VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 1929 Phaeton -- Export, RHD

I just bought another Phaeton -- a 1929 right-hand drive vehicle, and I'm trying to trace down its history. I know that the car was in Belize (former British Honduras) in the 1980s, based on tax/licensing documents, but I don't know where the car was built or bodied. The only identifying marks are carved into the base of the front seat:
Left Side: 987701.M
Right Side: A 1 8 655

The engine is Serial Number R1244348

There are no plates on the car anywhere and no indication of any having been on the firewall or on the side of the front seat base like a US car would have.

Does anyone have any idea where this car would have been built? I'm guessing either the UK, South Africa, or Australia?

Who might have built the body? It is VERY similar to my US 1930 Phaeton, with only minor differences.



Thanks !

All the Best, Chip

hey chip. sorry i can`t help you ID your NEW car.
but i would like to see and i`m sure the other guys would like to see some pictures of your NEW car.
good luck with it.

Done..... I posted some photos on the "VCCA Member's Photos".

All the Best, Chip

nice!!!!!!
it looks like its all there. just clean it up and drive.
i`d kill for that steering wheel.

Good luck with the car I saw the same car while it was on e-bay now you can have a HIS & HERS or HERS & HERS

Not sure it helps much, but according to "History of Holden since 1917", the 1929 AC models were serial no R16070 to R1545029 and chassis no S5351 to S10870. It says they built 3834 Tourers, so build was scattered right thru the engine number range. Clearly chassis number would be much more useful and does not seem to match any of your numbers, so maybe not Holden?

Good luck tracking it down.

It does not look like a 1929 holden body tourer , I dont think that holden bodies had the pressed in moulding around the rear fenders and bottom edge of the rear tub.( which this car has)

Hey Chip
I have the same problem with my 30 Sports Roadster (which was also the right-hand drive,) where it was built, it is imported to Denmark / Copenhagen from Uruguey in 1991, shipped from Montevideo, which has also carved a NO. Having front seat 97670.LM engine was a 1928 Chevrolet 4 cyl I have rebuilt with a 6 cyl, I asked Skip Geer in 1998 he showed how it was built, there has been an assembly plant in South America? just as there was in Copenhagen.

That's very interesting Jens! The numbers seem similar. Can anyone else offer any information about the South American production? Skip -- any insights?

Thanks Jens, and thanks to all who have responded so far.

All the Best, Chip

Sorry Chip The Whip, but I am unable to help on this one because I don't remember my conversation with Jens back in 1998 or what it concerned.

David Hayward has confirmed that the engine was built at the Flint engine plant in September 1929 and was a right-hand drive engine. He is guessing that the car may have been assembled in the USA and exported to the British Honduras by the GM Export Company in New York. Can anyone comment on that?

All the Best, Chip

Chip, once David Hayward has spoken there is no rebuttal.

Hello
I have a friend in Denmark who has a 1930 Sports Roadster that is assembled in Canada and exported to Denmark, (although there were assembly plant in Copenhagen) could not be possible to Road's and Phaeton to export, (that was not a Ficher bodywork,) all are assembled in Canada?

Jens, I don't know about your idea of Canada assembly for all exported open cars, but I'm interested in the fact that the numbers are carved into the seat base on this car, and there are no other "plates" on the body with any numbers. Has anyone else seen numbers carved into the wood under the seat, and if so, on what cars produced where?

I appreciate all the help on getting to the bottom of this.

All the Best, Chip

The tag on the right hand side,which has A 1 8 655 stamped on it,is the paint and trim code tag for the car.Don't know if anyone can decipher GM's paint and trim coding,as my '29 Olds has a similar paint and trim code I.D. plate nailed to the LH side sill rail.

Here is some information about assembly factories. They were quite early in South America:

XC GENERAL MOTORS ARGENTINA, BUENOS AIRES, April 1924
XE GENERAL MOTORS DO BRASIL, S.A., SÂO PAULO, BRAZIL, September 1925
XI? GENERAL MOTORS URUGUYA, MONTIVEDO, November 1926 the REGIONAL HQ was located in the Arijon Building, Montevideo, Uruguay by September 1927.

Taken from this list:
http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/chevytalk/GMhistory/overseasplantcodes.html


:vcca:

Remove the seat on the closed cars, look on the inside of the front board, and in the center, it may have information about the assembly of the BODY.

Chip
My Sports Roadster is exported from URUGUYA to Denmark, but it is not certain that it is concentrated in URUGUYA, perhaps used in URUGUYA 97670.LM (perhaps M for MONTIVEDO) the chassis no, used in Denmark in 1930 engine number as the chassis no., so I do not think there is something carved in my friend's seat, but I ask him tomorrow.
I try also to contact a VCCA member in URUGUYA whether he knows anything about what numbers they used in 1930.

Hello again Chip
I mailed to Carlos Novas Montevideo in Urugay and asked him about my chaccis number 97670.LM and he replied:
Hey Jens
The number that is carved in the wooden frame under the seat it isn´t the chassis number. Here in Uruguay to allow a car to ride on the street we need to register in the province where you live, here in Uruguay we have 19 provinces. So, the number carved it is because its high numbers 97670 belong to Montevideo and the characters LM surely would be instead L a C that it was eraser in the time and that means "Consejo Montevideo".
With reference where it was built I think that it was in Canada not in the United State but I do not have documentation to be sure of it.
Regards
Carlos Novas

So there is perhaps something to all the open wagons may be built in Canada, I asked my friend in Denmark on his Chaccis number in his car, but in Denmark, the Chevrolet dealer in a plate with engine number as Chaccinummer he also has papers on that his car comes from Ottawa, Canada.

All I can say is WOW. This forum has again proven to be of unsurpassed value. Where else could a person in Denmark communicate with someone in Uruguay and get the information sought? I am impressed.

Hello Jens and thank you very much for your excellent research on this question. I agree with Chipper -- it's amazing to find information this way.

I have written letters to the authorities in Belize (former British Honduras) with the registration information taken from the tax discs on the windshield of the car. I hope that may provide some more information.

Meanwhile, maybe others have some thoughts about the numbers carved (or cut in with a router actually) into the seat base of my car.

Again, Jens, thank you!

All the Best, Chip

Hey Chipper and Chip
Thank you for the rose, it also helps me! there is something I thought of the VCCA not some access to the old Chevrolet archives, so perhaps there could be something there, about why Chevrolet around 1929 to 1932 built Open bodywork on the open Chevroletter, rather than using Ficher bodywork.

Though it is commonly stated that Chevrolet built the "open" bodies in the late 20s and early 30s, I have serious doubts that it is true. There is no reason for Chevrolet to set up a body plant when there were plenty of body companies already in business. These independent body companies, Hayes, Ionia contracted to build bodies for many companies. As an example Ionia built the late 40s Station Wagon bodies for Chevrolet. The also made significant percentage of Corvette parts into at least the 80s. In the 80s the plant in Ionia, Michigan was owned by General Tire. A bunch of my corhorts worked with them and GM on a multitude of Corvette parts.

Cohorts? You have cohorts? Wow!

"Cohorts? You have cohorts? Wow!"
Nope, he said he has corhorts. Get with it.....
Fasinating thread. Can anyone summarize what we've learned??