"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
07/25/2016 at 12:05 • Filed to: None
3
11|
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
07/25/2016 at 12:05 • Filed to: None | 3
| 11 |
I have had my Bel Air for almost 4 month now. And it is great!
At first, I didn’t care about what had happened to the car before I got it. As for a girlfriend, I don’t really wanna know what kind of sketchy stuff happened before I got it.
But now I’m getting curious. I know that the car has first been registered in France in October 2014 due to the license plate. It has then been sold to a French car dealer who sold it to a German dealer. I bought it from that dealer. I have no idea what happened in the 54 years before that.
The VIN is 016110104509, which tells me that:
- It’s been built in 1960 ==> 0 (no surprise here)
- It’s a Bel Air V8 ==> 16 (no surprise either, maybe relief that it wasn’t a modified I6)
- It’s a 2 door sedan ==> 11 (1 door, 2 doors, yep)
- There’s an error in the papers, since the 0 should be a letter, so I guess it’s an “O”
- It’s been built in Oakland, CA == > O (that’s new information)
- It’s the 4509th Bel Air V8 2 door sedan built in Oakland that year, making it nothing special ==> 104509
I read that Carfax only works on cars from 1981 and newer.
Is there a way to retrieve more information?
[EDIT] I found this ad from when it was sold in the US in 2012
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
It looks like my car, it confirms that the seats have been replaced, and the American Racing wheels have been added afterwards. So the drivetrain now has about 10.000 miles on it. Contrary to what the ad says, it doesn’t have an AC though.
Seat Safety Switch
> Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
07/25/2016 at 10:00 |
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In high school, a friend of mine called GM and had them pull the build sheet for her ‘71 C-10. It was in cold library storage but they still managed to turn it up for a fee.
kanadanmajava1
> Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
07/25/2016 at 10:10 |
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Some US manufacturers have stashed a build sheet (or broadcast sheet) somewhere in the car. It depends how much your car has been restored or messed with but it could still be there.
The location varies. Under the backseat or inside the dashboard seem to be very common places for it but it can be hidden in various other places. If I remember correctly my ‘63 Chrysler had it under the backseat but it was crumpled to pieces and only little was left.
FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
> Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
07/25/2016 at 10:12 |
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I can’t help you but your Bel Air looks damn good.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
07/25/2016 at 10:16 |
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GM may have the build sheet or original invoice, which might give you the original dealer or even original owner. The original dealer or sale is likely to be a dead end, but there may be a chance of tracing from there. Ford ditched the majority of their ‘50s/’60s invoices and other information, and it’s only through the foresight of Lois Eminger (who saved an archive of invoices) that a lot of information past ‘67 is available.
Regrettably for your auto, the GM Oakland Assembly was shuttered in ‘63, so there are likely no plant-specific records remaining unless they were saved and moved elsewhere.
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Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/25/2016 at 10:32 |
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Would be a start at least, thanks for the info
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Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
> kanadanmajava1
07/25/2016 at 10:33 |
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The seats seem to have been replaced at one point, so it might be lost forever. But I will definitely check. Thanks for the info
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Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
> FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
07/25/2016 at 10:36 |
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Thanks. It has some rough spots, but it’s 56 years old and mostly original, so it can/should have some imperfections
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Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
> Seat Safety Switch
07/25/2016 at 10:45 |
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Might be a start, if they still have those old documents, thanks for the tip
crowmolly
> Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
07/25/2016 at 12:13 |
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This is a foreign sold car so it has a better chance of having documentation than if it were sold in the USA.
Try emailing GM VVS in Canada. They only handle Canadian builds/sales but might be able to point you in the right direction. You will probably talk to George, he’s a really nice guy.
KatzManDu
> Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
08/12/2016 at 06:47 |
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You can get a “restoration kit” from GM which pulls model data, build sheets (if they exist) etc. Since it is pre-1974 VIN standardization full title searches in the USA will be difficult.
https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-ar…
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Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction
> KatzManDu
08/16/2016 at 06:29 |
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Thanks for the info. I might do that.