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Grease Pencil Marks

Started by Rod Dahlgren #19496, March 30, 2016, 03:24:39 PM

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Rod Dahlgren #19496

So I have searched the forums about this and see a few threads. But nothing quite definitive. What MARKS are seen under hood of the cars as they exit the production line? On my 49 Cad, I see what appear to be yellow stamped marks I would say these were done with a rubber stamp. I see these on cars up into the early 60's- The Grease pencil marks I see on my 58, 59, 60, vary. Bottom of hood- firewall-- radiator.. MOST of these are kind of an orange NOT WHITE -- Even see some numbers on back of skirts.

WHAT are these numbers? Where are they on your original cars? Any photos? Should they be the last TWO numbers of the Fisher Body Number?

My 56 CDV is a very original car-- I see no inspection marks under hood--- My 58 has a lot of grease pencil marks--- the 60 has a few---

Anyone care to share?
Did You Drive Your Cadillac Today?

Jon S

Exactly where are these on your 1958?  I have a purchased brand new 1958 and will check if you can provide the general area/side to look.
Jon

1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville
1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe
1981 Corvette
2004 Mustang GT

Rod Dahlgren #19496

On my 58 short deck- Behind each front fender are: 966 on left fender behind headlight area and 965 on right fender, both in white grease pencil. These numbers are not anywhere near the body number of the car.
On the 1960, I see the remains of an orange color grease mark on the firewall near the brake booster.
Pictures attached show the 58 fenders and the original unrestored firewall on the 60 Eldorado.

HOPE anyone can add info about these markings and what and where they are likely to show up.

I see that radiators also have a grease pencil number- I think it very unlikely that ANY of these would still be visible on a radiator after it warms up a bit.
Did You Drive Your Cadillac Today?

Jon S

Jon

1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville
1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe
1981 Corvette
2004 Mustang GT

Jon S

#4
Was curious. The battery blocks picture access to the right side, but the driver's side has a grease pen marking - a 10?  Looks like a 53 magnified:

Jon

1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville
1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe
1981 Corvette
2004 Mustang GT

oldcarguy

IMHO, the grease pencil markings {numbers} identify the employee who installed a particular part, or maybe the part number itself as far as assembly line ID.
The orange OK on the firewall indicates the car passed inspection. Don't know if that is final or just a particular area.
For what it's worth !
Don
Don Ford

1941 SERIES 6219D
2017 XTS
Others:
1949 Mercury coupe
1964 Pontiac LeMans
1959 Chevy Impala

Jon S

Quote from: oldcarguy on April 01, 2016, 08:33:02 PM
IMHO, the grease pencil markings {numbers} identify the employee who installed a particular part, or maybe the part number itself as far as assembly line ID.
The orange OK on the firewall indicates the car passed inspection. Don't know if that is final or just a particular area.
For what it's worth !
Don

Could well be.  I know the Chevrolets used paint stamps on the fire wall denoting B (body, P (paint), T (trim) to denote those areas were up to Fisher Body standards.  Using an employee ID number might have been Cadillac's method for Quality Control and employee ratings.
Jon

1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville
1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe
1981 Corvette
2004 Mustang GT

Quentin Hall

On the cars that I have worked on ( mainly 50s) I have often found the last two or three digits of the vin. So on my 53 ELDO body #433 vin5362 83033 I found 33 in yellow on the fenders front and rear and fender skirts and dash. I know it is the vin not the body number (confusing on my 53 cos both end in 33).  It was so they knew which panels to fit to which body as they came down the line.
53 Eldo #319
53 Eldo #412.
53 Eldo #433
57 Biarritz
53 series 62 conv
39 Sixty Special Custom
57 Biarritz

Jon S

#8
Quote from: Quentin Hall on April 02, 2016, 04:40:12 PM
On the cars that I have worked on ( mainly 50s) I have often found the last two or three digits of the vin. So on my 53 ELDO body #433 vin5362 83033 I found 33 in yellow on the fenders front and rear and fender skirts and dash. I know it is the vin not the body number (confusing on my 53 cos both end in 33).  It was so they knew which panels to fit to which body as they came down the line.

Think you got it - My last 3 Serial Numbers are 753 and looking at the panel picture above (zoomed in), it is a 753!  So, for 1958 it was the last three digits of the Serial Number.  Never knew that or in fact that there were Factory grease markings on the car.
Jon

1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville
1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe
1981 Corvette
2004 Mustang GT

76eldo

The last 54 digits on my 60 Seville are 5535.  Inside of the front fenders, one said 535, the other looked like 335, and on the driver's side cowl, hidden by the fender it said 8735, so who knows?

I see some cars at shows (non Caddy's) with chalk marks on the firewall and big OK marks that look like a child did them.  On the Caddy's I have never seen any of these grease pencil numbers where it shows.

It's a curiosity but probably not too important to re-create during a resto.

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

Rod Dahlgren #19496

I think you guys nailed it. I looked at a couple other cars I have--- Yep, there it is--  NOW-- I wonder about the skirts I see with the last THREE numbers of the fisher body number-- Not the VIN.. Seems like the body may not have a VIN until it meets the chassis and engine???? BUT front sheet metal goes on after it gets a chassis, engine and VIN?
Did You Drive Your Cadillac Today?

Walter Youshock

The numbers on the inside fenders of my car are the last 3 digits of the vin-834.  In 1958, the numbering scheme was changed with the addition of the letter code of the model, like M for a Sixty Special.  Maybe that also affected the front sheet metal markings.

Again:  bodies were built, trimmed and painted at Fleetwood.  The Clark plant stamped and painted the hoofs and fenders.  To keep it all together, they marked the parts.

As for the 4-digit numbers--I have them on the driver cowl.  They are the same as the key codes of the car.
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Quentin Hall

I found the last two vin now on the top of the transmission of my 53 and 59 Eldo. Also on the steering column of the 53. On the 59 it was also on the cruise, the tripower vacuum tank. Basically parts must have been preallocated to the car prior to fitment as they came down the line.
53 Eldo #319
53 Eldo #412.
53 Eldo #433
57 Biarritz
53 series 62 conv
39 Sixty Special Custom
57 Biarritz

Cadillac Nut

The first part of the VIN is written on the bottom of the dash on my 58 Fleetwood  Not underhood, but found it interesting.