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Barney Eaton

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Your car is near the front of the run.  It may not be a S60 as Joe suggests. 
 

We would have to know if the “run” that built the 61 copies as S60s were straight through.  I can not personally remember and I am not sure where to access the database anymore.
 

My S60 had the X22 code as did Keith Bleakneys.  But we need to know positively that all S60s had X22 codes in their SPIF.  
 

So you likely have a Black and Tan 1988 coupe that resided in the S60 run but was an early car and had no X22 code and can’t therefore be verified as an S60 or if not all S60s had the X22 code then we may never know for sure.  
 

I used to look at the database a lot because it was interesting to me.  But I have not got several years.  I can’t remember for sure now so I hate to state anything that my nemesis Y can call me out on, but it seems Black and Tans were not built until well into the 1988 run.  Which in this case were late 800’s.  Still fairly new by 1050 or so.   
 

It is well known that the suede bolsters did not hold up well. My verified S60 had smooth non 16 way seats installed.  Yours were likely redone at some point. There are - or were - a lot of nice seat sections from known good Reatta seats.  I’ve seen perfect ones crushed with the cars.  
 

But for now no X22 code means it’s not an S60.  

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image.png.874a412a2c5347fb6129fe24d2b5cc4e.png

 

check this out. This is from the database. It says 901060 was the first Select Sixty. Jake, would it make any sense to not make the select 60s in a continuous run? That doesn't really make sense to me. The missing X22 code is troubling but I don't see any logic behind them not making the S60's in a continuous/synchronous run.

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a) "touchless" only. Also does underside so go every time I get back from the beach. In Florida summer a roof vent is good. Have a vent (not a sunroof) on the CTS.

b) Since they have "special equipment" and same color makes sense to run all in order on a single line. Saves setup time.

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12 hours ago, BlakesReatta said:

It has 16 way seats but no suede. I don’t think the seats have the original upholstery although. The color of the leather is a bit too light although whoever did the recovering did a fine job. These are much lighter than my 90 convertible which has its original saddle 16 way seats. The car has been repainted and doesn’t have any rust except in the trunk spare tire well and of course the battery terminal.

 

It fits perfectly in the vin number range and it makes me wonder that maybe our knowledge of the serial numbers is either incorrect or the X22 code might not have been as accurate as people think. If the serial numbers started at 901060, that would make my car the sixth car in the select 60 production. I lean toward thinking the serial number range might be incorrect or they botched up x22 code and it didn’t really make it on all the select 60 cars. 
 

this car has been repainted and doesn’t have a hood badge. It was originally black however. I found a dealer card from when the vehicle was originally sold in the owners folio. 

018B0026-C663-4866-B843-3611DE6B4797.jpeg

It wasn't like black and tan with 16 way seats were not ordered or bought by others, there is no reason to believe one was made without the X22 code that signifying it as a SS car when all others found have had it.  Black was the 3rd most popular color and tan interior the most popular color.  

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I'm not convinced that is a Select 60. But I do think that there is something odd about our knowledge of the serial numbers and x22 code which doesn't make sense. It makes no logical sense to produce cars asynchronously in a run like this if the sixty cars between 901060 and 901120 are sixty, non sixty. How would that add up to sixty cars that are select sixties? It absolutely cannot. It is mathematically impossible. Plus, there were actually sixty five cars in the 1990 Select Sixty program.

 

The majority of the coupes I have seen that have survived do NOT have the sixteen way seats. Most are the standard seats.

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24 minutes ago, BlakesReatta said:

It makes no logical sense to produce cars asynchronously in a run like this if the sixty cars between 901060 and 901120 are sixty, non sixty.

Keep in mind that Reattas didn't come down an assembly line like most cars. The numbers not being in order as they were assembled isn't unusual. It was easy for SS cars to be set to the side until they decided to complete them, as well as any other special order Reatta.

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2 hours ago, BlakesReatta said:

I'm not convinced that is a Select 60. But I do think that there is something odd about our knowledge of the serial numbers and x22 code which doesn't make sense. It makes no logical sense to produce cars asynchronously in a run like this if the sixty cars between 901060 and 901120 are sixty, non sixty. How would that add up to sixty cars that are select sixties? It absolutely cannot. It is mathematically impossible. Plus, there were actually sixty five cars in the 1990 Select Sixty program.

 

The majority of the coupes I have seen that have survived do NOT have the sixteen way seats. Most are the standard seats.

I have everything in my '88 to be a Select 60 but am missing the x22 designation. Use it as a winter car. Also have perfect suede 16 ways from the car in the basement just waiting for the 16 way all leather ones in the Red to wear out...

Edited by DAVES89 (see edit history)
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I want to get everything fixed on this car and keep it as my fun weekend car. AC, power steering and one of the brackets on the headlights is broken, freeze plugs leaking coolant. I could kick myself pretty dang hard for selling my silver 88 last year as it ran perfectly and had no mechanical issues.

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4 hours ago, BlakesReatta said:

The majority of the coupes I have seen that have survived do NOT have the sixteen way seats. Most are the standard seats.

I respectfully disagree.  There was not much to call a Select 60 a Select 60 in 1988.  As far as I know, badging, which some had and some did not, and the 16 way seats with suede bolsters.  What you may not know, or you may, is that a lot of the suede bolster cars whether in the 16 way or standard seat - were replaced under warranty by Buick dealers with smooth leather seats.  The Suede did not hold up well in real world use.  

 

I am not one who must have the 16 way seats.  I am 5'4" 145 and I always liked "just" the standard seats, which to me were comfortable.  But in 1988 the 16 ways looked and seemed "exotic", Corvette-esqe.   

 

I would say "every" S60 in 1988 was Black with Beechwood (official name for the Tan) 16 way seats, but who knows for sure.  

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2 hours ago, BlakesReatta said:

Dave, are you coming to Dave McIntosh's presentation next weekend? I'll be there. I'm debating whether or not to drive a Reatta or my Accord.

I really would like to come but can't. We have a 50th wedding anniversary and high school graduation that same weekend.

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16 hours ago, BlakesReatta said:

Happy 50th Dave!

Thanks but not for me. My wife and I are at 42 but my wife's cousin/husband are at 50, and then the neighbor's son graduated high school.

But it will be a busy weekend doing both which is why I cannot do the Buick reunion.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am not home where I have all the data, but the 1988 Select 60 cars were no different than other black/tan Reattas with 16 way seats. 

There are a couple of things that identify them.   The X22 code seems to be the most reliable.   All of the cars that we know were Select 60

have the X22 code,  so it make sense that any other black/tan car that has the code would have been a Select 60 car.   We have never seen the X22 on 

another color car.    I have a GM document that says there were 55 cars made that has the X22 code,   There are no other details but 
the X22 code is just that, an internal GM tracking code that we believe was used for the Select 60 cars.

The other item with a little controversy is the Select 60 Dealers hood emblem.   I was told by Ed Mertz that they did not want to disrupt the assembly process

because the 1988 Reatta production had just started.   So unlike the 1990 Reatta Select 60 convertible, the 1988 car had nothing different.   It was offered to the 

Select 60 dealers because it was on allotment and that allowed the Select 60 dealers to get an extra Reatta.   So to make the car "different" the hood emblem was 

an easy identifier.....but the emblems were not available when most of the cars were made.   Most dealers got their emblem in the mail.   We believe few dealers installed the emblem, some of the cars may have been sold by the time the dealership got the emblem.   One dealer in Louisville said his car came with the emblem but I suspect his may have been made near the end of the run of cars.   

There are Reatta owners that want to believe the Select 60 Dealer emblem came on the 1990 cars.  Their argument is they have a car and the history says it was on the car when delivered.   My belief is the 1990 dealer may also have been a 1988 dealer that did not install the emblem on his 1988 car and when he received the more unique 1990 car he chose to put the emblem on it.    

If anyone has uncovered new details,  I welcome any history you can uncover

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  • 4 weeks later...

If you want more specific information on a car,  contact me directly and I will give you all the info I have.   

As you can tell from the original database..... not all the cars are listed because we do not know things like where the car is presently located

and other thing...... I have had people volunteer to merge the databases but that just creates more questions. 

 

Going back to the above post of June 28... there were 60 black/tan Reattas with 16 way seats built between vin 901060 and 901120 but we 

do not know if all of them were "official" Select 60.... the reason for that is I have a GM document that says there were 55 Reattas made with the

X22 code.   So which 55 out of the 60 actually went to Select 60 dealers?   From Reatta owner input I only have 10 documented cars with the X22 code. 

That makes complete sense as they all looked alike, we believe most did not have the special hood emblem, so few owners would know if they had

a car with the X22 code.   Whenever someone sends me a Black/Tan 1988 with 16 way seats, if it falls into the vin span above I ask the owner to look

at the Service Parts Label  for the X22 code.   Since there were 242 Black/Tan cars with 16 seats,   There is a 1 in 4 chance it could be a Select 60.

 

The 1990 Select Sixty is a different story.  Since there are several things different on those cars, they are much easier to identify without looking at

the Service Parts label.    We have all 65 of those cars identified by vin number starting with the first one 904077.   They were not built in sequence

and there were coupes spread into the build which ended at 904739.   The list includes the dealer name and city are on most of them. 
 

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Here are some numbers to digest........... this document was in the Sloan and I got it around 2003.

Note it is dated 8/31/88... that would be after the end of 1988 production.   There are also some numbers that help us

understand that early build cars/prototypes were not fully equipped as final production cars.   Examples, some cars were built with cloth interior which was later changed

some were built without ABS brakes, these were changed or scrapped. 

Notice the X22 shows up on the first also notice on page 4.... "AAE" code DLR DMO the number is also 55......  so was the X22 code considered a Dealer Demo?

Another unanswered question is CA1 = sunroof...... we know they made late 1988 Reattas with the sunroof option but CA1 does not appear on this list. 

1988 LANSING 1 001.jpg

1988 LANSING 2 001.jpg

1988 LANSING 3 001.jpg

1988 LANSING 4 001.jpg

Edited by Barney Eaton (see edit history)
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  • 3 weeks later...

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