, paint codes (U.S. and Canadian), top codes, option codes, transmission codes, rear axle codes, wheelbase, model production numbers, and plant productions numbers (starting and ending sequential numbers) for those years as well. There are about 19,000 lines of code to make everything work. The nice thing about writing code is that it spots the anomalies in both the reference sources and data from actual cars very quickly and that helps me focus on what areas I need to find more information on.

September 24, 1964 would be 09D on the body tag. I've seen VIN 494475H901404 with body date code of 09C. Flint built Wildcat and Riviera's started at 900001, so that would be at least 1404 Wildcat's and Riviera's built up to 09C.

1G4HP14C2JH438624 1 = US built G = General Motors 4 = Buick HP = LeSabre Custom 1 = two-door 4 = automatic seat belts C = 3.8 V6 2 = check digit J = 1988 model year H = Flint, MI 438624 = sequential number https://service.gm.com/dealerworld/vincards/pdf/vincard88.pdf

53981869 5 = Series 50/Super 3981869 = sequential number, range was 3,786,214 to 4,074,857 for 1940

See my reply to your post in the Buick General forum. http://forums.aaca.org/f115/finding-72-455-engine-vin-383804.html

0b4 is actually 064 and is some sort of build date code. It was a common practice for Buick to use an I as a 1 and b as as 6 or 9 when stamping numbers to make it harder to alter them. I've attached some pictures of 1972 engine number stamps. You might want to check all of those locations just to be sure. I know #4 is from a 1972 GS 455. The 1972 chassis manual shows the engine number location like that shown in picture #3.

There was a time when convertible bodies were only built at Flint and then shipped to other plants for final assembly if needed. But by 1962 convertibles were also built at other plants. I've seen 1962 convertibles with bodies built at Flint MI, South Gate CA, Wilmington DE, Kansas City KS, and Linden NJ. The 1966-1970 Riviera bodies were built at Euclid OH and shipped to Flint. The body tag lists the build plant as EUC for Euclid and the VIN lists the build plant as H for Flint were final assembly took place. 1966-1967 body tags from Euclid have an F in the upper right corner that indicates the body was shipped to Flint for final assembly.

Fisher job number 8390 = Buick model number 27 (4-door sedan, 5-passenger) Body number 8410 = 8410th Fisher job number 8390/Buick model number 27 built out of the total

8I2007405 8 = Series 4800 (Electra 225) I = 1962 model year 2 = built at South Gate, range was 007405 = sequential number, range was 001001 to 020852 for fullsize cars (B and C bodies) and 501001 to 527089 for midsized cars (Y-bodies) Body number of 231 would indicated 231st Electra convertible built at South Gate and VIN indicates it was the 6405th fullsize car built at South Gate.

The Sloan Museum (http://www.sloanlongway.org/buick-gallery/research/automotive-research) has Buick production information by model and option code. If someone is really interested it should be relatively easy for Sloan to find out how many Century wagons were built in 1978, 1979, and 1980 with option code W01.

The Sport Wagon is a Century wagon with option code W01, that's probably why there isn't a production number given. Also, the picture in the Standard Catalog of the wagon with the woodgrain is listed only as a Century station wagon, not a Sport Wagon. The 1978 Buick Color/Trim and Selling Manual I have specifically lists the woodgrain vinyl applique as not available on the Sport Wagon.

Some pages from the 1978 Buick Color/Trim and Selling Manual showing painted bumpers and body side strips as standard on the Sport Wagon. 1978 Buick Sport Wagon Info.pdf

Hawk decals and poly cast wheels supposedly came on Century Sport Coupe, Turbo Coupe, and Sport Wagon. I don't know about the painted bumpers or white stripe. 1978 http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1978_Buick/1978%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige%20Brochure/b_1978%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige-52-53.jpg http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1978_Buick/1978%20Buick%20Century%20Regal%20Brochure-Cdn/b_1978%20Buick%20Century-Regal%20(Cdn)-12-13.jpg http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1978_Buick/1978%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige%20Brochure/b_1978%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige-12-13.jpg 1979 http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1979_Buick/1979%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige%20Brochure/b_1979%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige-46-47.jpg http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1979_Buick/1979_Buick_Brochure/1979%20Buick-16-17.html 1980 http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1980_Buick/1980%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige%20Brochure/b_1980%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige-48-49.jpg http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1980_Buick/1980%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige%20Brochure/b_1980%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige-52-53.jpg http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1980_Buick/1980%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige%20Brochure/b_1980%20Buick%20Full%20Line%20Prestige-72-73.jpg

For 1966, the last 8 digits of the cars VIN should match the engine serial number. 1957 was the first year that the car and engine serial numbers match for Buick. Your engines serial number indicates that it came from a 1965 Riviera or Wildcat built at Flint, MI. The Q-jet was available only on the 1966 425 (MW code) and a very few 1966 401's built for special applications (MS and MU codes). Sounds like someone took a 1965 engine and put the 1966 Q-jet intake on it. The 1966 Rivi you have came with the 425 so it could have been an easy swap if there was a problem with the block. 5H936540 5 = 1965 H = built at Flint, MI 936540 = sequential number, range for Flint built Riviera and Wildcats was 900001 to 955320

Not the best picture, but mounting instructions for 1957.

The BCA judging manual (page 25) also has some info (http://www.buickclub.org/BCA%20JUDGING%20MANUAL/BCAjudgingrev2.pdf) and these links: http://www.teambuick.com/forums/view.php?pg=indent_engine_til_52 http://www.teambuick.com/forums/view.php?pg=indent_engine_53-58 Series digit is the first digit for 1941 and earlier and last digit for 1942 and later. 1930-1955 Buick Master Chassis Parts Book.pdf

3105547 = sequential number, range for Flint was 2,999,497 to 3,219,843 (lack of plant code before serial number indicates car assembled at Flint) 63245395 6 = Series 60/Century 3245395 = sequential number, range for series 60 was 3,176,225 to 3,388,399 4611 = Fisher body style number (Buick model 68) 4 = Buick 6 = Series 60/Century 11 = 2-door sedan - trunk back, 5-passenger Body number 1470 = 1470th 4611 built at Flint (lack of plant code before body number indicates body built at Flint) Total production was 2,897 (2,874 domestic and 23 export) Trim 309 = Tan Bedford Cord, available on models 61, 64, 66S, 67, 68 Paint code 500 = solid Imperial Black