1965-1966 Riviera VIN numbering

[sean1997]

For 1965-1972 the sequential portion (last 6 digits) of the VIN for the Riviera started with 900001. Based on the production of 34,586 for 1965 and 45,348 for 1966, you wouldn't expect to see a VIN higher than 934586 for 1965 and 945348 for 1966. But that doesn't seem to be that case, since the highest VIN I've seen for 1965 is 955079 and for 1966 its 959175. So how did they do the VIN number during these years? For 1967-1972 I haven't seen a VIN higher than the expected value, so it doesn't seem to be the same for 1967-1972.

Attached is a picture showing 954648 for 1965.

[RivNut]

The 9 is the Riviera identifier for 1965. Unlike '64 and prior years where an FB number indicated the production number, '65's Rivieras were all part of a single numbering system for all 1965 Buicks. FB (production sequence) numbers are found on the Fisher Body tag on the firewall, they're independent of the VIN.

Edited September 14, 2012 by RivNut (see edit history)

[sean1997]

So, if I understand what your saying is that Flint built 299,162 cars in 1965. They started numbering at 100001 and would have ended at 399162, except when they got to a Riviera they changed the first digit from a 1, 2, or 3 to a 9. The problem with that is that there can be three cars with the same VIN.

Lets look at the example from the picture I gave where the VIN ends in 954648. According to what your saying, this car could have been car:

154648

254648

354648

If it was car 154648 and got changed to 954648, what about cars 254648 and 354648? Could they also end up as car 954648?

In 1963 Riviera VIN number started with 7J1001001 and in 1964 it started with 7K1001001, so there wasn't any possibility of duplicate VINs.

[RivNut]

This particular VIN happens to have two 9's in it and it through me off. (I was also trying to answer it during class where my students were reviewing for a quiz on Monday so I wasn't paying particular attention to the entire VIN - Sorry).

Here's something that I copied and pasted from the Team Buick Website that tells about VIN's for 1965.

[TABLE=align: center]

<TBODY>[TR]

[TD][h=3]VEHICLE

IDENTIFICATION

NUMBER[/h][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]Commonly referred to as the VIN NUMBER, this series of numbers and letters is stamped on a plate attached to the left front door hinge pillar, and stamped on the engine block. [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]FIRST DIGIT: Identifies the GM Division (4=Buick) [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]SECOND AND THIRD DIGIT: Identifies the series <CENTER>[TABLE]

<TBODY>[TR]

[TD]SERIES[/TD]

[TD]<CENTER>CODE

V-6 </CENTER>[/TD]

[TD]<CENTER>CODE

V-8 </CENTER>[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Special

Special Deluxe

Sportwagon

Skylark

LeSabre

LeSabre Custom

Wildcat

Wildcat Deluxe

Wildcat Custom

Electra

Electra Custom

Riviera[/TD]

[TD]<CENTER>33

35

-

43

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

- </CENTER>[/TD]

[TD]<CENTER>34

36

42

44

52

54

62

64

66

82

84

94 </CENTER>[/TD]

[/TR]

</TBODY>[/TABLE]

</CENTER>[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]FOURTH AND FIFTH DIGITS: Identifies the body style <CENTER>[TABLE]

<TBODY>[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]BODY STYLE[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]2-Door Coupe

4-Door, 2-Seat Station Wagon

2-Door Hardtop Coupe

4-Door Hardtop

2-Door Hardtop Coupe

4-Door, 2 Seat Sportwagon

4-Door, 3 Seat Sportwagon

2-Door Convertible

4-Door Sedan[/TD]

[TD]<CENTER>27

35

37

39

47

55

65

67

69 </CENTER>[/TD]

[/TR]

</TBODY>[/TABLE]

</CENTER>[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]SIXTH DIGIT: Identifies the model year (5 = 1965) [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]SEVENTH DIGIT: Identifies the assembly plant <CENTER>[TABLE]

<TBODY>[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]ASSEMBLY PLANT[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Flint, MI

South Gate, CA

Fremont, CA

Kansas City, KS

Wilmington, DE

Atlanta, GA

Baltimore, MD

Kansas City, MO

Bloomfield MI[/TD]

[TD]H

C

Z

X

Y

D

B

K

V[/TD]

[/TR]

</TBODY>[/TABLE]

</CENTER>[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]6 DIGITS: Represent the basic production numbers. Starting number 100001/up. [/TD]

[/TR]

</TBODY>[/TABLE]

[RivNut]

Here's a link to another page from Team Buick that describes the data plate found on the firewall. This is where 64 and earlier cars had an FB number that told of the sequence within the model. In '65 sequencing was no longer done by model, sequencing was for the entire Buick line.

http://www.teambuick.com/reference/years/65/65_body_number.php

Edited September 14, 2012 by RivNut (see edit history)

[sean1997]

The body numbering for Flint would have run from 1 to 299162, but the VIN numbering started at 100001 for all cars except Riviera, which started at 900001. The body number for the VIN in the picture (which ends in 954648) is FB 282832, with a production date of 07D (fourth week of July, 1965). My question is about VIN number. I want to know how you can get a VIN that ends in 955079 when you only build 34,586 cars and start numbering at 900001.

[1965rivgs]

Sean,

The answer to your question is in Flint (the only assembly plant which built the Riviera) the Riviera and Wildcat VIN numbers were intermingled after the first 54 Wildcats were built.

Tom Mooney

[pyntre]

Those are some really odd looking rivits holding that VIN tag.....talk about starting a huge topic huh?????

[1965rivgs]

Sharp eye! Those are not the correct rivets for a car in this serial number range,

Tom Mooney

[sean1997]

Sean,

The answer to your question is in Flint (the only assembly plant which built the Riviera) the Riviera and Wildcat VIN numbers were intermingled after the first 54 Wildcats were built.

Tom Mooney

So does this apply to only 1965 and 1966?

[1965rivgs]

Yes. Supposedly, in Flint, Buick started intermingling the Electra and Riviera serial numbers in `67 but I have not proven that out by observing serial numbers/date coding and doing the math.

Tom Mooney