VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 VIN Numbers

We recently purchased a 1930 Chevrolet 1.5 ton truck. From what I can deduce, VIN numbers per se did not exist before 1935/1936 but there was a serial number. The serial number is 21LR8049. I was wondering if those numbers actually meant anything in particular regarding specifications about the truck. If anyone has an info that might help, we'd appreciate it. Thank you.

Hello Cristiana and welcome to Chevy Chatter II,

Congrats on your new purchase. The serial number did contain some info about the vehicle. The first set of numbers before the letters (21 in your case) indicate where the vehicle was made. 21 is the Janesville, WI factory. The letters indicate the series. LR was for the 1930 truck. The numbers after that were the numerical sequence in the build order.
At the top of this forum, there is a thread titled "Hot Links". Check it out. A lot of links to good information are in that thread.

Happy Motoring,

Dan

Thank you for your reply. Do you know how I might find out what color it was originally painted?

LR = 1930 1 1/2 ton truck.

Hi Cristiana,

I'm not all that familiar with the trucks. The passenger cars had a cowl tag attached to the engine side of the firewall, on the driver's side, which gave code numbers for the body style and paint. Anything like that on yours?

Also, I agree with Junk Yard Dog on the tear down of your engine. You've got it half way there, so you might as well take it all way down.

Dan

As to the original colors you can check during removal of the paint layers of the body and elsewhere. I found the original shade of my pick up by doing so, and that was not a Chevrolet factory color, but used by the bodybuilder factory in Norway.

Please, remember to use your camera all the time before and when you are demounting the different parts of your truck.

Burn a CD as a safe precaution for the work to rebuild it correctly.

I was also intersted in this info for a 1930 coupe. What would the codes be for the different assembly plants that built the coupes? I do not have the original plate but have a repo and would like to get it stamped with the correct info.

Hi Dans_30, and welcome to Chevy Chatter II.

Here's a link to the plant codes:

http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/chevytalk/GMhistory/1930onplantcodes.html

Good luck and have fun with your 30 coupe.

Dan

In 1930, there were basically nine plants that built Chevrolets:

1 FLINT, MICHIGAN

2 TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK [ASSEMBLED ALL EXPORT S.U.P. VEHICLES]

3 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

5 KANSAS CITY, KANSAS

6 OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

8 ATLANTA, GEORGIA

9 NORWOOD, OHIO

12 BUFFALO, NEW YORK [not to be confused with Tonawanda, N.Y. Motor Plant]

21 JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN

All of the above plants built coupes, along with other models as well.

Skip --

What does "S.U.P." mean Is it something like CKD (Completely knocked down)??

All the Best, Chip

Re Canadian plants such as Oshawa Ont, Walkerville Ont, and, Regina Sask, is there a description of just what these plants "built". Did they only do assembly from CKD shipments from Tarrytown, or did they in some cases build complete or almost complete units largely from scratch, except perhaps for the body? I understood some of the stampings of sheet metal were done in Canada (fenders for example), and many of the mechanical components I have on my '31 Coach have uniquely Canadian stamped part numbers (brake & clutch pedals, transmission case, etc).

Beats the heck outta me!

The terms I have seen used for export components and cars are:

S.U.P. = Single Unit Pack, used in reference to cars, and also to chasis
K.D. = knocked down
C.K.D = completely knocked down. Lots of assembly required, starting at rivetting the frame rails together.

Perhaps others will know - is a "S.U.P. car" a fully assembled car, or was some local assembly still required? I have seen reference to driving chasis (without bodies) off the boat, so assume these were "S.U.P. chasis"?

I have also been told that various mostly flat body panels were shipped to Holden plant with C.K.D. - does anyone know what panels? I suspect it changed often and overseas plants made whatever they needed, but am kind of curious if my Holden body has infact got US door panels on it.

cheers
Barry

The entire body for my '29 Olds was sent out as a CKD package,and fully assembled by Holden.It's a very early '29 Olds,Holden body No.7,and the main part of the body is actually a 1928 Fisher body,with the proper extra '29 parts sent out with the kit.