Vin stamped on frame??

[turbofish38]

High dollar restoriations no matter what car is involved is a major hunting trip for owners that seek out proper date codes to match their project.....

Seems like I spent the better part of my 30 years in the parts business dealing with some of these people. I just wish Common Sense was stronger than Greed with most if not all of them. By that I mean if you have to track down even 1 or 2 of those special "they don't make anymore" Date Coded parts than you picked the wrong car to restore.

 

[usetaboost]

So does a TR fall in this category?

 

[asto-t]

So does a TR fall in this category?

I guess it depends on who wants it to be totally original.Brian at g-bodys has sold a lot of powder coated frames.I myself have changed frames. I would rather have one true and rust free than one that has been repaired or bent!

 

[usetaboost]

So your quarters have never been repaired? How about the floors?

 

["Turbo-T"]

So does a TR fall in this category?

Any car can fall into this category. It is more common though with collector cars. There are some doing a 100% concourse resto that want nothing but what actually came on the car. I figure for most it's because they're doing a show car that will be entered in shows. Some I'm sure are doing it think there will be a big ROI but they are the ones brainwashed by the BJ syndrome not realizing the auto hobby is a bad place for investment.

 

[usetaboost]

I'm all for making them correct to an extent but make sure you can at least have fun with the damn thing, otherwise its not worth having.

 

[blipmode188]

To add to this Numbers Matching whackiness.....here's I another date coded part I ran across just today. This is a steel rear bumper reinforcement. Date Code 11-20-85. Now this just happens to be a very good example of how out of control this numbers matching game can get. I pulled this reinforcement off a black GN bumper that was going out to the powder coater. What's unusual with that, you ask? Well the only black painted bumpers with a steel reinforcement were used on 87 GNs. Somebody had this bumper apart at one time.

I've noticed date codes on a lot of parts. If I get the time I might post a thread in the Restoration forum of what I have so far. And people can add to it as they find something new.

The car was most likely wrecked at one point and was put back together with whatever fit.
Thats not mismatched numbers at all.
Happens all the time.

 

[blipmode188]

kirban 2 cents worth

While on the subject....

The one group of owners where every number must match and has probably set the bar so high is the Corvette group.....they can even tell you if the wheel weights on your rims came form the factory. They have even gone so fas as to register or trademark the word survivor....if you notice when that word is used related to cars it has a r in a circle usually.

Over the years this mentality has trickled down to other performance cars notably A body cars Buick GTOs etc...one reason we did original date coded packard plug wires about 15 years ago.

Every car manufacturer as far as I know puts the vin somewhere on the frame. I recall years ago that the cops have some sort of book probably on computer now that shows them where the vin is located in every year every model car/truck etc.

I agree on a turbo buick I would not be that concerned. I do know whenever I would buy a GNX I made sure the block number matched the VIN number.

just a few related thoughts...

kirban

Trickle down is an understatment to say the least.
You can take almost any collector car, all things being equal,the numbers matching will out sell a car that does not match numbers correctly virtually every single time, HANDS DOWN
Dont believe it, check out a 69 numbers matching Z28, or 70 BOSS 302, or 70HEMI CUDA , or on and on and on vs a non matching numbers car.

It can become insane trying to take an old car and match numbers correctly.
The thing with the numbers matching etc yada yada yada is over the years
engines are replaced, transmissions are replaced etc etc.

Theres the value of the original !

With that said, In my opinion the GNs have not reached true collector status
and in fact may never.
If they ever do, it will matter if its the correct engine, trans etc.
Wheel weights, bumper stamp numbers maybe not so much, eng. block, trans, rear end will seperate the original from the clones.
My view only
Steve

 

[7007v6buickman]

I bought an 87 GN the frame was bent,so I called bob at postons he told me all the frames are the same like someone mentioned earlier in this post. I had a buddy who gave me an 85 NA Regal I tore the car down took the frame had it powder coated. when I was putting it back together I realized it was missing a tranny mount. Over the years I noticed all the cutlass frames had both tranny mounts like the TR have. Then today i was at the jumk yard found a NA Regal Limited that had the GN frame ,but it was marked I believe LR. Also I found the dashes are different well the part that houses the cluster. I got one from regualr regal to replace mine it had a piece of plastic i had to cut out to make it work. This ones dash was like the GN I noticed too. I kinda want to use this frame but im wondering whats specisl about it. This car seem like it was almost a turbo T or something with all the weird options it has. Has anyone noticed these things and do you know what the LR means?

 

[Ktbregal]

Just go with good frame. It will not affect the value of your car.

 

[asto-t]

Does it have it have the over drive trans hole?

 

[hiboom]

most of the collector's that I travel with to inspect a car use the matching number providence for documentation helps with authenticating a original also a judge to what care the car has had during it's life time (not always ) just a guide if your paying a lot of money for a collector car the more original parts to the car the easier to document and not get burned by a tribute car the saying goes there's more tri power 67 corvette's on the road now then were ever built from the factory I don't know about most people on here but I bought mine for the enjoyment of working and driving it not for investment or collectability I've put far more money into mine then I'll ever get back out

 

[nwarky]

Ok, Eric, so how do I interpret the "HL" plastic tags on the frame of my '87 GN (pink plastic no less!).

Dean

 

[7007v6buickman]

Yeah what does the HL stand for. And whats the over drive trans hole?