Factory Markings

[Nicholas R.]

I'm The 3rd owner of my 68. The last owner had it in storage for about 20 years, and it collected alot of dirt. The first thing I did was remove the Enigine, Transmission, and Gas tank. Which brings me to my question... As I degreased, and washed the engine compartment... The numbers (284) were revealed on the lower right side of the firewall. The numbers are large, and appear to be a white crayon, or chalk. The same numbers (284) were also revealed on the right rear underside of the car, when I removed the fuel tank. (Which still had the original Tank Sticker) Does anyone know what the meaning of these numbers are, and if all corvettes had them? Also since my original Fuel Tank Sticker is in very bad shape. Does anyone know how, or where to get another Tank Sticker?

[Tom H.]

Re: Factory Markings

This was the job number of your car as it traveled through the plant. Always great to see pictures of these markings !! Neat find !

[Alan S.]

Re: Factory Markings

Hi Nick,
The large number you found is called the 'job number'. They were assigned at the factory to each body and run from 1 to 500. The number was often written in yellow or white crayon. It is may also be found inside the body on the right side of the transmission tunnel or foot well and on the rear side of the rear bulkhead. You may also see codes and numbers written for various options the car was to receive... ie PB for power brakes.
As for the tank sheet I believe reproductions might be out there but it's only the one original to the car that's of interest.
Regards,
Alan

PS: Hi Tom, you beat me to it. I'm still driving this keyboard with one finger.

[Tom H.]

Re: Factory Markings

PS: Hi Tom, you beat me to it. I'm still driving this keyboard with one finger.

I learned to use one finger from each hand for lightning fast responses !!

[Nicholas R.]

Re: Factory Markings

Thanks guys, for the info. If I find anything else, I'll let you know. NICK

[Michael D.]

Re: Factory Markings

Nick: Subtract 500 from the last 4 digits of your VIN. Do you get 284? This works for some cars for some years, but not for others. Just curious as to when the practice began.

[Michael F.]

Re: Factory Markings

quanta has repo tanks with the right markings they say including the aol embross and correct turned up areas on tank. I believe they advertise in ncrs mag. good luck, enjoy the restore

[Nicholas R.]

Re: Factory Markings

Thanks for the info! Its too bad that the tank sticker on my vette is in such bad shape. I can only see where it says (GM) in the top left corner. I would really like to see how the car was ordered, The car does have factory power windows, and according to the yellow, and red line RPM's on the tach, the car was built with an original 327ci, 350hp engine. (Or so it says in the owners manual) Does GM have an Archives, or research division, that I could send in my VIN# to see about a tank sticker? A friend of mine has a mopar, and sent his VIN# to Chrysler, and for 34 dollars they sent him all the info about his car. I'm not sure if GM does the same.

[Alan S.]

Re: Factory Markings

Hi Nick,
I believe all those GM records for these years are GONE, much to the dismay of so many owners.
Sometimes an original owner will have been able to save the window sticker, that's why the searches for previous owners is such a popular activity.
Codes written on the underbody offer some clues but certainly not like the tank sheet and window sticker.
The main question is...are you having fun with your 68? That's what matters.
Regards,
Alan

[Nicholas R.]

Re: Factory Markings

Hi Alan! I'm having a great time with the restoration. It's my first vette, and I'm sure now, not my last. Since I bought the car back in July, I've spent all my spare time working on it, and have fun everytime. I'm pleased to have been able to find out about the NCRS. This is from what I've seen, the best resource when owning a Corvette.