Another set of numbers for the body parts??

[STORMCAT]

Well after 21 pieces of clear bra and the final phase of the Super Nova project I've uncovered some body tagging numbers that are interesting. These my be of some use in later years to determine if a car is all original.

When I was looking at the bottom of the doors I noticed a number was hand engraved in the raised edge on the bottom of the door. The same number appears on both doors.( See photo #1) it may be hard to read but the number is "3698" Recently I found the same numbers written inside the Clam Shell. The hand written white "3698" is a photo thru the top side intake air vent. (see photo# 2)The same number appears on the other side in the same location. Could these be our real car numbers? My car is an 06 # 1749. My Rotation number is #3677. This number must be significant to tag critical parts. Maybe it's the true Unit number of the body??

Ok go look under your door and see if your numbers matches you rotation number??? I feel like an archeologist that just made a interesting discovery..:biggrin

 

[STUNTS]

I believe when we were in Detroit for the rally. The significance to those parts were that they belonged to a certain work #/job, being your car.. When your car was finished with assembly, a kind gentleman or woman would then make sure that the numbers you found all matched making sure that you didn't get parts that belonged to a different car.

I know it sounds confusing... but hopefully it makes sense.. SOmeone else might be able to explain it better... GUYS????

 

[STORMCAT]

I believe when we were in Detroit for the rally. The significance to those parts were that they belonged to a certain work #/job, being your car.. When your car was finished with assembly, a kind gentleman or woman would then make sure that the numbers you found all matched making sure that you didn't get parts that belonged to a different car.

I know it sounds confusing... but hopefully it makes sense.. SOmeone else might be able to explain it better... GUYS????

Would it be safe to guess that it was the 3698th production body to be built?

 

[STUNTS]

The math seems to be so close that it's assumable...

 

[STUNTS]

The math seems to be so close that it's assumable...

There were a total of 4038 built.. TOTAL. Your car being 1749 of 2006 then there were another 340 GT's built totalling 2089 built in 2006 and that the total production for 2005 was 1949.... Keep with me, It's basic and we'll see what the out come is in a minute.

So with 1949(2005) + 1749(your car #) = 3,698 Is that the number on your car?? Let's go find out

I got the # 340 by subtracting the number you found on your car from the total production number of 4038

 

[STUNTS]

There were a total of 4038 built.. TOTAL. Your car being 1749 of 2006 then there were another 340 GT's built totalling 2089 built in 2006 and that the total production for 2005 was 1949.... Keep with me, It's basic and we'll see what the out come is in a minute.

So with 1949(2005) + 1749(your car #) = 3,698 Is that the number on your car?? Let's go find out

Hell ya!!!! That's it. Junior high paid off..:thumbsup :lol

 

[STORMCAT]

There were a total of 4038 built.. TOTAL. Your car being 1749 of 2006 then there were another 340 GT's built totalling 2089 built in 2006 and that the total production for 2005 was 1949.... Keep with me, It's basic and we'll see what the out come is in a minute.

So with 1949(2005) + 1749(your car #) = 3,698 Is that the number on your car?? Let's go find out

I got the # 340 by subtracting the number you found on your car from the total production number of 4038

Good work. I didn't know the exact # of 2005's so the math works out. In reality this is our true car production number and not the rotation number in my case #3677 so did you go look under your door??

 

[barondw]

Because of interchangeability problems body parts arrived as a kit. They were kept together since the body plant had previously tested the fit of the pieces together.

While changing a body piece is possible it would have required a great deal of additional work. Thus the parts where assigned a kit number to ensure that they were kepot together.

Dave

 

[ENZO BTR]

I concur. When I did the factory tour story they said the cars would arrive as a "body in white" and then go through the entire painting and assembly process, but not every body piece made the trip together. The plastic parts of the car (the front cargo cover or "hood" for instance) were painted using a different process because the heat of baking the paint on the metal pieces would have damaged the plastic. Also, there were several sub-assembly stations (like the doors) that required a separate build process from the main body.

Bottom line -- the body panels were usually close to each other during the pricess, but not necessarily alongside each other. Yet they wanted to keep the panels from each body together for final assembly to avoid additional fitment problems (as Dave noted), so they had to track all these separate pieces somehow -- thus the numbers you've found.

Funny to think that, in addtion to the "numbers matching" drivetrain we always read about for vintage cars, our GTs have "numbers matching" bodies. Good way to confirm if a car has ever been in a wreck as time passes...

 

[barondw]

Funny to think that, in addtion to the "numbers matching" drivetrain we always read about for vintage cars, our GTs have "numbers matching" bodies. Good way to confirm if a car has ever been in a wreck as time passes...

Enzo BTR

Not necessarily so. During production there were instances were the kitted parts could not be fitted, damage, etc. A replacement part was then used and does not necessarily have the same kit number.

Dave

 

[ENZO BTR]

I did see many parts being set aside with words like "recalled" or "damaged" written on them and circled in grease pen. Figured those parts weren't going to see the light of day, but didn't know they wouldn't update the number on a replacement part. So if your car hasn't been in an accident, but already has "non-matching" body parts, I guess there was a problem with an original part during production.

Now I want to go out and check my GT...

 

[BlackICE]

I did see many parts being set aside with words like "recalled" or "damaged" written on them and circled in grease pen.

I wonder what happed to the "damaged" parts? Did they get shipped to GTJoey's home? Maybe he could put together another FGT or, Franken GT.

 

[ENZO BTR]

It was really weird walking through the plant in June of 2005 and seeing all those rows/piles/stacks of parts. I kept thinking "Someday I'm going to wish I could have gotten all these 'throw-away' parts that are likely headed to the trash heap."

Of course, that someday is already TODAY!