VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 1929 landau Imperial sed convt, Trim!

Note a Landau Imp. with a a MARCH block.

ChevyNut, please expand on your post. Nothwithstanding ad information as late as the end of Model year 1929, we still need to tighten up the statement about ending body style production at the beginning of the calender year. Does your post mean ended body production in Jan or Feb 29 is consistent with a March engine ... or ???? Shipping from body builder to assembly plant then putting on the body into the production line .... seems like that would take several weeks in 29.
Does the engine stamped number, 373535, add anything?

This goes back to the false info floating around about this style and has been an on-going discussion here for the last few years.
One publication stated there were only 300 made. Other publications have copied and used the same figure. At one point it was said they were only assembled in January....and so on.
The 1929 engine numbers ranged from 1 thru 1265800 Your engine production sequence number of 373565 indiactes the engine was made in March with the March engines running from349,222 and up.

As Ken noted in his research above, the convertible landau was made until at least June or July of 1929. The manufacturing of the convertible landau did not end at the beginning of the calendar year. That is another misconception like the "only 300 made" rumor.

The serial number on your engine block and the casting date indicates that your convertible landau was assembled in March of 1929 as Gene stated, not prior to that date, so that confirms that the convertible landaus were made past January. And, based on your body number of 1098, that would mean that at least 1,098 convertible landaus were made up to that point in time in whatever factory your car was manufactured.

The engine serial number, the block casting date and the body number on your car all help to dispute the false information that the convertible landau was only made until January, and that only 300 of that model were made. And, with Mike's car thrown into the picture, we now know that at least 8,101 convertible landaus were made in 1929...if not more.

Another item that should be considered: If Mike's convertible landau was made in a different factory than your car then we can add your body number of 1098 to his body number of 8101, and that will give us 9,199 convertible landaus made that we know of at this point. And, if any of the other numerous existing convertible landaus were made in different factories, their body numbers can be added to the total as well. That is one way to determine about how many thousands of this model were actually made.

Hey guys,
I just had this wild thought. How about generating a list of the most common myths dealing with old Chevrolets. The 300 Convertible Landau Sedans can be the first. I am sure there are many others. Like in 1931 each body style was built in separate plant!

A second idea is to continue to add information to the database started by Dave Dawn. He collected the numbers on many early 6 cylinder Chevys many years ago. I am sure that there are many more out there that can be added particularly from people outside the VCCA.

Yep, I agree.....the biggest myth and first on the list would definitely have to be the "only 300 made" fiasco. Trouble is this myth has been circulating for so long it is going to take years to set history straight.

Also, the same myth about only one body style being made in each factory has been spread around for 1932 as well.

Skipper,
Our beginning data base shows that open cars with windup windows like the 1929 Sport Cabriolet [Body # 423 and # 28860] and the three Convertible Landau Sedans had no Fisher Body plant codes stamped in front of the Body #. This is because they were built in the Colt Ave plant in Cleveland. Notice the Imperial Sedan as a closed body was built in J for Janesville, WI. It will be interesting to see when Mike's # 8101 was built? If it was built after #28860 in May or June, this would prove that the Sport Cabriolet and the Convertible Landau Sedan Body numbers used their own number sequence and were not combined. We are all waiting for Mike to give us his numbers.
kenK

Yep, it will be interesting to see what numbers Mike comes up with. As a side note, according to Mike's car serial number, his convertible landau was assembled in the Flint factory and I have seen a listing of another convertible landau serial number indicating that it was assembled in the Buffalo factory.

What #s do you want from the Imperial Landau sedan that we have here?

Not exactly sure what you are asking, but we would like to have job number, body number, engine serial number, engine casting number, engine casting date, and the car serial number.

I'll see if I can find all those.

OK, try these on for size.

Job # 8860
Body # 441
Engine serial # 82956
Engine casting # 835501
Engine casting date A 3 9
Head casting date D 24 0
Car serial # 1AC1330

What does that tell ya.
Hope it helps. Andy.

Thanks for the numbers Andy!

Okay, the numbers break down as follows:

Job # 8860 = Convertible Landau
Body # 441 = 441st Convertible Landau (for now anyway)
Engine serial # 82956 = Serial number issued in January of 1929
Engine casting # 835501 = 1929 engine block
Engine casting date A 3 9 = Engine cast on January 3rd, 1929
Head casting date D 24 0 = 1930 cylinder head cast on May 24, 1930
Car serial # 1AC1330 = Flint factory, 1929 Series AC, and the car was the 330th vehicle assembled in the Flint factory in 1929. Note that the car serial numbers started at 1,001.

Thanks. Just thought I'd put in my little dab of Info to the discussion.

That information is really interesting. The 441st Convertible Landau body was the 330th 1929 model assembled in Flint. That and the fact that there is no body plant code letter, supports the supposition that all Convertible Landau bodies were produced in one plant and then shipped to the assembly plants.

The Car No. 1AC1330 seems to low because this would be a Decenber build car with 1304 cars built in December. The last Flint car in December would be 1304 plus 1001 = 1AC2305.
Please double check your car number for a fith diget.
kenK

Its difficult for me to get the doors open all the way. I took the car # off the title. Where is the actual # located?

The car serial number is located on a plate that is attached to the passenger side wood main sill, facing the passenger door and a few inches in front of the front seat frame. The plate was attached at the factory with little nails and most often the car serial number plate is missing.

Ken: Similar to the convertible landau, over the years I have found numerous 1930 and 1932 sedans, coaches and coupes that don't have a factory code letter in front of the body number. In your research what would the missing factory code letter on these closed Fisher Bodies indicate?

Pictures! Heres the tag and the floorboard that is stamped with the body # that matches the cowl tag.


What do you think?

I can't read the car serial number very well on my computer but the number appears to match the car serial number that you posted yesterday. Is that correct...does it match?

Sorry, yes it matches the number that I posted.

Looks like there is a "C" stamped into the wood before the actual body number which would indicate the Cleveland body plant. The body number photo is great documentation. Let the investigation continue.

On my screen its looks like there is a "L" after the "C"

After the C is the # 441 in a different stamp font. Its hard to see in the picture, but definate in person.Numbers not lined up, looks like stamped by hand one number at a time.