Protect-O-Plate Options Help

[Richard J]

Hi guys, I’ve searched all over looking for information about specific decoding of the Protect-O-Plate but haven’t been able to find what I’m looking for. Sorry if I get to wordy here but I thought it best to give a little background.

I’ve been in the process of restoring my 69 SS/RS for four years and I’m starting to finally see daylight. As the car has a fairly solid history I’ve done my best to staying true to its originality. It was primarily a one owner local car which was ordered here in northern Illinois where it has always remained. One key thing I have always been missing is the documentation, that is until a week ago. I was surprised when I was contacted by the person I got the car from who had just found some documentation including the Protect-O-Plate. After getting the shocking news I didn’t hesitate in getting them in hand and start filling in some of the blanks of missing information I always wanted to know. 

I have been able to decode the majority of the plate and was thrilled to see all the numbers from the driveline match what is on the car. The part I am having a problem with is the options section of the plate. Mine shows “1 3 3”, which I think is power brakes, disc brakes and AM radio. The car does have all three of these but there are other options that I found on the car that aren’t on the plate.

I guess my main question is were only certain options listed on the Protect-O-Plate? Somewhere I read that due to limited space on the card only certain power options were on it such as power windows, power seats, brakes etc. but I don’t know if that’s accurate.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[bertfam]

Have you seen THIS?

And yes, you are correct. Not all options are listed on the POP.

Ed

[Richard J]

Thanks Ed, I did check the CRG Protect-O-Plate decoding section and found it very informative. That’s where I got most of the decoding for my POP, but like most things the deeper you get into something the more questions come up.
So would it be safe to say that a N33 tilt steering wheel option and U17 gauge option would not appear on the 69 POP.

[bertfam]

So would it be safe to say that a N33 tilt steering wheel option and U17 gauge option would not appear on the 69 POP.

Correct on both counts.

Ed

[KurtS]

All the options that appear are listed on that POP decode page. If it's not on the list, it wasn't on the POP.

[Richard J]

Thanks Ed and Kurt for the information it really helps fill in some of those history gaps that I’ve been trying to unravel.

One other quick question considering a timeline involving the POP.

According to the cowl tag, the car is a second week of January (01B) build and the Protect-O-Plate information shows that it was purchased at Nickey Chevrolet on June 13, 1969. Do either of you know how long it took from the time a car was ordered until it arrived at the dealership?
The reason I ask is that I have been told that the original owner ordered the car which was given to him as a college graduation present. So, I’m trying to see if the dates work out

[bertfam]

William explained the procedure very well in THIS THREAD:

Order lead time for most cars was 4-6 weeks. There was an internal vetting process for dealer orders prior to confirmation. Orders that were incorrect or specified equipment that was not available were not immediately confirmed. Also, dealer status could delay an order. Beyond that, there were typically far more orders than the plants could build. For the normal '69 model year, Chevrolet cancelled 77,000 confirmed orders.

The date on the tag is when the body production order was released. It is only a general indicator of final assembly; for some reason Fisher occasionally skipped weeks when stamping the tags. The tag was stamped and placed with the order; the order could remain in queue for several days. There is no way a released production order remained in queue for 17 weeks.

The last six digits of the VIN was assigned in sequence when the completed body transferred to Chevrolet final assembly. That establishes the final-assembly date. Bodies were then staged in the body bank. Cars were not built in exact VIN order; they were scheduled to maintain line balance. But, unusual for a body to remain in the bank for any significant time.

Also, John wrote an excellent article regarding the ASSEMBLY PROCESS and the final sentence states:

Generally, cars to be delivered within several hundred miles of the plant left on haulaway trucks; those destined for dealers further away were shipped by rail, then unloaded at the nearest GM railhead to the dealer and transferred to haulaway trucks for final delivery.

There's no way to know exactly how long it took to deliver the car since there are too many variables, but generally, anywhere from less than a day or so to a few weeks, depending on where the car was going.

Post your VIN and a picture of your trim tag and William might be able to tell you the final assembly date.

Ed