build date question

[Bobby E.]

I jst purchased a 1966 convertible. The build date on the trim tag says J21 but the corvette birthday book and shipping report says June 22. Should I be concerned?

[Greg W.]

Re: build date question

Bobby. If it is a st. Louis built car then the J is for june, If A.O. Smith built then the J would be for May

[Bobby E.]

Re: build date question

Thanks, it is a st.louis car but the actual trim tag date is one day before the birthday book and shipping data report. Is this normal?

[Greg W.]

Re: build date question

One day sounds close to me, but others will have a better idea.

[Gary B.]

Re: build date question

Thanks, it is a st.louis car but the actual trim tag date is one day before the birthday book and shipping data report. Is this normal?

Bobby,

Your car sounds perfectly normal to me. My '66 is a St. Louis car with a K20 trim tag date (July 20); the date on the shipping data report is July 21. The birthday calculator for my VIN says July 21.

Gary

[Dan D.]

Re: build date question

Actually this is very common. The trim tag signifies the date in the "Trim Shop" (the station on the line where the trim is installed in the body. Often vehicles will be "stuck" on the assembly line over night. The "ship Day" (also the billing day) would normally be the next day. My car started down the assembly line on a Friday, Jan. 14,1972. It had cleared the trim shop (trim tag - F 14) , then the production day ended, meaning it was stuck on the assembly line over the weekend which gave it a ship day on Monday, Jan. 17, 1972. It's possible to have an even longer gap if a vehicle was sent to the "repair shop." The "ship day" is the day G.M. "drafted" on the financial institution carrying the dealer's floor plan and the vehicle was released to the carrier.