Tracing back by '55 Special

[bhead1968]

Anybody know a good way to trace back a Buick to when if first left the assembly line, and more, a build sheet if that's even possible? I did a Vin search and Deciphered the numbers on my Buick and know it was built in the Arlington Tx factory and i have records of title transfers back to 2006. From there it's a mystery.

Part I love about the car, is that while I'm working on it, its like an archeological dig. Who bought this car first? What Dealership?... etc..

Any help would be appreciated..

[CheezeMan]

Unlike Pontiac and Cadillac that practically kept factory records since day 1, Buick routinely tossed their records. Not much exists from the factory.

You may want to schedule a visit to the Sloan Buick Gallery and Research Center (Perry Archives) in Flint to see if anything is available about that year, though they probably won't have much on your specific VIN.

Another large resource of information (but probably not VIN specific) is the Skillman library in Detroit. National Automotive History Collection | Detroit Public Library

The only way to trace back past owners is through state DMV records. I believe that most states will redact personal information though, and the search will cost lots of $, especially if there were several owners from several states.

I also found my vehicle to be an archeological dig... I was fortunate to find original registrations from the first owner (among many documents that were in the car), as well as some hidden dated store receipts that show the vehicle location in time. That was a great find. I also used Google extensively to trace quite a bit of history by searching on any and everything found on those documents. I have saved everything, and even scanned into the computer every document and scrap piece of paper I could find. Its a scavenger hunt, to say the least but very interesting to piece together the history CSI style.

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[bhead1968]

Chuck, thanks for that info. I definitely have my work cut out for me..but absolutely looking forward to it. Hopefully as i dig more in my vehicle, something may just be waiting to be discovered.

Thanks again!