490 plant codes and serial numbers?? - Vintage Chevrolet Club

I read Ken Kaufmanns artical in the new G&D and it lists the Ft Worth plant as code number 7. The serial number on my 490 starts with 7 and is Car no 734869. Would my car have been built in Ft Worth? Production of the 490 in that plant stopped in June of 1921.

Is there a dash or letter A anywhere on the serial number plate? There also should be a number stamped into the outside circumference of the flywheel.

There are several places to look for ID on a 490. On my 1916 it is a number on the rim of the flywheel (defining Solan as a 1916, made in April/Tarrytown). The engine has a number telling about when it was made. There is a number stamped into the wood below the false right door. I have not searched enough for it but they say you also will find a number stamped near to the end of the right spring at back (or one of the ends). On cars from 1917 and up there is a stamped number on the ID plate on the dash as well.

So keep looking, Bob.

parking

I posted the numbers found so far on another post but copied them here. Here are the numbers so far Car no 734869 Block number H2P6 961 (1 or T not sure), Date 5620 Head numbers 407 7 Date 52820 , Inbetween cyls 3 and 4 on the boss for the lifters is stamped 078 . I will look for more numbers such as on the flywheel today. Flywheel had some dust on it so they have been hard to spot so far.

Your head date (May 28, 1920) and the block (May 6, 1920) are most likely the same units that came originally in your car.

Don't know if this works on a 490, but if you have the occasion to remove the exhaust manifold, look on the flange where it was bolted and see if you can find a number that matches the number on the block.

I think you are right, as I have seen numbers when removing the manifold on Solan.

Here is the number on the flywheel E3381

Does anyone know (like maybe Ken K) the order that the various assembly plants went into production on the 490?

The reason I aks this is, each true 1916 that I can find out about so far (not that many) seems to have been built only in Tarrytown, NY.

Up to the end of 1918 all 490's where built at Tarrytown.
Engine were built at Flint, Mich. NYC plant was building H models, and St Louis was also started in 1916 I believe as well.
http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/chevytalk/gmhistory/earlychevhistory.htm

Beautiful! Thanks so much for this link, I have never been here before. All the things I wonder about, in one spot.

The number on the exhaust flange shall match the number on the flywheel. On my 1922 it does.

Start of 490 production by plant-

Plant #2 Tarrytowm June 1915
Plant #1 Flint August 1915
Plant #9 Toranto Sept 1915 then moved to Oshawa Dec 1915
Plant #3 St Louis Jan 1916
Plant #6 Oakland Sept 1916
Plant #7 Fort Worth TX 1917

kenK

KenK, Is the first number on the car number dictate the plant? or does the letter on the flywheel? Here are my numbers again. Car number 734869 flywheel number E3381.

The plant code used the prefix number of the the Car Number. The #7 is the Fort Worth plant. The engine # on the flywheel started out at H1 for the 1916 490 and after they reached H99999 or so thet switch to A1 up to A99999 then B1-B99999, THEN C, D, E, f, g, H, I,J, K. L, AND M.
kenK