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

CuChiRVN,
You are correct individual facts are only that. However, when individual facts are totaled together and they are compared to the premise a reasonable conclusion can be determined. When additional facts are presented they can help to solidify or refute the premise. That is the process that has been used for centuries to progress knowledge. Still seems to work today.

Truth is, when it somes to this model, there are virtually no facts, only anecdotal stories (like the one about my family trading it back after 6 months), hearsay and a lot of assumptions. The only facts are the few cars that survive today, they have sets of numbers attached to them that some day someone may be able to translate into a plausible comclusion. However, making assumptions about what those numbers mean is a fool's game at this point absent real facts. While 300 may err considerably on the low side in the count, 15,000+ may err considerably on the high side. I keep hoping someone will unearth a contemporary GM document that places some context for the subject and allows a definitive explanation to bloom.

Does anyone know how many Pontiacs and Oaklands were made in this body style, and if production ended in mid year?

The origin of the 300 number may be in various copies of the information sent to me years ago by Lew Clark, which only shows Flint production for the Imperial Landau. We know from body ID plate info these cars were assembled at other locations. Is it possible they were not reported because they were not in production at the end of the model year?

What are the highest known body numbers from each assembly location? Are any numbers higher than 300 recorded for Flint?

The body number ID on my Imperial assembled at Kansas City is just under 500 (forgot exact number) and the most accurate date on this car was found on the Ternstedt locks and window regulators, all have the same date of 5 29. Mechanical parts of the chassis are more likely to have been replaced.

Given all the interest in this discussion, and those doing the non 300 research, there is clearly much more than the 300 number riding on the planned article. As a result, to estop the post publication review, I trust some sort of peer review will happen after field work and before publishing.

There are way more than just a "few cars" surviving. Actually there many cars surviving and there is other documentation being used as well.




Research is not a fool's game. In research only documented facts are used and not assumptions.




We have numbers higher than 300 for Flint and also convertible landaus were produced in that factory as late as mid-May of 1929.

Dog, as you go through your research, please cover the IL color. By 1929 color selection was a big marketing deal. However, the IL came in just one color set (Crockett Brown, Mistino Gray, Shalimar Orange). There were several colors for the 28 Imperial, but in 29 just the one. One color set seems to fit if all the bodies were built in one plant, Cleveland Fisher Body, and sent for assembly elsewhere. A single color (white) and coincidentally a small (300) unit production was how Chevrolet introduced the Corvette. Again and possibly just by chance,of the first 300 Corvettes assembled, something over 250 still exist. Not to carry the similarities beyond the facts, but a high survival number does not mean large assembly number.

The Canadian built cars were blue. One of the main reasons that Canadian cars have their own paint codes and colours was to avoid the taxes and tariffs and costs of shipping paint (as well as other parts assembled here) across the border. Some research would have to be done on Canadian cars, but I would think that would mean that the Canadian Landau's were built and assembled here, or at least painted here. It would seem odd to build all of those cars in one colour, then build XX of them to ship to Canada in another colour with Canadian sourced paint.

My understanding is that all the Fisher bodies shipped to Canada for final assembly came unpainted(for duty/tax reasons?). As a result, Canadian cars had different color schemes entirely.

My '31 Coach for example was assembled in Canada in about April 1931, and based on its firewall plate, was an all blue car with black fenders/aprons, with grey reveals around windows, and red pinstriping (and red wire wheels). This color scheme does not exist for any American assembled car. My understanding is that virtually all American '31 closed cars were 2-tone (except where all black), with body above belt line being black in all cases. So IL's of '29 assembled in Canada would likely have arrived here unpainted, and have a unique scheme.

I know this will be shot down,but, I went to my chrome shop to pick up some things and was looking at the board that he put up pictures of what he had done. There was a 1929 Lasale and it looked just like the L. I. Did Fisher make that also? Is this why the no. are so high? and it was blue! Just kicking rocks.

Cadillac used different numbers than Chevrolet.

Roger....stop kicking the rocks.

Rats!

Going from memory, there were about 25,000 LaSalles built in 1929, and of those about 740 were Imperial Landaus by Fisher, of a very similar design roof to the '29 Chevrolet IL.

Let's see here...

Most of the people that argue that 300ish Imperial Landau Convertibles were built say "yeah but so many survived because it was a really special car owned by rich people that knew to save them for their collectibility down the road"

So if that argument is true, then there must be over 600 Lasalle survivors, right?? Let's find pictures of just 10 different of the Lasalles of that style...

Brewster, I think you may have miss associated some of the prior entries. I believe I was the contributor that reported people would tend to "save" a limited production car. Instead of save I should have probably said something like took relatively better care. As far as "rich" people, that is only , I believe, in the one thread about a rich person who did buy and keep an IL. So many threads, Brewster , correct me if I am wrong.

Not in reply to your specific post... just one of the arguments that is floated on that side of the coin when discussing this situation in the past.

Interesting thread here - just finished the whole works. In talking with a friend today, Convertible Sedans came up! He mentioned a blue one; I believe - I'll double check. I know there was a very original, complete green CS at an old fella's farm here back about 1970-71. It must still be around? It was too original & complete to have been parted out or wrecked, I'm sure. Also, I believe there is a 1929 Pontiac CS around, as well. (I'll try to find out for you, Dog.) I'll be in touch, one way or another. I can see 300 Oaklands or Pontiacs being built; but would have to figure on more than that number of Chevys being constructed. Don't know if these cars would have been assembled in Regina (Saskatchewan) or Oshawa; up here in the "Great White North".

Canadian built Imperial Landau on Ebay now...

Click Here

Another one on ebay… The reported number of survivors is now down to 16!!! Looks like we may have lost a few hundred of them in the past few weeks!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-O...;item=321397136311&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

Yep! The "16" survivors statement is totally fabricated BS.

Hi we just starting restoring a 28 imperial landau sedan. It is blue with tan interior. In trying to check the vin number the first number on this car is 7. Nowhere could I find a plant location #. There is 6 & 8 but no 7. Could this be a Canadian built car. The car is a complete car in the family but hasn't been looked at in 30 years. In reasonably good all original condition

For a better response to your question regarding your 1928 you might want to post in the 1912-1928 forum.

Another one for your list. There is a pic of the job # on the tag in the listing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-O...;item=171419841893&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

Hey Brewster: Thanks for the heads-up. I added the cowl tag information to our list of survivors, which just keeps on growing and growing!

Hey JYD… I feel bad even posting a link to this poor old girl. Unfortunately, the ridiculous price will prevent it from being sold to someone that can save it…

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/chevrolet/imperial/1678901.html

At that price, the dude needs a brain transplant!