VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Factory identification for 1938 Chevrolets

I have a question for a VCCA member,friend of mine.
Does anyone have a list of factory identification letters for 1938 Chevrolet?

A Master is a HB and the Master Deluxe an HA.

His car has a body number starting with F and he would like to know which plant it was manufactured in.

The unit serial number on the data plate is where he'd find that information. Mine is 5HD05 xxxxx. The first number - 5 means it was build in Kansas City. The HB shows it's a Master and the 05 means it was built in May of 1938. The xxxxs represent the numerical sequence is which it was built. Below is my original data plate. It is located on the right side of the cowl, under the hood. The previous owner painted over it and as you can see my attempts to remove his paint also removed the OEM paint. I ended up buying a reproduction plate and stamping the numbers on to it.

Thanks Tiny, That was very helpful. We are in Florida and he does not have the VIN with him but the first characters are 21 HB. Could you tell us where it was made. His car is a Cabriolet.

Plant

Letter Code

Number Code



Flint, Michigan

F

1



Terrytown, New York

T

2



St. Louis, Missouri

S

3



Kansas City, Missouri

K

5



Oakland, California

O

6



Atlanta, Georgia

A

8



Norwood, Ohio

N

9



Buffalo, New York

B

12



Janesville, Wisconsin

J

21


I think this is correct..

Does this mean that all cabriolet body's were produced in Flint? Tom

I thought that cabriolet bodies were built in Cleveland for most of those years. However, 1938 cabriolet bodies could have been built in Flint as indicated by the F on his body number plate. Maybe someone else would know for sure.

This builletin dated September 1940 showes plant codes at that time. Alpha for Fisher body and numerical for Chevrolet assembly plants. My 41 Cabriolet has Lansing firewall code and Oakland floor tag. It's my understanding that cabriolet bodies were built in one location (Lansing) due the hand work involved then shipped by rail to various plants for final assembly. I've seen the L code on other GM convertibles also on a 38 Cabriolet. I'm try to find out if suburbans were built the same way. My 40 has a floor tag I can't decode and a Oakland firewall tag.
Jay

Looks like photobucket has changed their protocol. I tried 3 times to copy the URL and it won't open. Sorry.

Five times and I finally got it!

Thanks for the bulletin, Jay. I hadn't seen this part about the Fisher Body stamping before...I'll look for it on my firewall..I imagine it's probably going to be at a plant close to the auto assembly plant, though.

Just took a look...I see an: O 1740...so it was Oakland.

Now, I guess it's time to research as to where this body plant used to be...Any clues..?

Thanks - Chev Nut, Wawuzit, Tiny, Omtay 33, Chipper and 41 Car Guy. You have been a big help.

It sounds like the body was built in Fint Michigan and the car was assembled in Janesville Wisconsin.

I think the Fisher plants were under the same roof as as Chevrolet assembly but operated as seperate entitys untill they were merged into GMAD in the 60's. If so, then both divisons would have been on Foothill Blvd.

When I graduated from Mt. Diablo High School I applied for work at the Oakland plant, but 1958 was a recession year and they were not taking applications. Same with Ford in Richmond and the Rambler plant in San Leandro. Just as well as I found a good home working in the body shops. My Dad advised me to "Get a trade and you'll never have to look for a job".

I know that after the war convertible bodies were built in Lansing. It is possible tay they were built in Flint farther back.
Wagon bodies were built in Cleveland.
A suburban would be a different story as the suburban did not have a Fisher body.
The Fisher body plant was a seperate body plant (and GM Division) and was usually joined to the Chevrolet assembly plant.
There were some convertible bodies made in St.Louis in 1957.

I do find this interesting that there is no mention of Buffalo, NY. I have a 1940 Master that was built/assembled there. 12KH0411495. Did they close that plant at the end of the 40 production line?

The vehicle serial number data I have indicates that Chevrolet Buffalo assembled its last vehicles on July 30, 1941 as did many other Chevrolet assembly plants for the 1941 model year. There are no vehicle serial numbers shown for the 1942 model year at Buffalo while other assembly plants built the 1942 models into February of '42. I believe the Buffalo plant manufactured air craft engines during WWII and then became a Rear axle manufacturing and assembly facility after the war.

Thanks for the info Oldie, but poses a new question. Were 41's built in Buffalo? I had read it closed at the end of '40 production. Your right '41 production ended July 1941 eleven months-1021371 cars.
Jay

Well I found the answer to my question. A google search led me to a list of Fisher Body plants compiled by Ken Kaufman on Chevytalk. He says Buffalo Closed in 1941. That's good enough for me!
Jay

Thanks for that information, Jay...Isn't that about the same time Mr. Bill Barker attended high school there in Concord...? I still live on Clayton Road, just half-way down by Farm Bureau...Your Dad was right about "get a trade", the only times I ever filled out an application was for "official" information...

Your welcome Kevan, Not sure when Bill was there but I was class of '58. Dad moved us to California in '52. Concord was real small then, not even one trafic light. Our first address was on Joan avenue not far from You. From some of your posts I assume you were a machinest? Where did you work? Before leaving Concord I worked for Jim's body shop. I hear Jim is gone now and his boys are running the shop - Just has their 50 anniversary.
Jay