Build Sheet date question

[72BBChuck]

This question came up in another thread I posted. What does the "SCHED NO. DATE" in the upper left corner of the build sheet below indicate?

[Keith Seymore]

I think those are two separate pieces of data: a "Schedule Number" and then the "Schedule date".

The date is pretty obvious but I don't know why they would need yet another tracking number when you already have the build sequence number.

The build sequence number is really the "gold source" that everyone in the assembly plant uses when referring to a specific vehicle.

K

[Jason Banks]

I the obvious part about the date, "that was the day the truck was built" ?

If so it's my 1968's 55th birthday today!

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by Jason Banks

I the obvious part about the date, "that was the day the truck was built" ?

If so it's my 1968's 55th birthday today!

Happy Birthday old truck!

[Keith Seymore]

It's the date it was scheduled to be built. It's a prediction.

Depends on when during the shift it dropped into production, but it takes about 8 hours from the end of paint/start of trim to the end of final line, based on line rate and assuming no line stoppage due to breakdowns or part shortages.

The body would have started in cab shop a couple days prior to that.

But - yes - within a day or so.

[Keith Seymore]

As an example my '87 started trim at 4:30 pm on Monday Sept 29 of 1986, and I left the plant at 1:30 am Tuesday morning after driving it over to the shipping building.

The paperwork shows September 29 for completion, probably because the "pay point" was at the end of the final line and not shipping.

K

[72BBChuck]

Keith, please tell me about the "Sequence number". Is that what is chalk marked in may places on the truck? I usually see a three digit chalk marked number?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 72BBChuck

Keith, please tell me about the "Sequence number". Is that what is chalk marked in may places on the truck? I usually see a three digit chalk marked number?

Yes.

The build sequence number is the order it went down the line. This is the number people are usually looking for when they unwittingly try to ascribe that information to the VIN.

Some plants have a "bank" after cab shop/before paint, and after paint before trim, to allow builds to be shuffled to level downstream workload, pull a vehicle out based on a material storage or for an extended repair. In that case there could be a unique sequence number for the cab shop, and then a different unique number for paint, and trim, and yet another for final line (aka "General Assembly").

Some plants build straight through, without any body banks in the process. In that case the same sequence number would be assigned for the whole process. Fremont is one of those plants.

The full sequence number is five or six digits (like 123456), but the operator will typically write the last two or three digits of the number in a type of shorthand (ie, "56", or "456").

The goal is to try to keep all the parts coming together in the right order. Any component that is built up remotely and conveyed to the main line (ie, engine, trans, radiator, grille, front end sheetmetal, front and rear axle, seats, tire/wheel) is fair game to have a sequence number written on it.

In any case, the final line (or general assembly, or "GA") sequence number is the number everybody uses to refer to a specific vehicle. Nobody cares about the VIN in the assembly plant, except to get it installed on the correct truck, just like a SPID label or emission label or Mulroney window label.

K

PS - My truck was "number 87".

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Yes.

The build sequence number is the order it went down the line. This is the number people are usually looking for when they unwittingly try to ascribe that information to the VIN.

Some plants have a "bank" after cab shop/before paint, and after paint before trim, to allow builds to be shuffled to level downstream workload, pull a vehicle out based on a material storage or for an extended repair. In that case there could be a unique sequence number for the cab shop, and then a different unique number for paint, and trim, and yet another for final line (aka "General Assembly").

Some plants build straight through, without any body banks in the process. In that case the same sequence number would be assigned for the whole process. Fremont is one of those plants.

The full sequence number is five or six digits (like 123456), but the operator will typically write the last two or three digits of the number in a type of shorthand (ie, "56", or "456").

The goal is to try to keep all the parts coming together in the right order. Any component that is built up remotely and conveyed to the main line (ie, engine, trans, radiator, grille, front end sheetmetal, front and rear axle, seats, tire/wheel) is fair game to have a sequence number written on it.

In any case, the final line (or general assembly, or "GA") sequence number is the number everybody uses to refer to a specific vehicle. Nobody cares about the VIN in the assembly plant, except to get it installed on the correct truck, just like a SPID label or emission label or Mulroney window label.

K

PS - My truck was "number 87".

Interesting. Sounds like the VIN's serial number is simply a number assigned to the vehicle, by some rational consecutive order, which if I'm not mistaken, that number is assigned beginning with the frame rail. LH rail to be exact, though can only speak for a 1971.

Question, here's my build sheet for example, Fremont Plant, sequence 24419. Are you saying it's the 24,419th 1971 truck run through the Fremont Plant?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

Interesting. Sounds like the VIN's serial number is simply a number assigned to the vehicle, by some rational consecutive order,

Yes. VINS can start at 1001, 10001, 100001, 500001, 600001 or 800001 and increment up one by one from there. If a plant uses multiple VIN sequences (like one set for Chevy and one set for GMC) they would increment up independent from one another. For a Chevrolet truck built in Fremont for the 1971 model year the VIN started at 100001.

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

which if I'm not mistaken, that number is assigned beginning with the frame rail. LH rail to be exact, though can only speak for a 1971.

No - it's assigned long before that; Prior to when the build sheet(s) are broadcast to the shop floor. The body build starts days before the frame line, so it is going to appear on the cab well before it is stamped on the frame rail.

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

Question, here's my build sheet for example, Fremont Plant, sequence 24419. Are you saying it's the 24,419th 1971 truck run through the Fremont Plant?

Maybe. That's a pretty small number for a truck that was built in May of 1971.

At an absolute minimum Fremont would have easily built 120,000 trucks between September of 1970 and May of 1971, assuming 45 jobs/hour and 2 shifts production. At 100 jobs/hour, 3 shifts and some overtime you are at 400,000 built. If I am reading your VIN right it is 1Z6xxxxx, which would indicate around 500,000 trucks built.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was 224,419 or 324,419 or even more likely 524,219 (even if only the 24419 digits appear on the sheet). In any case you might look around and see if you see "19" or "419" marked on any of the components.

K

[Keith Seymore]

A typical day might look something like this:



times 20.

Orders are received at the plant in batches by Order Number. The PVI, or Primary Vehicle Indicator, is assigned to each Order Number in a sequence and the VIN is assigned.

The PVI's are then often shuffled before being broadcast to the floor. Once that order is settled and the build sequence is set then the build sheets and build manifests are printed and distributed.

Note that the VINs are incrementing up one for one (more or less) within a vehicle nameplate, with other nameplates interjected at some interval (one GMC every nine vehicles, one Cadillac every 20 vehicles, for example).

Also be aware that the VINs are independent between each final assembly location. For example, you could have a 1965 Pontiac Lemans hardtop built in Fremont, VIN 237375Z123456, and a 1965 Pontiac GTO hardtop built in Pontiac Michigan, VIN 237375P123456, the only distinction being the plant code, and in no relation to each other time wise. In this case the Pontiac vehicle was built in November of 1964 whereas it took Fremont until March of '65 to hit the same number.

K

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Yes. VINS can start at 1001, 10001, 100001, 500001, 600001 or 800001 and increment up one by one from there. If a plant uses multiple VIN sequences (like one set for Chevy and one set for GMC) they would increment up independent from one another. For a Chevrolet truck built in Fremont for the 1971 model year the VIN started at 100001.



No - it's assigned long before that; Prior to when the build sheet(s) are broadcast to the shop floor. The body build starts days before the frame line, so it is going to appear on the cab well before it is stamped on the frame rail.



Maybe. That's a pretty small number for a truck that was built in May of 1971.

At an absolute minimum Fremont would have easily built 120,000 trucks between September of 1970 and May of 1971, assuming 45 jobs/hour and 2 shifts production. At 100 jobs/hour, 3 shifts and some overtime you are at 400,000 built. If I am reading your VIN right it is 1Z6xxxxx, which would indicate around 500,000 trucks built.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was 224,419 or 324,419 or even more likely 524,219 (even if only the 24419 digits appear on the sheet). In any case you might look around and see if you see "19" or "419" marked on any of the components.

K

Real interesting, and thank you for that great information.

Yeah, that 24419 must be missing a digit. I thought something was up when I posted that, it doesn't make sense. You're right about my serial number starting with 6, and you're probably correct, the "5" in 24,429 is missing.

If I understand it right, the serial numbers start over when new models are produced (eg, with 1972 models built during 71-72).......................So, if I get the meaning, mine was 500K-ish Chevy truck built at the Fremont plant, for the 71 model year. More like the 555K-ish truck rounding to the nearest thousand, without giving up the serial number

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

If I understand it right, the serial numbers start over when new models are produced (eg, with 1972 models built during 71-72).

Yes. Almost always.

There were a couple model year transitions during the square body years where we did a "rolling model change". The line didn't shut down; we had maybe a one carrier gap and then started right up with the next model year. (They were kind enough to put a hand made cardboard sign in the window so we would know). A couple times there they didn't start the sequential portion of the VIN over, and I can think of one occasion during the Gen1 Volt builds where we didn't start over.

Other than that -

K