Topic: 66 GT Fog Light Switch Location - NJ Oct 65 projected build date?

[Turnall]

66RavenGTCoupe, taped to the wire loom is correct.

A member on here made it for me.  I have been asked this by others as well and I am reluctant to give out his screen name as I am sure he has much more to do than make reproduction build sheets.  I will pass your name to him and let him contact you.  I just don't want him flooded with build sheet request because of me...

Allen

[JKWilson]

Thanks JKWilson.  For the record, I believe my scheduled date was K25 (according to the build sheet) and the actual was K28 (according to the buck tag).

Do you have a straight on picture of the hole?  Is it "D" shaped?

Allen

The hole is round. I didn't see the "chad" as in yours, but I wouldn't find it surprising one way or the other.

BTW, also for the record, my scheduled date AND buck tag production date were K28!  Looks like our cars were possibly built the same day.

[Turnall]

The hole is round. I didn't see the "chad" as in yours, but I wouldn't find it surprising one way or the other.

BTW, also for the record, my scheduled date AND buck tag production date were K28!  Looks like our cars were possibly built the same day.

You have further put my mind at ease with "The hole is round." 

Well now we know that at least 7,000 cars went out that day.   Really interesting to me to put puzzle pieces together 50 years after the fact.  If you ever have any questions about my car, please feel free to ask.  Always enlightening to see examples, especially so close together time wise.

Makes me wonder what would have pushed my car 3 days beyond the scheduled date (Oct 25th) unless it was simply because it was a Monday...     Another subject for another day...

Thanks,

Allen

[JKWilson]

Allen the same goes here regarding info about my car. Mine has (unfortunately), been disassembled for quit some time awaiting me getting back to it (I have another project going). As such I have pretty good access to areas that would be difficult on an assembled car. I'm happy to help out and compare notes. There are about four of us on here with Metuchen cars around the Oct '65 time frame.

A couple of interesting details I discovered on mine. It is a documented factory GT car (build sheet and buck tag). I have found it has both the dual exhaust AND single exhaust style rear brake line brackets on the bottom of the floor pan (with, obviously, the dual exhaust bracket being utilized). It also has no inside floor pan reinforcements installed. All I can figure is that it initially started assembly as a non-GT car and got changed early in the build process! I've owned it for 32 years this coming August.

[J_Speegle]

You have further put my mind at ease with "The hole is round." 

Well now we know that at least 7,000 cars went out that day.   .............

Remember that the date on the tag is not the cars that were completed that day but instead were started that day   If you look at the later cars where we have access to the Ford records and compare them to the buck tag examples we have a fair number will (for example) have 21st of the month on the buck tag but were completed on 22th of the month

[Turnall]

Remember that the date on the tag is not the cars that were completed that day but instead were started that day   If you look at the later cars where we have access to the Ford records and compare them to the buck tag examples we have a fair number will (for example) have 21st of the month on the buck tag but were completed on 22th of the month

Jeff, I know it is wondering off topic, but are you saying the cars were completely assembled in 1 day (give or take)?  Would love for you to elaborate as I have absolutely no knowledge of the time-frames (dates) and what they actually mean (you can tell I thought the buck tag was the completion date).  To pose specific questions (please tell if I need another thread), What do the dates actually represent for example on my car:  Build sheet date of K25, buck tag date of K28 and what all processes had to be accomplished from the buck tag date to completion? 

As always, thanks for the responses and knowledge from each of you,

Allen

[J_Speegle]

Jeff, I know it is wondering off topic, but are you saying the cars were completely assembled in 1 day (give or take)?

If the start time was early enough in the day, an easy build (so that it moved out of the holding area quickly and back into the stream of things) documents suggest yes

Would love for you to elaborate as I have absolutely no knowledge of the time-frames (dates) and what they actually mean (you can tell I thought the buck tag was the completion date).  To pose specific questions (please tell if I need another thread), What do the dates actually represent for example on my car:  Build sheet date of K25, buck tag date of K28

Buildsheet shows an expected or projected date that someone guessed at when the car order was entered at the plant into the computer. Often off by a few days but have been examples (when there were production and release issues) of up to eight months that I've seen examples of. Very rare.

Buck tag date appears to be the day when there were enough panels put together to place the buck tag on the body - in most cases I currently believe were the same day as the car was started but sure there had to be a number of bodies that were started maybe an hour prior to that point that, at the end of the day, were not assigned a buck tag yet.

When we look at a collection of data from one car (example for NJ would be 68) we can see by comparing the Marti report finish date, the buck tag, the buildsheet and the door tag date we can see the similarities, close dates and the differences

and what all processes had to be accomplished from the buck tag date to completion? 

Don't think we have enough space and that would surely take this thread way off thread. Basically 1,000 steps or more. 

[woolshire]

My 66' NJ GT has schedule date of K18 and actual of L1. I also have two build sheets and the buck tag. Mine is unrestored, save for one respray in 2002.

My vin ends in 132470. I'm curious how that compares to yours, since my dates bracket yours.

My fog light switch is in the "normal" spot,  on the lower left side of dash.

[sgl66]

My 66' NJ GT has schedule date of K18 and actual of L1. I also have two build sheets and the buck tag. Mine is unrestored, save for one respray in 2002.

My vin ends in 132470. I'm curious how that compares to yours, since my dates bracket yours.

My fog light switch is in the "normal" spot,  on the lower left side of dash.

Do both of your build sheets have the same rotation number? I found 1/2 of a 2nd tucked in the passenger seat springs last year. Same VIN on both build sheets but a different ROT # in the top left. Your VIN is about 5,000 higher than mine.

[woolshire]

Do both of your build sheets have the same rotation number? I found 1/2 of a 2nd tucked in the passenger seat springs last year. Same VIN on both build sheets but a different ROT # in the top left. Your VIN is about 5,000 higher than mine.

I pulled the one out from the drivers seat springs and the other is still wrapped around the wiring harness behind the instrument panel, so I can't answer that. I haven't decided if I want to pull that one out yet.
Thanks for the vin comparison. Sounds like they were making about 5000 cars per week at that time.

[Turnall]

My 66' NJ GT has schedule date of K18 and actual of L1. I also have two build sheets and the buck tag. Mine is unrestored, save for one respray in 2002.

My vin ends in 132470. I'm curious how that compares to yours, since my dates bracket yours.

My fog light switch is in the "normal" spot,  on the lower left side of dash.

Mine was scheduled for K25 and actual of K28 (and possibly a day later via Jeff) with a vin of 135090.  And now this has me asking the question, when did the vehicle actually get the consecutive number part of the vin?

Allen

[jwc66k]

And now this has me asking the question, when did the vehicle actually get the consecutive number part of the vin?

It was not first. Orders were generated by Ford marketing and from Ford dealers. All the requirements were determined first, body type, engine and options. A plant was selected that could fulfill those requirements and the order sent to that assembly plant. That plant then filled in the blanks around the order with the six digit numeric part of the VIN and the vehicle was scheduled based on component availability. That's part of the answer as to why a West Coast DSO vehicle was built in a East Coast plant, component availability. It also applies to any model Ford.
Jim

[J_Speegle]

...................  And now this has me asking the question, when did the vehicle actually get the consecutive number part of the vin?

According to plant managers the VINs were assigned when the order reached the plant. Order came in - data entry person gave it a VIN and basically guessed (based on other things) when the car would be completed and assigned it a "build date" (date on door tag and buildsheet)_ now referred to as a projected build date